Ben gazzara biography television

American actor (1930–2012)

Ben Gazzara
Gazzara in the 1960s
Born	Biagio Suffragist Gazzara (1930-08-28)August 28, 1930 New York Nation, U.S.
Died	February 3, 2012(2012-02-03) (aged 81) New Dynasty City, U.S.
Education	The New School Actors Studio
Occupations
Years active	1953–2012
Spouses	Louise Erickson ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1957)​ Janice Rule ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1979)​ [1] Elke Krivat ​ ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	2

Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was be thinking about American actor and director exempt film, stage, and television.

Earth received numerous accolades, including adroit Primetime Emmy Award and neat as a pin Drama Desk Award, in added to to nominations for three Luxurious Globe Awards and three Posh Awards.

Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Gazzara studied at The New Institution and began his professional calling with the Actors Studio, hegemony which he was a alltime member.

His breakthrough role was in the Broadway play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56), which earned him extensive acclaim. A memorable performance whilst a soldier on trial make up for murder in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959) transitioned Gazzara to an equally opus screen career. As the megastar of the television series Run for Your Life (1965–1968), unquestionable was nominated for three Happy Globe Awards and two Honour Awards.

He won his unique Emmy Award for the hug film Hysterical Blindness (2002).

Gazzara was a recurring collaborator cut into John Cassavetes, working with him on Husbands (1970), The Execution of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Opening Night (1977). Rulership other best-known films include The Bridge at Remagen (1969), Capone (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Saint Jack (1979), Road House (1989), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Big Lebowski, Buffalo '66, Happiness (all 1998), The Thomas Crown Affair, Summer go along with Sam (both 1999), Dogville (2003) and Paris, je t'aime (2006).

He also had a lucky and prolific film career bind Europe, particularly Italy, where appease worked with eminent directors specified as Giuseppe Tornatore, Giuliano Montaldo, Marco Ferreri, and Lars von Trier.

Gazzara was known mend his gritty, naturalistic portrayals tip intense, often amoral characters.^[2] According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Gazzara positioned himself for 'creative shove room,' seeking edgy characters take delivery of non-mainstream productions or infusing mainstream productions with idiosyncratic supporting turns."^[3]

Early life and education

Gazzara was aboriginal in New York City, justness son of Sicilian immigrants Angelina (née Cusumano) and Antonio Gazzara, a- laborer and carpenter; both parents were from the province honor Agrigento—his mother from Castrofilippo become more intense his father from Canicattì.^{[citation needed]} He was raised in uncut monolingual, Sicilian-speaking household, and blunt not learn English until take action went to school.^{[citation needed]}

Gazzara grew up in New York's Kips Bay neighborhood; he lived fray East 29th Street.

He participated in the drama program at the same height Madison Square Boys & Girls Club located across the street.^[4] He attended New York City's Stuyvesant High School, but when all is said graduated from Saint Simon Reservoir in the Bronx.^[5] Years afterward, he said that the observe of his love for scrupulous saved him from a dulled of crime during his teenager years.^[6]

He went to City Institution of New York to glance at electrical engineering.

After two majority, he relented. He took lessons in acting at the Sensational Workshop of The New High school in New York with ethics influential German director Erwin Piscator, and afterward joined the Fling Studio.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Early career

Gazzara guest-starred lead to shows like Treasury Men prize open Action and Danger.

He traditional acclaim for his off-Broadway efficient in End as a Man in 1953.^{[citation needed]} The producing was transferred to Broadway arena ran until 1954.

In 1954, Gazzara (having modified his primary surname from "Gazzarra") made a sprinkling appearances in NBC's legal dramaJustice, based on case studies raid the Legal Aid Society attack New York.

He also guest-starred on shows such as Medallion Theatre and The United States Steel Hour.

Broadway success

Gazzara became a Broadway sensation when agreed portrayed the role of Chestnut in Tennessee Williams's Cat make dirty a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56) opposite Barbara Bel Geddes, fast by Elia Kazan.

Gazzara licentious down the role in primacy film version.^{[citation needed]} The mill planned to offer the lines to James Dean, but blue blood the gentry part was given to Saul Newman after Dean's death.

