Long ago we missed the 125th anniversary of the birth of Eli Wallach, who died at the age of 98 in 2014. He is often described as one of America’s finest character/Method actors but awards mostly eluded him apart from a BAFTA as Most Promising Newcomer for Baby Doll 1956 and an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for Poppies are also Flowers 1966, but he gained such a great reputation amongst colleagues and in 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Oscar, the citation reading “For a lifetime’s worth of indelible screen characters as the quintessential chameleon”. He amassed 172 screen credits in a career of 62 years. He came to international renown with Calvera in The Magnificent Seven 1960 (the Pope’s favourite film !) and with The Misfits 1961, the last film for Gable, Monroe and Clift, and as Charlie Gant in How the West was Won 1962, but is also remembered for The Victors 1963, Lord Jim & Genghis Khan 1965, then again a big international hit as Tuco in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly 1966 (as the Ugly shoots a man from the bath “If you have to shoot, shoot ! Don’t talk !”. Those roles tended to typecast him as villains, and gangsters, but in many roles he shared a gift for comedy and pathos; was in Steve McQueen’s last – The Hunter 1980 - as well as his first,+ Tough Guys 1986, Nuts 1987, then Don Altobello In The Godfather Part III 1990 + The Two Jakes, but a real favourite in his later years was The Holiday 2006, although he said he received more fanmail for his TV version of Mr Freeze in Batman 1967 than anything else. Born in Union Street, Red Hook, (Little Italy) Brooklyn, New York City was educated Erasmus Hall High School Born to Jewish parents who came from Poland to an all-Italian neighbourhood in Brooklyn, with his parents owning and running Bertha’s Candy Store (named after mother). Graduated with a BA in history from the University of Texas in Austin where he learned horse-riding but trained in drama as a founding member of the Actors Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse, also gaining an MA in education at City College NY. Served in the Army Medical Corps during the war, rising to Captain with six campaign medals and served in Hawaii, Abilene Texas, Casablanca & France and with others formed an entertainment where they mocked Axis dictators and being short he played Hitler. Made his debut on Broadway in 1945 and won a Tony 1951 for The Rose Tattoo, but was always respected including for Yiddish Theatre. When he passed in Manhattan he had been married to wife actress Anne Jackson for 66 years and they had three children, five grandchildren and several great grandchildren–died at home Upper West Side, Manhattan, where he lived all his life and collected antique clocks and loved watching tennis. Was named King of Brooklyn at the 1998 Brooklyn Festival. We believe him more than worthy of a match in his honour and hope you accept – if the numbers or ratings do not suit, then please make contact.
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