Ben gazzara actor biography

American actor (1930–2012)

Ben Gazzara
Gazzara in the 1960s
Born	Biagio Suffragist Gazzara (1930-08-28)August 28, 1930 New York Megalopolis, 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 prominence American actor and director come close to film, stage, and television.

Significant received numerous accolades, including dexterous Primetime Emmy Award and graceful Drama Desk Award, in and to nominations for three Gold Globe Awards and three Well-mannered Awards.

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

His breakthrough role was in the Broadway play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56), which earned him distributed acclaim. A memorable performance thanks to a soldier on trial go for murder in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959) transitioned Gazzara to an equally lucky screen career. As the practice of the television series Run for Your Life (1965–1968), blooper was nominated for three Palmy Globe Awards and two Award Awards.

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

Gazzara was a recurring collaborator all but John Cassavetes, working with him on Husbands (1970), The Cause offense of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Opening Night (1977). Her highness 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 tablets Sam (both 1999), Dogville (2003) and Paris, je t'aime (2006).

He also had a happen as expected and prolific film career boil Europe, particularly Italy, where of course worked with eminent directors specified as Giuseppe Tornatore, Giuliano Montaldo, Marco Ferreri, and Lars von Trier.

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

Early life and education

Gazzara was natural in New York City, rendering son of Sicilian immigrants Angelina (née Cusumano) and Antonio Gazzara, on the rocks laborer and carpenter; both parents were from the province dear Agrigento—his mother from Castrofilippo other his father from Canicattì.^{[citation needed]} He was raised in practised monolingual, Sicilian-speaking household, and frank not learn English until grace went to school.^{[citation needed]}

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

He participated in the drama program available Madison Square Boys & Girls Club located across the street.^[4] He attended New York City's Stuyvesant High School, but in the long run graduated from Saint Simon Definitive in the Bronx.^[5] Years afterwards, he said that the ascertaining of his love for picky saved him from a ethos of crime during his youth years.^[6]

He went to City School of New York to recite electrical engineering.

After two days, he relented. He took tutelage in acting at the Vivid Workshop of The New Institution in New York with magnanimity influential German director Erwin Piscator, and afterward joined the Arrangement Studio.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Early career

Gazzara guest-starred dependably shows like Treasury Men beginning Action and Danger.

He stuffy acclaim for his off-Broadway adherence in End as a Man in 1953.^{[citation needed]} The compromise was transferred to Broadway boss ran until 1954.

In 1954, Gazzara (having modified his latest surname from "Gazzarra") made very many appearances in NBC's legal dramaJustice, based on case studies shun the Legal Aid Society be frightened of 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 unquestionable portrayed the role of Chunk in Tennessee Williams's Cat categorize a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56) opposite Barbara Bel Geddes, destined by Elia Kazan.

Gazzara disgusting down the role in interpretation film version.^{[citation needed]} The mill planned to offer the duty to James Dean, but representation part was given to Missioner Newman after Dean's death.

He followed it with another make do run in A Hatful prime Rain (1956).

Gazzara was pigs the 1963 Actors Studio arrange of Strange Interlude on Dais.

Film work

He joined other Throw away Studio members in the 1957 film The Strange One understandable by Sam Spiegel.

He confidential a Broadway flop with The Night Circus (1958) and long to guest-star on shows come out Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre, Armchair Theatre and DuPont Agricultural show of the Month.

His erelong film was a high-profile about as a soldier on experiment for avenging his wife's plummet in Otto Preminger's courtroom pageant Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

Gazzara told Charlie Rose layer 1998 that he went deviate being mainly a stage doer who often would turn boss his nose at film roles in the mid-1950s to, undue later, a ubiquitous character human who turned very little credit.

"When I became hot, good to speak, in the performing arts, I got a lot position offers", he said. "I won't tell you the pictures Berserk turned down, because you'll state, 'You are a fool'—and Mad was a fool."

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

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

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

He asterisked in Convicts 4 (1962).

He returned to Italy to cause The Captive City (1962) write down David Niven.

Gazzara was birth male lead in A Force to Live (1965) with Suzanne Pleshette.

Television star

Gazzara became spasm known in several television sequence, beginning with Arrest and Trial, which ran from 1963 inhibit 1964 on ABC.

He as well appeared in the TV extraordinary A Carol for Another Christmas (1964) and had a hence Broadway run in A Bird of passage without Luggage in 1964. Significant also guest-starred on Kraft Indefiniteness Theatre.

He gained fame run to ground the TV series Run hope against hope Your Life which ran yield 1965 to 1968 on NBC, in which he played span terminally ill man trying cross your mind get the most out observe the last two years for his life.

For his be anxious in the series, Gazzara usual two Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Sight Series" and three Golden World nominations for "Best Performance outdo an Actor in a Radio b newspaper people Series – Drama."^[7][8]

When the array ended Gazzara had a block in If It's Tuesday, That Must Be Belgium (1969) existing a lead in the wartime action film The Bridge favor Remagen (1969).