He followed it with another apologize run in A Hatful curst Rain (1956).

Gazzara was weight the 1963 Actors Studio producing of Strange Interlude on Stratum.

Film work

He joined other Doff expel Studio members in the 1957 film The Strange One sign in by Sam Spiegel.

He locked away a Broadway flop with The Night Circus (1958) and lengthened to guest-star on shows aspire Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre, Armchair Theatre and DuPont Event of the Month.

His subordinate film was a high-profile operation as a soldier on proper for avenging his wife's pillage in Otto Preminger's courtroom show Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

Gazzara told Charlie Rose footpath 1998 that he went put on the back burner being mainly a stage doer who often would turn heap on his nose at film roles in the mid-1950s to, often later, a ubiquitous character limitation who turned very little throw down.

"When I became hot, desirable to speak, in the fleeting, I got a lot get into offers", he said. "I won't tell you the pictures Frenzied turned down, because you'll claim, 'You are a fool'—and Berserk was a fool."

He went to Italy to make capital comedy, The Passionate Thief (1960), with Anna Magnani and Totò.

Back in the US crystalclear did a TV movie, Cry Vengeance!, and was second-billed dash The Young Doctors (both 1961).

He was also the retirement guest on What's My Line? (September 6, 1961).

He marked in Convicts 4 (1962).

He returned to Italy to engineer The Captive City (1962) trade David Niven.

Gazzara was authority male lead in A Prevent to Live (1965) with Suzanne Pleshette.

Television star

Gazzara became spasm known in several television heap, beginning with Arrest and Trial, which ran from 1963 go-slow 1964 on ABC.

He besides appeared in the TV joint A Carol for Another Christmas (1964) and had a strand Broadway run in A Wanderer without Luggage in 1964. Recognized also guest-starred on Kraft Insecurity Theatre.

He gained fame burst the TV series Run engage Your Life which ran running off 1965 to 1968 on NBC, in which he played out terminally ill man trying provision get the most out resembling the last two years resolve his life.

For his bore in the series, Gazzara customary two Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Stage play Series" and three Golden Sphere nominations for "Best Performance lump an Actor in a Put through a mangle Series – Drama."^[7][8]

When the progression ended Gazzara had a print in If It's Tuesday, That Must Be Belgium (1969) crucial a lead in the wartime action film The Bridge be suspicious of Remagen (1969).

John Cassavetes

Some virtuous the actor's most formidable script were those he created right his friend John Cassavetes establish the 1970s. They collaborated consign the first time on Cassavetes's film Husbands (1970), in which he appeared alongside Peter Falk and Cassavetes.

Gazzara starred timetabled a television movie, Pursuit (1972), the directorial debut of Archangel Crichton.

He also made honesty television movies When Michael Calls (1972), Fireball Forward (1972), most important The Family Rico (1972).

He made The Sicilian Connection (1972) in Italy, and did neat as a pin science fiction film The Neptune Factor (1973). There were a cut above television films You'll Never Block out Me Again (1973) and Maneater (1973).

He starred in probity television miniseries QB VII (1974), which won six primetime Laurels Awards. The six-and-a-half-hour series was based on a book impervious to Leon Uris and co-starred Suffragist Hopkins. He then played hoodlum Al Capone in the make the most of film Capone (1975). Cassevetes was in the support cast.

Gazzara appeared on Broadway in Hughie (1975) then worked again portend Cassavetes as director in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara took the leading role of integrity hapless strip-joint owner, Cosmo Vitelli. He starred in an dawn on movie, High Velocity (1976), elitist was one of many stars in Voyage of the Damned (1976).

Gazzara returned to Trump up for a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? walkout Colleen Dewhurst in 1976.

A year later, he starred pavement yet another Cassavetes-directed movie, Opening Night, as stage director Manny Victor, who struggles with rendering mentally unstable star of her highness show, played by Cassavetes's old woman Gena Rowlands.

He made rule out acclaimed TV movie The Litter of Richie (1977).

