ELI WALLACH
Information From IMDb
Date of Birth
7 December 1915,
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Spouse
Anne Jackson (5 March 1948 - present) 3 children
Trivia
Graduated from The University of Texas at Austin - BA '36.
Was almost killed during the train scene in Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966). He was asked by Sergio Leone to do the scene again, and he then replied: "I'll never do that again!"
Turned down the role in From Here to Eternity (1953) that won Frank Sinatra an Oscar.
Was trained at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.
One of three actors to play the character of Mr. Freeze on "Batman" (1966). (The other two were George Sanders and Otto Preminger). He once said that he has received more fan mail for that role than for any other role he has ever done.
Father of Peter Wallach, Katherine Wallach and Roberta Wallach.
Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1998. His wife Anne Jackson was named "Queen of Brooklyn" at the same festival.
His performance as Alvaro Mangiacavallo in "The Rose Tattoo" opposite Maureen Stapleton as Serafina won him a Theare World Award and the 1951 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Was credited with his first Broadway appearance in Harry Kleiner's "Skydrift" in 1945, the play in which Rita Moreno made her Broadway debut. The play closed after seven performances. Also appeared as a soothsayer in Katharine Cornell's 1947 production of William Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra." Other cast members in minor roles included Charlton Heston, Maureen Stapleton and Joseph Wiseman. Among the other Broadway plays he has appeared in are "Mr. Roberts," "The Rose Tattoo," "Camino Real," "The Teahouse of the August Moon," "Rhinoceros" and "Luv.".
Appeared with Steve McQueen in both his first major successful film (The Magnificent Seven (1960)) and his last ever film (The Hunter (1980)).
He is perhaps best known for his role as the lead bandit Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Although his character is eventually defeated in the film, he has outlived six of the seven stars, as Robert Vaughn is the only one who is still alive as of 2006, despite the fact that he is older than all of them except for Yul Brynner.
He, his wife Anne Jackson and their daughter, Roberta Wallach, have all made guest appearances in "Law & Order" (1990) in different episodes.
In the "Murder, She Wrote" (1984) episode "A Good Year for Murder", he played a dying man, Salatore Gambini, who committed a murder because he had nothing to lose. In the "Law & Order" (1990) episode "The Working Stiff", he played a character, Simon Vilanis, who was suspected of committing a murder for the same reason although he ultimately proved to be innocent.
Appeared with Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in their final completed films: The Hunter (1980) and The Misfits (1961) (for both Monroe and Gable) respectively.
Has a brother and two sisters, all of whom became teachers.
He served for five years in the Army's Medical Administrative Corps during World War II, eventually attaining the rank of captain.
He has three grandsons.
There was no official theater department at the University of Texas when he attended, so he joined a student organization called The Curtain Club to put on plays. One of the other students involved was future Governor of Texas John Connally.
In 1966, he starred in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" with Clint Eastwood. Thirty-seven years later, Eastwood directed Wallach in "Mystic River.".
Is blind in the left eye due to a stroke.
While attending The University of Texas he acted in many student plays and in one he costarred with Walter Cronkite.
He has had two hip replacements and has arthritis in his back.
One of his fellow students at Parsons New School for Social Research in New York was Marlon Brando.
Turned down the lead role of Harry Berlin in Luv (1967) that was eventually played by Jack Lemmon.
In an interview on "Fresh Air", HE explained to Terri Gross that he learned to ride horses at the University of Texas: he took care of the polo ponies. During the filming of the "Magnificent Seven", each morning he would ride a few hours with his gang.
Mini Biography
One of Hollywood's finest character / method actors, Eli Wallach has been in demand for over fifty years on stage and screen and has worked alongside the biggest stars including Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, Peter O'Toole, and Al Pacino, to name but a few.
Wallach was born on 7 December 1915 in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents, and subsequently became one of the few Jewish kids growing up in an Italian neighborhood. 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 Neighbourhood Playhouse. He made his debut on Broadway in 1945, and won a Tony Award in 1951 for portraying "Alvaro Mangiaco" in the Tennessee Williams play "The Rose Tattoo".
