Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood

Eli Wallach Famous Film and Broadway Star. Born: December 7, 1915, Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York. Died: June 24, 2014, Manhattan, New York City, NY Born December 7, 1915 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA Died June 24, 2014 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA Birth Name Eli Herschel Wallach Height 5' 10" (1.78 m) One of Hollywood's finest character / "Method" actors, Eli Wallach was in demand for over 60 years (first film/TV role was 1949) on stage and screen, and has worked alongside the world's 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, NY, to Jewish parents who emigrated from Poland, and was one of the few Jewish kids in his mostly Italian neighborhood. His parents, Bertha (Schorr) and Abraham Wallach, owned a candy store, Bertha's Candy Store. 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 Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his debut on Broadway in 1945, and won a Tony Award in 1951 for portraying Alvaro Mangiacavallo in the Tennessee Williams play "The Rose Tattoo". Wallach made a strong screen debut in 1956 in the film version of the Tennessee Williams play Baby Doll (1956), shined as "Dancer", the nattily dressed hit man, in director Don Siegel's film-noir classic The Lineup (1958), and co-starred in the heist film Seven Thieves (1960). Director John Sturges then cast Wallach as vicious Mexican bandit Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960), the western adaptation of the Akira Kurosawa epic Seven Samurai (1954). By all reports, Wallach could not ride a horse prior to making "TMS", but expert tutelage from the film's Mexican stunt riders 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 underrated 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 cast the versatile Wallach as the lying, two-faced, money-hungry (but somehow lovable) bandit "Tuco" in the spectacular The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) (aka "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"), arguably his most memorable performance. Wallach 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's bail buddy in The Hunter (1980). The 1980s was an interesting period for Wallach, as he was regularly cast as an aging doctor, a Mafia figure or an over-the-hill hitman, such as in The Executioner's Song (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 Bride of Violence (1990), Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992), Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998) 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", an enjoyable reading from one of the screen's most inventive and enduring actors. Eli Wallach was very much a family man who remained married to his wife Anne Jackson for 66 years. When Wallach died at 98, in 2014, in Manhattan, NY, he was survived by his wife, three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Spouse (1) Anne Jackson (5 March 1948 - 24 June 2014) ( his death) ( 3 children) Trade Mark (3) Raspy gravelly voice Delicate, dainty hand gestures when walking and running Ability to convey subtle expression changes in a split second Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1936. Was almost killed during the train scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (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. Is 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, with Anne Jackson, of son Peter Wallach, and daughters 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. Had appeared with Steve McQueen in both McQueen's first major successful film (The Magnificent Seven (1960)) and in his last film (The Hunter (1980). One of his best known roles was the lead bandit Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Although his character was eventually defeated in the film, Wallach outlived six of the other seven stars, except Robert Vaughn who passed on November 11, 2016, despite the fact that he was older than all of them. He, his wife Anne Jackson and their daughter, Roberta Wallach, all made guest appearances in different episodes of Law & Order (1990). Had appeared with Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Steve McQueen in their final completed films: The Misfits (1961) (for both Monroe and Gable) and The Hunter (1980) respectively. He had 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 had five grandchildren. 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 his later years, he was blind in the left eye due to a stroke. While attending the University of Texas, he acted in many student plays. In one, he performed with fellow students Ann Sheridan and Walter Cronkite. He had two hip replacements and had 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. He had originated the role of Harry's friend Milt Manville in 'Luv' on Broadway in 1965. In an interview on "Fresh Air" (at station WHYY in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, broadcast nationally on National Public Radio), he explained to Terry Gross that he learned to ride horses at the University of Texas: He took care of the polo ponies. During the filming of the The Magnificent Seven (1960), each morning he would ride a few hours with his gang. He was friends with Walter Cronkite for over 70 years since they were both students at the University of Texas at Austin. Wallach was acknowledged at the Walter Cronkite memorial tribute at Lincoln Center and was in the audience. Had appeared with his wife Anne Jackson in six films: The Tiger Makes Out (1967), How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968), Zig Zag (1970), The Angel Levine (1970), Nasty Habits (1977) and Sam's Son (1984). Was the reader of the audio-book of Stephen King's novel "Insomnia". He died from natural causes at his home in Manhattan, New York City. He grew up in the only Jewish family in an otherwise all-Italian neighborhood, and gained fame from starring in an Italian Western. Appropriately enough, the name "Wallach" derives from the same Old German root word for which the Polish name for Italy, Wlochy, comes from. After failing the New York teachers' exam, Wallach got a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse and spent two years there before graduating in 1940. Among his classmates were Gregory Peck, Lorne Greene, and Tony Randall. Wallach played Sakini for a year in the London cast of "Teahouse of the August Moon." Among the aspiring young actors from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts who worked backstage with scenery were Alan Bates, Peter O'Toole, and Albert Finney. Wallach later succeeded David Wayne in the part in the Broadway production. Served five years in the Army Medical Corps during World War II eventually reaching the rank of major. Made his Broadway debut in the service-oriented drama "Skydrift" directed by Roy Hargrave, who had coincidently directed Anne Jackson, Wallach's future wife, in her Broadway debut in "Signature" a few months earlier. "Time" magazine once referred to Eli Wallach and wife Anne Jackson as "the proletarian Lunts.". Although he is best known for playing four Mexican characters in four different westerns, Wallach was actually a Polish Jew in real life and had no Hispanic ancestry. According to his biography..He was a Brooklyn city youth who went to a farm during the summer. When asked if he could ride a horse, he had been riding for many years and would do his own stunts. As a new officer in the Military, it was customary to pay his first saluting soldier a dollar. One of his fondest memories. Was in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: How the West Was Won (1962), The Godfather: Part III (1990) and Mystic River (2003). He was a lifelong Democrat.