Eli Wallach
(1915 - )One of the most beloved of American character actors, he has had a long and prosperous career in films and on the stage. Short and slight with balding dark hair, a slightly raspy voice, a sly look in his eye and a cool but menacing demeanor in his films, he was most often cast as a villain early in his career. He was born on December 7, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York and made his first appearance on stage at age 15 in a boy's club revue. He trained in acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and later joined the Actors Studio. He served in the military during World War II. He attended college at the University of Texas where he earned a B.A. in education and City College of New York where he received a M.A. in education. His Broadway debut came in 1945 after his military stint and he became one of Broadway's "finest" and a leading exponent of 'method acting.' He made his film debut in "Baby Doll" (1956) as Silva Vacarro. His other films included: "The Lineup" (1958) as Dancer; probably his best known and admired role in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) as the Mexican villain, Calvera; "The Misfits" (1961) as Guido; "How the West Was Won" (1962) as Charlie Gant; "Act One" (1963) as Warren Stone; "The Moon-Spinners" (1964) as Stratos; "Lord Jim" (1965) with Peter O'Toole, as The General; "How to Steal a Million" (1966) as Davis Leland; "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1967) with Clint Eastwood, as Tuco; "Mackenna's Gold" (1969) as Ben Baker; "Cinderella Liberty" (1973) as Lynn Forshay; "The Sentinel" (1977) as Detective Gatz; "The Deep" (1977) as Adam Coffin; "Winter Kills" (1979) as Joe Diamond; "The Hunter" (1980) with Steve McQueen, as Ritchie Blumenthal; "Tough Guys" (1986) as Leon B. Little; "The Godfather: Part III" (1990) as Don Altobello, one of his best roles; "The Associate" (1996) as Fallon and "Keeping the Faith" (2000). On TV he was quite active. He was a regular on the TV series: "Batman" (1967) as villain, Mr. Freeze; "The Dream Factory" (1975) as Narrator; "Seventh Avenue" (1977) a mini-series, as Gus Farber; "Our Family Honor" (1985) as Vincent Danzig and "New York: A Documentary Film" (1999) as Voice. He is married to actress Anne Jackson and they often appeared together in productions. He also guest starred on such series as: "Philco Television Playhouse"; "Goodyear Television Playhouse"; "Naked City"; "Highway to Heaven"; "Murder, She Wrote"; "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Law & Order."
From Great Character Actors, Page 5.
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