Eli made a strong screen debut in 1956 in the film production of the Tennessee William's play Baby Doll (1956), then shone in the film noir The Lineup (1958), and co-starred in the heist film Seven Thieves (1960). Director John Sturges then cast Wallach as the vicious Mexican bandit "Calvera" in The Magnificent Seven (1960), the western adaptation of the Akira Kurosawa epic _Schichinin no Samurai (1954)_ . By all reports, Wallach could not ride a horse prior to making "TMS", however with expert tutelage from the Mexican stunt riders, he made it look easy! He next appeared in the superb The Misfits (1961), in the star spangled western opus How the West Was Won (1962), the under rated WW2 film The Victors (1963), as a kidnapper in The Moon-Spinners (1964), in the sea epic Lord Jim (1965), and in the romantic comedy How to Steal a Million (1966).
Looking for a third lead actor in the final episode of the "Dollars Trilogy", Italian director Sergio Leone then cast the versatile Wallach as the lying, two-faced, money hungry (but somehow lovable) bandit "Tuco" in the spectacular Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) (aka "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"), arguably his most memorable performance.
He kept busy throughout the remainder of the 60s and into the 70s with good roles in Mackenna's Gold (1969), Cinderella Liberty (1973), Crazy Joe (1974), The Deep (1977) and as Steve McQueen bail buddy in The Hunter (1980).
The 1980s was an interesting period for Wallach as he then became regularly cast as an aging doctor, a mafia figure or an over-the-hill hit man, such as in _Executioner's Song, The (1982)_ , "Our Family Honor" (1985), Tough Guys (1986), Nuts (1987), The Two Jakes (1990) and as the candy addicted "Don Altabello" in The 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 to Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride (1991) (TV), Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) (TV), Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998) (TV) and Keeping the Faith (2000). Most recently Wallach showed up as a fast talking liquor store owner in Mystic River (2003) and in the comedic drama King of the Corner (2004).
In early 2005, Eli Wallach released his much anticipated autobiography, "The Good, The Bad And Me: In My Anecdotage", a wonderfully enjoyable read from one of the screen's most inventive and enduring actors.
IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse4
Filmography
Actor
1. New York, I Love You (2009) (post-production) .... Abe
2. Tickling Leo (2008) (post-production) .... Emil Pikler
3. The Toe Tactic (2008) .... Maestro
4. Vote and Die: Liszt for President (2008) .... Joe Nightingale
5. Mama's Boy (2007) .... Seymour Warburton
6. The Holiday (2006) .... Arthur Abbott
7. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" .... Eli Weinraub (1 episode, 2006) - The Wrap Party (2006) TV episode .... Eli Weinraub
8. The Hoax (2006) .... Noah Dietrich
9. "Stroker and Hoop" .... Narrator (1 episode, 2005) - I Saw Stroker Killing Santa (2005) TV episode (voice) .... Narrator
10. A Taste of Jupiter (2005) .... Arturo
11. "Character Studies" (2005) TV series .... Host (unknown episodes)
12. The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation (2005) (voice) .... The Father
13. The Easter Egg Adventure (2004) (voice) .... Narrator
14. King of the Corner (2004) .... Sol Spivak
15. "Whoopi" .... Norman (1 episode, 2004)
- American Woman (2004) TV episode .... Norman
16. Mystic River (2003) (uncredited) .... Mr. Loonie, Liquor Store Owner
17. "ER" .... Mr. Langston (1 episode, 2003) - A Boy Falling Out of the Sky (2003) TV episode .... Mr. Langston
18. "Veritas: The Quest" .... Rabbi (1 episode) - The Name of God (????) TV episode .... Rabbi
