Eli Wallach (original) (raw)
Eli Wallach(1915-2014)
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Play trailer2:21
Ahead of Time: The Extraordinary Journey of Ruth Gruber (2009)
One of Hollywood's finest character / "Method" actors, Eli Wallach was in demand for over 60 years (first film/TV role was 1949) on stage and screen, and has worked alongside the world's biggest stars, includingClark Gable,Clint Eastwood,Steve McQueen,Marilyn Monroe,Yul Brynner,Peter O'Toole, andAl Pacino, to name but a few.
Wallach was born on 7 December 1915 in Brooklyn, NY, to Jewish parents who emigrated from Poland, and was one of the few Jewish kids in his mostly Italian neighborhood. His parents, Bertha (Schorr) and Abraham Wallach, owned a candy store, Bertha's Candy Store. He went on to graduate with a B.A. from the University of Texas in Austin, but gained his dramatic training with the Actors Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his debut on Broadway in 1945, and won a Tony Award in 1951 for portraying Alvaro Mangiacavallo in theTennessee Williams play "The Rose Tattoo".
Wallach made a strong screen debut in 1956 in the film version of the Tennessee Williams playBaby Doll (1956), shined as "Dancer", the nattily dressed hitman, in directorDon Siegel's film-noir classicThe Lineup (1958), and co-starred in the heist filmSeven Thieves (1960). DirectorJohn Sturges then cast Wallach as vicious Mexican bandit Calvera inThe Magnificent Seven (1960), the western adaptation of theAkira Kurosawa epicSeven Samurai (1954).The Misfits (1961), in the star-spangled western opusHow the West Was Won (1962), the underrated WW2 filmThe Victors (1963), as a kidnapper inThe Moon-Spinners (1964), in the sea epic Lord Jim (1965) and in the romantic comedyHow to Steal a Million (1966).
Looking for a third lead actor in the final episode of the "Dollars Trilogy", Italian directorSergio Leone cast the versatile Wallach as the lying, two-faced, money-hungry (but somehow lovable) bandit "Tuco" in the spectacularThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)(aka "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"), arguably his most memorable performance. Wallach kept busy throughout the remainder of the '60s and into the '70s with good roles inMackenna's Gold (1969),Cinderella Liberty (1973),Crazy Joe (1974),The Deep (1977) and asSteve McQueen's bail buddy inThe Hunter (1980).
The 1980s was an interesting period for Wallach, as he was regularly cast as an aging doctor, a Mafia figure or an over-the-hill hitman, such as inThe Executioner's Song (1982),Our Family Honor (1985),Tough Guys (1986),Nuts (1987),The Two Jakes (1990) and as the candy-addicted "Don Altabello" inThe Godfather Part III (1990). At 75+ years of age, Wallach's quality of work was still first class and into the 1990s and beyond, he has remained in demand. He lent fine support toVendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride (1990),Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992),Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998)and Keeping the Faith (2000). Most recently Wallach showed up as a fast-talking liquor store owner inMystic River (2003) and in the comedic dramaKing of the Corner (2004).
In early 2005, Eli Wallach released his much anticipated autobiography, "The Good, The Bad And Me: In My Anecdotage", an enjoyable reading from one of the screen's most inventive and enduring actors.
Eli Wallach was very much a family man who remained married to his wife Anne Jackson for 66 years. When Wallach died at 98, in 2014, in Manhattan, NY, he was survived by his wife, three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.