Ben Gazzara | |
|---|---|
 Gazzara in the 1960s | |
| Born | Biagio Anthony Gazzara (1930-08-28)August 28, 1930 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 2012(2012-02-03) (aged 81) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1953–2012 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Biagio Anthony "Ben"Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades including aPrimetime Emmy Award and aDrama Desk Award, in addition to nominations for threeGolden Globe Awards and threeTony Awards.
Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Gazzara studied atThe New School and began his professional career with theActors Studio, of which he was a lifelong member. His breakthrough role was in theBroadway playCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56), which earned him widespread acclaim. A memorable performance as a soldier on trial for murder inOtto Preminger'sAnatomy of a Murder (1959) transitioned Gazzara to an equally successful screen career. As the star of the television seriesRun for Your Life (1965–1968), he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and twoEmmy Awards. He won his only Emmy Award for the television filmHysterical Blindness (2002).
Gazzara was a recurring collaborator ofJohn Cassavetes, working with him onHusbands (1970),The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) andOpening Night (1977). His other best-known films includeThe 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 of Sam (both 1999),Dogville (2003) andParis, je t'aime (2006). He also had a successful and prolific film career in Europe, particularlyItaly, where he worked with eminent directors includingGiuseppe Tornatore,Giuliano Montaldo,Marco Ferreri, andLars von Trier.
Gazzara was known for his gritty, naturalistic portrayals of intense, often amoral characters.[1] According toThe Hollywood Reporter, "Gazzara positioned himself for 'creative elbow room,' seeking edgy characters in non-mainstream productions or infusing mainstream productions with idiosyncratic supporting turns."[2]
Gazzara was born in New York City, the son ofSicilian immigrants Angelina (née Cusumano) and Antonio Gazzara, a laborer and carpenter; both parents were from theprovince of Agrigento—his mother fromCastrofilippo and his father fromCanicattì.[citation needed] He was raised in a monolingual, Sicilian-speaking household and did not learn English until he went to school.[citation needed]
Gazzara grew up inManhattan'sKips Bay neighborhood; he lived on East 29th Street. He participated in the drama program at Madison SquareBoys & Girls Club located across the street.[3] He attendedStuyvesant High School but finally graduated fromSaint Simon Stock inthe Bronx.[4] Years later, he said that the discovery of his love for acting saved him from a life of crime during his teen years.[5]
He went toCity College of New York to studyelectrical engineering. After two years, he abandoned the subject and took classes in acting at theDramatic Workshop ofThe New School in New York with the influentialGerman directorErwin Piscator and afterward joined theActors Studio.[citation needed]
Gazzara guest-starred in shows includingTreasury Men in Action andDanger. He received acclaim for hisoff-Broadway performance inEnd as a Man in 1953.[citation needed] The production was transferred toBroadway and ran until 1954.
In 1954, Gazzara (having modified his original surname from "Gazzarra") made several appearances inNBC'slegal dramaJustice, based on case studies fromthe Legal Aid Society of New York. He also guest-starred on shows includingMedallion Theatre andThe United States Steel Hour.
Gazzara became a Broadway sensation when he portrayed the role of Brick inTennessee Williams'sCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56) oppositeBarbara Bel Geddes, directed byElia Kazan. Gazzara turned down the role in the film version.[citation needed] The studio planned to offer the role toJames Dean, but the part was given toPaul Newman after Dean's death.
He followed it with another long run inA Hatful of Rain (1956). Gazzara was in the 1963 Actors Studio production ofStrange Interlude on Broadway.
He joined other Actors Studio members in the 1957 filmThe Strange One produced bySam Spiegel. He had a Broadway flop withThe Night Circus (1958) and continued to guest-star on shows likePlayhouse 90,Kraft Television Theatre,Armchair Theatre andDuPont Show of the Month. His second film was a high-profile performance as a soldier on trial for avenging his wife's rape inOtto Preminger's courtroom dramaAnatomy of a Murder (1959).
