Mike Mazurki
| Mike Mazurki | |
|---|---|
Mazurki as Splitface in Dick Tracy (1945)
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| Born |
Markijan (Mychajło) Mazurkiewicz December 25, 1907 Kupchyntsi, Kozova Raion, Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) |
| Died | December 9, 1990 (aged 82) Glendale, California, US |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–1990 |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanette Briggs (1943–1950; divorced; 2 children) Sylvia Weinblatt (1968–1990; his death) |
| Children | Michelle Mazurki |
Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990), was an American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 films. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men and gangsters.
He was born Markiyan (Mykhailo) Mazurkevych (Ukrainian: Маркіян (Михайло) Мазуркевич) (Polish: Markijan (Mychajło) Mazurkiewicz) in Kupchyntsi, Kozova Raion, near what was then Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Ternopil, Ukraine). He was from an ethnic Ukrainian family. He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of six, living in Cohoes, New York, just outside Albany, in old mill housing on Olmstead Street with his mother. He attended LaSalle Institute in Troy, for high school. Upon finishing school, he changed his name to "Mike". He later graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930. He became a professional athlete in three sports, primarily wrestling but also American football and basketball.
He was discovered by Josef von Sternberg and given a bit part in his film The Shanghai Gesture (1941). This led to a long film and television career. Possibly his most memorable role was that of slow-witted thug Moose Malloy in the film noir Murder, My Sweet (1944), opposite Dick Powell. He portrayed the psychotic, knife wielding murderer, Splitface, in the original Dick Tracy (1945). He played a wrestler nicknamed "The Strangler" in Night and the City (1950) and a role imitating the manner of a George Raft henchman in the Billy Wilder comedy, Some Like it Hot (1959). He continued to wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly due to a wrestling injury to his Adam's apple.
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