Eli Wallach | |
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Photo taken 1966
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Born |
Eli Herschel Wallach December 7, 1915 Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | June 24, 2014 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
(aged 98)
Alma mater |
University of Texas at Austin (B.A.) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1945–2014 |
Known for | Tuco, Calvera, Don Altobello, Cotton Weinberger, Arthur Abbott, Mr. Freeze, Silva Vacarro |
Notable work | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Magnificent Seven, The Godfather Part III, Batman, The Holiday, The Two Jakes, Baby Doll |
Spouse(s) | Anne Jackson (1948–2014; his death) |
Children | 3 |
Relatives |
Joan Wallach Scott (niece) A. O. Scott (nephew) |
Awards | BAFTA Awards, Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, Honorary Academy Award |
Signature | |
University of Texas at Austin (B.A.)
City College of New York (M.Ed.)
Eli Herschel Wallach (/ˈiːlaɪ ˈwɔːlək/; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s. Trained in stage acting, which he enjoyed doing most, he became "one of the greatest 'character actors' ever to appear on stage and screen" states TCM, with over 90 film credits. On stage, he often co-starred with his wife, Anne Jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the American theater.
Wallach initially studied method acting under Sanford Meisner, and later became a founding member of the Actors Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg. His versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career, primarily as a supporting actor.
For his debut screen performance in Baby Doll, he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Among his other most famous roles are Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960), Guido in The Misfits (1961), and Tuco ("The Ugly") in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Other notable portrayals include outlaw Charlie Gant in How The West Was Won (1962), Don Altobello in The Godfather Part III, Cotton Weinberger in The Two Jakes (both 1990), and Arthur Abbott in The Holiday (2006). One of America's most prolific screen actors, Wallach remained active well into his nineties, with roles as recently as 2010 in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Ghost Writer.