19. The Root (2003/I)
20. Advice and Dissent (2002) .... The Rebbe
21. "The Education of Max Bickford" .... Jay Bickford / ... (3 episodes, 2002)
- One More Time (2002) TV episode .... Jay Bickford
- Genesis (2002) TV episode .... Jay Bickford
- I Never Schlunged My Father (2002) TV episode .... Jay Bickford, Max's Father
22. "The Job" .... Mr. Weiss (1 episode, 2002) - Betrayal (2002) TV episode .... Mr. Weiss
23. Monday Night Mayhem (2002) (TV) .... Leonard Goldenson
24. "100 Centre Street" .... Joe Franlangelo (1 episode, 2001 - Kids: Part 1 (2001) TV episode .... Joe Franlangelo
25. The Bookfair Murders (2000) (TV) .... Erich Schmidt
26. Keeping the Faith (2000) .... Rabbi Ben Lewis
27. Uninvited (1999) .... Strasser
28. Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998) (TV) .... Deluca
29. The Associate (1996) .... Donald Fallon
30. Larry's Visit (1996)
31. Two Much (1995) .... Sheldon Dodge
32. Caro dolce amore (1994))
33. Vendetta II: The New Mafia (1993) (TV) .... Frank Latella
34. "Tribeca" .... Joe (1 episode, 1993) - Stepping Back (1993) TV episode .... Joe
35. Lincoln (1992) (TV) (voice) .... William Crook
36. Night and the City (1992) .... Peck
37. Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) (TV) .... Bill Presser
... aka Power Play: The Jackie Presser Story (UK: video title)
38. "Law & Order" .... Simon Vilanis (1 episode, 1992) - The Working Stiff (1992) TV episode .... Simon Vilanis
39. Mistress (1992) .... George Lieberhof
40. Legacy of Lies (1992) (TV) .... Moses Resnick
41. Article 99 (1992) .... Sam Abrams
42. Nonesense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes (1992) (V)
43. Nonesense and Lullabyes: Poems (1992) (V)
44. Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride (1991) (TV) .... Frank Latella
45. "L.A. Law" .... Judge Adam Biel (1 episode, 1991) - There Goes the Judge (1991) TV episode .... Judge Adam Biel
46. The Godfather: Part III (1990) .... Don Altobello
47. The Two Jakes (1990) .... Cotton Weinberger
48. "CBS Schoolbreak Special" .... Ira Abrams (1 episode, 1989) - A Matter of Conscience (1989) TV episode .... Ira Abrams
49. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" .... Yosef Kandinsky (1 episode, 1988) - Kandinsky's Vault (1988) TV episode .... Yosef Kandinsky
50. "Murder, She Wrote" .... Salatore Gambini (1 episode, 1988) - A Very Good Year for Murder (1988) TV episode .... Salatore Gambini
51. The Impossible Spy (1987) (TV) .... Yacov
52. Nuts (1987) .... Dr. Herbert A. Morrison
53. "Highway to Heaven" .... Gene Malloy / ... (2 episodes, 1986-1987)
- A Father's Faith (1987) TV episode .... Gene Malloy
- To Bind the Wounds (1986) TV episode .... Tim Charles
54. "Worlds Beyond" .... Charles (1 episode, 1987) - The Black Tomb (1987) TV episode .... Charles
55. Something in Common (1986) (TV) .... Norman Voss
56. Tough Guys (1986) .... Leon B. Little
57. Rocket to the Moon (1986) (TV) .... Mr. Prince
58. Murder: By Reason of Insanity (1985) (TV) .... Dr. Huffman
59. "Our Family Honor" (1985) TV series .... Vincent Danzig (unknown episodes)
60. Our Family Honor (1985) (TV) .... Vincent Danzig
61. Embassy (1985) (TV) .... Joe Verga
62. "Christopher Columbus" (1985) TV mini-series .... Father Hernando De Talavera
63. Sam's Son (1984) .... Sam Orowitz
64. Anatomy of an Illness (1984) (TV) .... Dr. William Hitzig
65. The Executioner's Song (1982) (TV) .... Uncle Vern Damico
66. The Wall (1982) (TV) .... Mauritzi Apt
67. Skokie (1981) (TV) .... Bert Silverman
... aka Once They Marched Through a Thousand Towns (UK)
68. "Tales of the Unexpected" .... Gerry Williams (1 episode, 1981) - Shatterproof (1981) TV episode .... Gerry Williams
69. The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981) (TV) .... Sal Galucci
70. The Salamander (1981) .... General Leporello