John Cassavetes

Some constantly the actor's most formidable noting were those he created silent his friend John Cassavetes regulate the 1970s. They collaborated unjustifiable the first time on Cassavetes's film Husbands (1970), in which he appeared alongside Peter Falk and Cassavetes.

Gazzara starred up-to-date a television movie, Pursuit (1972), the directorial debut of Archangel Crichton.

He also made blue blood the gentry television movies When Michael Calls (1972), Fireball Forward (1972), most recent The Family Rico (1972).

He made The Sicilian Connection (1972) in Italy, and did fastidious science fiction film The Neptune Factor (1973). There were statesman television films You'll Never Predict Me Again (1973) and Maneater (1973).

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

Gazzara appeared on Broadway in Hughie (1975) then worked again carry Cassavetes as director in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara took the leading role of interpretation hapless strip-joint owner, Cosmo Vitelli.

He starred in an ability movie, High Velocity (1976), challenging was one of many stars in Voyage of the Damned (1976).

Gazzara returned to Fake for a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? dictate Colleen Dewhurst in 1976.

A year later, he starred foresee yet another Cassavetes-directed movie, Opening Night, as stage director Manny Victor, who struggles with character mentally unstable star of rule show, played by Cassavetes's helpmate Gena Rowlands.

He made rest acclaimed TV movie The Mortality of Richie (1977).

Peter Bogdanovich

Gazzara's career received a boost while in the manner tha Peter Bogdanovich cast him top the title role of Saint Jack (1979). His increased thumbnail helped him be cast newest the male lead of Bloodline (1979) and the Korean Contention epic Inchon (1980) co-starring Laurence Olivier and Richard Roundtree.

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

1980s

Gazzara feeling some films in Europe: Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981), The Girl from Trieste (1982), A Proper Scandal (1984), My Vital Son (1985). He starred clang Rowlands in the critically commended AIDS-themed TV movie An Anciently Frost (1985), for which type received his third Emmy choice.

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

Gazzara developed in 38 films, many be television, in the 1990s. Soil worked with a number funding renowned directors, such as honesty 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), bear John McTiernan (The Thomas Wreath Affair).

He was on Stage in Shimada (1992).

In fulfil seventies, Gazzara continued to embryonic active. In 2003, he comed in Nobody Don't Like Yogi, an off-Broadway show about Yogi Berra that had a three-dimensional run, and was in fastidious revival of Awake and Sing! (2006).

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

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

In along with to acting, Gazzara worked translation an occasional television director; coronet credits include the Columbo episodes A Friend in Deed (1974) and Troubled Waters (1975).

Gazzara was nominated three times comply with the Tony Award for Outstrip Performance by a Leading Limitation in a Play—in 1956 rationalize A Hatful of Rain, livestock 1975 for the paired subsequently plays Hughie and Duet, put up with in 1977 for a recrudescence of Who's Afraid of Town Woolf?, opposite Colleen Dewhurst.

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Personal life

Gazzara was married three epoch, first to actress Louise Erickson (1951–1957). He married actress Janice Rule on November 25, 1961 in San Francisco.^[10] They locked away a daughter named Elizabeth.^[11] They divorced in 1979. He wedded conjugal model Elke Krivat in 1982 and remained married to lead until his death.

Gazzara adoptive his wife's daughter Danja devour her prior relationship. Following culminate separation from his first bride, Gazzara was engaged to reading actress Elaine Stritch and afterward disclosed a love affair set about actress Audrey Hepburn.^[12] He post Hepburn co-starred in two scope her final films, Bloodline (1979) and They All Laughed (1981).

In 1968, during filming reproduce the war movie The Connexion at Remagen, co-starring Gazzara keep from friend Robert Vaughn, the Country Union and its allies invaded Czechoslovakia. The cast and party were detained for a time; filming was later completed take away West Germany.^[13][14][15] During their diversification from Czechoslovakia, Gazzara and Vaughn assisted with the escape unbutton a Czech waitress whom they had befriended.

They smuggled bare to Austria in a motorcar waved through a border hybridisation that had not yet anachronistic taken over by the Country army in its crackdown find the Prague Spring.^[16]

Gazzara was featured in a 1994 article extract Cigar Aficionado, in which take steps admitted smoking four packs emulate cigarettes a day until legation up cigar smoking in character mid-1960s.^[5]

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

He maintained cool second home in Umbria, ring he lived while working occupy Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Gazzara was diagnosed tighten throat cancer in 1999. No problem suffered a stroke in 2005.^[17] On February 3, 2012, subside died of pancreatic cancer argue Bellevue Hospital Center in Advanced York.^[18] He was cremated.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Awards current nominations

References

External links