Edward Mulhare and Jack Gilford

Edward Brendan Mulhare was born to John Mulhare (1884 - 1931) and Catherine Keane (died 1967). His father was born in Ireland. He had siblings Thomas Paul (1924 - 2008), Elizabeth Mary (1927 - 1986), and John N. Mulhare (1929 - 2018). Edward Mulhare never married, nor did he have children. A suave Irish-born actor with a resonant voice and a commanding presence, Edward Mulhare made his theatrical debut in "The First of Mrs.Fraser" (1942) at the age of 19 at the Cork Opera House. Nine years later, after spells with the Gate Theatre in Dublin and the Liverpool Repertory Company, Mulhare appeared in a Laurence Olivier-directed London production of "Othello" with Orson Welles. It was there, that he was spotted by Alan Jay Lerner and signed as an understudy to Rex Harrison for the part of Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady'" The play ran on Broadway from 1957 to 1962, totaling a massive 2,717 performances. Harrison dropped out of the part in December 1957, and Mulhare, a relative unknown in the U.S., took over the role. This sparked a controversy with Actor's Equity over the hiring of foreign actors, which required a noted labor negotiator to resolve. In the end, Mulhare played Higgins to both audience approval and critical acclaim more than 1,000 times between 1957 and 1960. The play subsequently toured the Soviet Union, before returning to London. On Broadway, Mulhare also replaced Michael Rennie in the leading role of Dirk Winsten in "Mary,Mary" and starred as Giacome Nerone in Dore Schary's "The Devil's Advocate'" alongside actors Leo Genn and Eduardo Ciannelli. It was ironic that Mulhare followed in Harrison's footsteps on television as well, playing the part of Captain Daniel Gregg (Harrison's in the 1947 movie), the titular spectre of "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" (1968). The popular NBC series updated the setting from turn of the century New England to present day, and, by comparison with its cinematic predecessor, was less sentimental, but wittier by some degree. There was an undeniable on-screen chemistry between co-star Hope Lange and Mulhare, who was Emmy-nominated for his portrayal as the cantankerous, but thoroughly charming captain. From 1982 to 1986, Mulhare also appeared on television as the articulate Devon Miles, David Hasselhoff's boss, in the fantasy series Knight Rider (1982). Surprisingly, Edward Mulhare never achieved star status on the big screen. Among the few films he made, one only remembers his dastardly villains of Our Man Flint (1966) and Caprice (1967). He was terrific in Von Ryan's Express with Frank Sinatra. He did, however, continue to make frequent guest appearances on television in series ranging from "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972) to "Battlestar Galactica" (1978). In 1988, he also hosted a series about the paranormal, titled "Secrets and Mysteries" (1983). Mulhare, a confirmed bachelor, died during filming of the Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau comedy "Out to Sea" (1997) at the age of 74. - From the IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis See Edward Mulhare: Obituary.

Jack Gilford Biography Born July 25, 1908 in New York City, New York, USA Died June 2, 1990 in New York City, New York, USA (stomach cancer) Birth Name Jacob Aaron Gellman Jack Gilford was born in Brooklyn, New York, as Yankel Gellman. He began his career in the Amateur Nights of the 1930s moving on to nightclubs as an innovative comedian doing satire and pantomime. He was a regular at the Greenwich Village nightspot, Cafe Society and hosted shows featuring Zero Mostel, Billie Holiday and jazz greats like Hazel Scott. It is said that he invented the expression, "The butler did it!", as part of one of his movie satire routines. He also did a facial pantomime of "Pea Soup Coming to a Boil". He became a regular popular comic character actor on dozens of TV series and movies. He was most recognized for being the rubber-faced guy on the "Cracker Jacks" commercials for a dozen years, from 1960-1972. He was nominated for Tony awards on Broadway for best supporting actor in the musical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", and "Cabaret". The song "Meeskite" was written for him by John Kander & Fred Ebb. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film, Save the Tiger (1973), starring opposite Jack Lemmon, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance. Spouse Madeline Lee (16 April 1949 - 2 June 1990) (his death) (3 children) He and his wife, Madeline Lee, were blacklisted during the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1950s. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 179-180. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 He was nominated for the Tony Award for his work in musicals: as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 325-327. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. Nominated for the 1967 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Musical for "Cabaret". Brother-in-law of Fran Lee. Personal Quotes You stay in the business longer. Even leading men who have been character actors prolong their careers -- we all know character actors who have been around for a long time. I was always a character actor. Mount Hebron Flushing, NY The Eternal Flame - Actors