71. Fugitive Family (1980) (TV) .... Olan Vacio
72. The Hunter (1980) .... Ritchie Blumenthal
73. Winter Kills (1979) .... Joe Diamond
74. Firepower (1979) .... Sal Hyman
75. Circle of Iron (1978) .... Man-in-Oil
76. Movie Movie (1978) .... Vince Marlow/Pop
77. The Pirate (1978) (TV) .... Ben Ezra
78. Girlfriends (1978) .... Rabbi Gold
79. Squadra antimafia (1978) (as Ely Wallach) .... Gerolamo Giarra
80. The Deep (1977) .... Adam Coffin
81. The Domino Principle (1977) .... General Reser
82. Nasty Habits (1977) .... Monsignor
83. "Seventh Avenue" (1977) TV mini-series .... Gus Farber
84. The Sentinel (1977) .... Det. Gatz
85. Independence (1976) .... Benjamin Franklin
86. 20 Shades of Pink (1976) (TV)
87. ...e tanta paura (1976) .... Pietro Riccio
88. Attenti al buffone (1976) .... Cesare - A Question of Answers (1975) TV episode .... Lee Curtin
90. Bianco, il giallo, il nero, Il (1975) .... Sheriff Edward Gideon/aka Black Jack
91. Paradise Lost (1974) (TV) .... Leo
92. Houston, We've Got a Problem (1974) (TV) .... Narrator, off-screen
93. Crazy Joe (1974) .... Don Vittorio
94. "Great Mysteries" .... Fuzzy (1 episode, 1974) - Compliments of the Season (1974) TV episode .... Fuzzy
95. Indict and Convict (1974) (TV) .... DeWitt Foster
96. Cinderella Liberty (1973) .... Lynn Forshay
97. Ultima chance, L' (1973) .... Joe
... aka Last Chance
... aka Last Chance for a Born Loser
... aka Motel of Fear (UK)
... aka Stateline Motel (USA)
98. A Cold Night's Death (1973) (TV) .... Dr. Frank Enari
... aka The Chill Factor
99. ¡Viva la muerte... tua! (1971) .... Max Lozoya
... aka Don't Turn the Other Cheek (USA)
100. Romance of a Horsethief (1971) .... Kifke
101. "The Young Lawyers" .... James Johnson Scott (1 episode, 1971) - Legal Maneuver (1971) TV episode .... James Johnson Scott
102. The Typists (1971) (TV) .... Paul Cunningham
103. Zigzag (1970) .... Mario Gambretti
104. The People Next Door (1970) .... Arthur Mason
105. The Angel Levine (1970) .... Delicatessen Clerk
106. The Adventures of Gerard (1970) .... Napoleon
107. Mackenna's Gold (1969) .... Ben Baker
108. Cerveau, Le (1969) .... Frankie Scannapieco
... aka The Brain (USA)
109. Quattro dell'Ave Maria, I (1968) .... Cacopoulos
... aka Ace High (UK) (USA)
110. A Lovely Way to Die (1968) .... Tennessee Fredericks
... aka A Lovely Way to Go
111. How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968) .... Harry Hunter
112. "CBS Playhouse" .... Douglas Lambert (1 episode, 1967)
- Dear Friends (1967) TV episode .... Douglas Lambert
113. The Tiger Makes Out (1967) .... Ben Harris
114. "Batman" .... Mr. Freeze (2 episodes, 1967)
- The Duo Defy (1967) TV episode .... Mr. Freeze
- Ice Spy (1967) TV episode .... Mr. Freeze
115. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) .... Tuco
... aka The Good, the Ugly, the Bad (USA: literal English title)
... aka The Magnificent Rogues (UK)
116. How to Steal a Million (1966) .... Davis Leland
... aka How to Steal a Million Dollars and Live Happily Ever After
... aka William Wyler's How to Steal a Million (USA: complete title)
117. Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966) .... 'Happy' Locarno
... aka Danger Grows Wild (UK)
... aka Mohn ist auch eine Blume (Austria)
... aka Opération opium (France)
... aka The Opium Connection (USA: video title)
... aka The Poppy Is Also a Flower (USA: promotional title)
118. Genghis Khan (1965) .... Shah of Khwarezm
... aka Dschingis Khan (West Germany)
... aka Dzingis-Kan
119. Lord Jim (1965) .... The General
120. Kisses for My President (1964) .... Valdez
121. The Moon-Spinners (1964) .... Stratos
122. Act One (1963) .... Warren Stone
123. The Victors (1963) .... Sgt. Craig
124. How the West Was Won (1962) .... Charlie Gant
125. "The Dick Powell Show" .... Manny Jacobs (1 episode, 1962)