Gazzara toldCharlie Rose in 1998 that he went from being mainly a stage actor who often would turn up his nose at film roles in the mid-1950s to, much later, a ubiquitous character actor who turned very little down. "When I became hot, so to speak, in the theater, I got a lot of offers", he said. "I won't tell you the pictures I turned down, because you'll say, 'You are a fool'—and I was a fool." He went toItaly to make a comedy,The Passionate Thief (1960), withAnna Magnani andTotò.[citation needed]
Back in the US he did a TV movie,Cry Vengeance!, and was second-billed inThe Young Doctors (both 1961). He was also the mystery guest onWhat's My Line? (September 6, 1961). He starred inConvicts 4 (1962). He returned to Italy to makeThe Captive City (1962) withDavid Niven. Gazzara was the male lead inA Rage to Live (1965) withSuzanne Pleshette.[citation needed]
Gazzara became well known in several television series, beginning withArrest and Trial, which ran from 1963 to 1964 on ABC. He also appeared in the TV specialA Carol for Another Christmas (1964) and had a short Broadway run inA Traveller without Luggage in 1964. He also guest-starred onKraft Suspense Theatre.
He gained fame in the TV seriesRun for Your Life which ran from 1965 to 1968 on NBC, in which he played a terminally ill man trying to get the most out of the last two years of his life. For his work in the series, Gazzara received twoEmmy nominations for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" and threeGolden Globe nominations for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama."[6][7] When the series ended Gazzara had a cameo inIf It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969) and a lead in the wartime action filmThe Bridge at Remagen (1969).
Some of the actor's most formidable characters were those he created with his friendJohn Cassavetes in the 1970s. They collaborated for the first time on Cassavetes's filmHusbands (1970), in which he appeared alongsidePeter Falk and Cassavetes. Gazzara starred in a television movie,Pursuit (1972), the directorial debut ofMichael Crichton. He also made the television moviesWhen Michael Calls (1972),Fireball Forward (1972), andThe Family Rico (1972). He acted inThe Sicilian Connection (1972) inItaly, and did a science fiction filmThe Neptune Factor (1973). There were more television films,You'll Never See Me Again (1973) andManeater (1973).
He starred in the television miniseriesQB VII (1974), which won six primetimeEmmy Awards. The six-and-a-half-hour series was based on a book byLeon Uris and co-starredAnthony Hopkins. He then played gangsterAl Capone in the biographical filmCapone (1975). Cassevetes was in the support cast. Gazzara appeared on Broadway inHughie (1975) then worked again for Cassavetes as director inThe Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara took the leading role of the hapless strip-joint owner, Cosmo Vitelli. He starred in an action movie,High Velocity (1976), and was one of many stars inVoyage of the Damned (1976).
Gazzara returned to Broadway for a production ofWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? withColleen Dewhurst in 1976. A year later, he starred in yet another Cassavetes-directed movie,Opening Night, as stage director Manny Victor, who struggles with the mentally unstable star of his show, played by Cassavetes' wifeGena Rowlands. He made an acclaimed TV movieThe Death of Richie (1977).
Gazzara's career received a boost whenPeter Bogdanovich cast him in the title role ofSaint Jack (1979). His increased profile helped him be cast in the male lead ofBloodline (1979) and theKorean War epicInchon (1980) co-starringLaurence Olivier andRichard Roundtree.
He made another movie for Bogdanovich,They All Laughed (1981).
Gazzara made some films in Europe:Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981),The Girl from Trieste (1982),A Proper Scandal (1984),My Dearest Son (1985). He starred with Rowlands in the critically acclaimed AIDS-themed TV movieAn Early Frost (1985), for which he received his thirdEmmy nomination. He had a villainous role in the oft-televisedPatrick Swayze filmRoad House, which the actor jokingly said is probably his most-watched performance.[citation needed]
Gazzara appeared in 38 films, many for television, in the 1990s. He worked with a number of renowned directors, such as theCoen 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), andJohn McTiernan (The Thomas Crown Affair). He was on Broadway inShimada (1992).[citation needed] In his seventies, Gazzara continued to work. In 2003, he appeared inNobody Don't Like Yogi, an off-Broadway play by Tom Lysaght aboutYogi Berra that had a solid run and national tour, and was also in a revival ofAwake and Sing! (2006).[citation needed] He was in the ensemble cast of theexperimental filmDogville, directed byLars von Trier ofDenmark and starringNicole Kidman, as well as the television filmHysterical Blindness (he received anEmmy Award for his role). In 2005, he playedAgostino Casaroli in the television miniseriesPope John Paul II. He completed filming his scenes in the filmThe Wait in early 2012, shortly before his death.[8]
In addition to acting, Gazzara worked as an occasional television director; his credits include theColumbo episodesA Friend in Deed (1974) andTroubled Waters (1975). Gazzara was nominated three times for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play—in 1956 forA Hatful of Rain, in 1975 for the paired short playsHughie andDuet, and in 1977 for a revival ofWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, oppositeColleen Dewhurst.