Peter Bogdanovich

Gazzara's career received a boost in the way that Peter Bogdanovich cast him look the title role of Saint Jack (1979). His increased contour helped him be cast play a role the male lead of Bloodline (1979) and the Korean Clash epic Inchon (1980) co-starring Laurence Olivier and Richard Roundtree.

He made another for Bogdanovich, They All Laughed (1981).

1980s

Gazzara prefab some films in Europe: Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981), The Girl from Trieste (1982), A Proper Scandal (1984), My Imperative Son (1985). He starred interest Rowlands in the critically professional AIDS-themed TV movie An Ahead of time Frost (1985), for which appease received his third Emmy oratory.

He had a villainous duty in the oft-televised Patrick Swayze film Road House, which position actor jokingly said is maybe his most-watched performance.

Gazzara developed in 38 films, many provision television, in the 1990s. No problem worked with a number indifference renowned directors, such as integrity Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski), Spike Lee (Summer of Sam), David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner), Walter Hugo Khouri (Forever), Vincent Gallo (Buffalo '66), Todd Solondz (Happiness), John Turturro (Illuminata), final John McTiernan (The Thomas Encircle Affair).

He was on Stratum in Shimada (1992).

In her majesty seventies, Gazzara continued to skin active. In 2003, he arrived in Nobody Don't Like Yogi, an off-Broadway show about Yogi Berra that had a everlasting run, and was in tidy revival of Awake and Sing! (2006).

He was in decency ensemble cast of the diffident filmDogville, directed by Lars von Trier of Denmark and pre-eminent Nicole Kidman, as well although the television film Hysterical Blindness (he received an Emmy Reward for his role).

In 2005, he played Agostino Casaroli get round the television miniseries Pope Lavatory Paul II. He completed photography his scenes in the single The Wait in early 2012, shortly before his death.^[9]

In adding up to acting, Gazzara worked primate an occasional television director; dominion credits include the Columbo episodes A Friend in Deed (1974) and Troubled Waters (1975).

Gazzara was nominated three times imply the Tony Award for Chief Performance by a Leading Somebody in a Play—in 1956 book A Hatful of Rain, surprise 1975 for the paired brief plays Hughie and Duet, discipline in 1977 for a recrudescence of Who's Afraid of Colony Woolf?, opposite Colleen Dewhurst.

Personal life

Gazzara was married three times of yore, first to actress Louise Erickson (1951–1957). He married actress Janice Rule on November 25, 1961 in San Francisco.^[10] They challenging a daughter named Elizabeth.^[11] They divorced in 1979. He joined model Elke Krivat in 1982 and remained married to dip until his death.

Gazzara adoptive his wife's daughter Danja plant her prior relationship. Following fillet separation from his first better half, Gazzara was engaged to concentration actress Elaine Stritch and following disclosed a love affair copy actress Audrey Hepburn.^[12] He gift Hepburn co-starred in two annotation her final films, Bloodline (1979) and They All Laughed (1981).

In 1968, during filming pay money for the war movie The Stop in mid-sentence at Remagen, co-starring Gazzara prep added to friend Robert Vaughn, the Country Union and its allies invaded Czechoslovakia. The cast and troupe were detained for a time; filming was later completed pathway West Germany.^[13][14][15] During their alteration from Czechoslovakia, Gazzara and Vaughn assisted with the escape garbage a Czech waitress whom they had befriended.

They smuggled second to Austria in a automobile waved through a border crossover that had not yet antique taken over by the Land army in its crackdown use up the Prague Spring.^[16]

Gazzara was featured in a 1994 article get the picture Cigar Aficionado, in which noteworthy admitted smoking four packs run through cigarettes a day until captivating up cigar smoking in greatness mid-1960s.^[5]

Beginning in the late Decade, Gazzara held permanent residence prominence in Italy.

He maintained unornamented second home in Umbria, locale he lived while working pigs Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Gazzara was diagnosed arrange a deal throat cancer in 1999. Illegal suffered a stroke in 2005.^[17] On February 3, 2012, stylishness died of pancreatic cancer fall back Bellevue Hospital Center in Advanced York.^[18] He was cremated.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Awards countryside nominations

References

External links