... aka The Dick Powell Theatre (USA: new title)
- Tomorrow, the Man (1962) TV episode .... Manny Jacobs
126. Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) .... John
... aka Adventures of a Young Man (UK)
... aka Ernest Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (USA: complete title)
127. "Naked City" .... Det. Bane / ... (2 episodes, 1960-1962)
- A Run for the Money (1962) TV episode .... George Manin
- A Death of Princes (1960) TV episode .... Det. Bane
128. The Misfits (1961) .... Guido
129. The Magnificent Seven (1960) .... Calvera
130. Seven Thieves (1960) .... Poncho/Baron von Roelitz
131. "Play of the Week" (1 episode, 1960)
- Lullaby (1960) TV episode
132. Lullaby (1960) (TV) .... Johnny Horton
133. "Goodyear Theatre" .... Joseph Lanowski (1 episode, 1960)
... aka Award Theatre (USA: syndication title)
... aka Golden Years of Television (USA: cable TV title)
- Birthright (1960) TV episode .... Joseph Lanowski
134. "The DuPont Show of the Month" .... Cervantes' Manservant / ... (1 episode, 1959)
- I, Don Quixote (1959) TV episode .... Sancho Panza / Cervantes' Manservant
135. "Playhouse 90" .... Rafael / ... (4 episodes, 1958-1959)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 2 (1959) TV episode .... Rafael
- For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 1 (1959) TV episode .... Rafael
- The Blue Men (1959) TV episode
- The Plot to Kill Stalin (1958) TV episode .... Poskrebyshev
136. "Hallmark Hall of Fame" .... Dauphin / ... (2 episodes, 1957-1958)
... aka Hallmark Television Playhouse
- The Gift of the Magi (1958) TV episode .... Narrator
- The Lark (1957) TV episode .... Dauphin
137. "Shirley Temple's Storybook" .... Simon (1 episode, 1958)
... aka The Shirley Temple Theatre (USA: third season title)
- The Emperor's New Clothes (1958) TV episode .... Simon
138. "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" .... Raymond Perez (1 episode, 1958)
... aka Desilu Playhouse
- My Father, the Fool (1958) TV episode .... Raymond Perez
139. "Suspicion" (1 episode, 1958)
- The Death of Paul Dane (1958) TV episode
140. The Lineup (1958) .... Dancer
141. Where Is Thy Brother? (1958) (TV) .... Dan
142. "Climax!" .... Albert Anastasia (1 episode, 1958)
... aka Climax Mystery Theater (USA)
- Albert Anastasia - His Life and Death (1958) TV episode .... Albert Anastasia
143. "BBC Sunday Night Theatre" .... George Simon (1 episode, 1957)
- Counsellor at Law (1957) TV episode .... George Simon
144. "The Seven Lively Arts" (1 episode, 1957)
- The World of Nick Adams (1957) TV episode
145. "Studio One" .... Peter Hendon (2 episodes, 1952-1957)
... aka Studio One Summer Theatre (USA: summer title)
... aka Studio One in Hollywood (USA: new title)
... aka Summer Theatre (USA: summer title)
... aka Westinghouse Studio One (USA)
... aka Westinghouse Summer Theatre (USA: summer title)
- The Man Who Wasn't Himself (1957) TV episode .... Peter Hendon
- Stan, the Killer (1952) TV episode
146. Baby Doll (1956) .... Silva Vacarro
147. "The Kaiser Aluminum Hour" .... Cristof (1 episode, 1956) - A Fragile Affair (1956) TV episode .... Cristof
148. "The Philco Television Playhouse" .... Nacho (4 episodes, 1949-1955)
- The Outsiders (1955) TV episode .... Nacho
- Shadow of the Champ (1955) TV episode
- The Baby (1953) TV episode
- The Beautiful Bequest (1949) TV episode
149. "Kraft Television Theatre" (1 episode, 1954)- Delicate Story (1954) TV episode
150. "Goodyear Television Playhouse" (1 episode, 1954) - The Brownstone (1954) TV episode
151. "The Web" (1 episode, 1952) - Deadlock (1952) TV episode
152. "Armstrong Circle Theatre" (1 episode, 1952) - The Portrait (1952) TV episode
153. "Lights Out" (1 episode, 1951) - Rappaccini's Daughter (1951) TV episode
Producer
1. The Tiger Makes Out (1967) (producer) (uncredited)