Gazzara was married three times, first to actressLouise Erickson (1951–1957). He married actressJanice Rule on November 25, 1961 inSan Francisco.[9][10] They had a daughter.[11] They divorced in 1979. He married model Elke Krivat in 1982 and was married to her until his death. Gazzara adopted his wife's daughter from her prior relationship. After separating from his first wife, Gazzara was engaged to stage actressElaine Stritch and later disclosed a love affair with actressAudrey Hepburn.[12] He and Hepburn co-starred in two of her final films,Bloodline (1979) andThey All Laughed (1981).
In 1968, during filming of the war movieThe Bridge at Remagen, co-starring Gazzara and friendRobert Vaughn, theSoviet Union and its alliesinvaded Czechoslovakia. The cast and crew were detained for a time; filming was later completed inWest Germany.[13][14][15] During their departure from Czechoslovakia, Gazzara and Vaughn assisted with the escape of aCzech waitress whom they had befriended. They smuggled her toAustria in a car waved through a border crossing which had not yet been taken over by the Soviet army in its crackdown of thePrague Spring.[16] Gazzara was featured in a 1994 article inCigar Aficionado, in which he admitted smoking four packs of cigarettes a day before taking up cigar smoking in the mid-1960s.[4]
Beginning in the late 1970s, Gazzara heldpermanent residence status in Italy. He maintained a second home inUmbria, where he lived while working inEurope.[citation needed]
During the 1970s, Gazzara was a member of the executive committee of the pro-Israeli group Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East.[17]
Gazzara was diagnosed withthroat cancer in 1999. He suffered astroke in 2005.[18] On February 3, 2012, he died ofpancreatic cancer atBellevue Hospital Center inManhattan.[19] He wascremated.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The Strange One | Jocko De Paris | |
| 1959 | Anatomy of a Murder | Lieutenant Frederick Manion | |
| 1960 | The Passionate Thief | Lello | |
| 1961 | The Young Doctors | Dr. David Coleman | |
| 1962 | Convicts 4 | John Resko | |
| 1962 | The Captive City | Captain George Stubbs | |
| 1965 | A Rage to Live | Roger Bannon | |
| 1969 | If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium | Card Player | |
| 1969 | The Bridge at Remagen | Sergeant Angelo | |
| 1970 | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis | Himself | |
| 1970 | Husbands | Harry | |
| 1972 | The Sicilian Connection | Giuseppe "Joe" Coppola | |
| 1973 | The Neptune Factor | Commander Adrian Blake | |
| 1975 | Capone | Al Capone | |
| 1976 | The Killing of a Chinese Bookie | Cosmo Vittelli | |
| 1976 | High Velocity | Cliff Baumgartner | |
| 1976 | Voyage of the Damned | Morris Troper | |
| 1977 | Opening Night | Manny Victor | |
| 1979 | Saint Jack | Jack Flowers | |
| 1979 | Bloodline | Rhys Williams | |
| 1981 | Inchon | Major Frank Hallsworth | |
| 1981 | They All Laughed | John Russo | |
| 1981 | Tales of Ordinary Madness | Charles Serking | |
| 1982 | The Girl from Trieste | Dino Romani | |
| 1984 | A Proper Scandal | The Man with No Memory | |
| 1985 | Woman of Wonders | Alberto | |
| 1985 | My Dearest Son | Avv. Antonio Morelli | |
| 1986 | The Professor | Franco | |
| 1987 | Control | Mike Zella | |
| 1988 | Quicker Than the Eye | Ben Norrell | |
| 1988 | Don Bosco | John Bosco | |
| 1989 | Champagne amer | Paul Rivière | |
| 1989 | Road House | Brad Wesley | |
| 1990 | Beyond the Ocean | John Tana | Also co-writer and director |
| 1991 | Forever | Marcello Rondi | |
| 1994 | Sherwood's Travels | Raphael de Pietro | |
| 1994 | Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem | Moshe | |
| 1995 | Nefertiti, figlia del sole | Amenhotep III | |
| 1995 | The Zone | Dick Althorp | |
| 1995 | Banditi | Amos | |
| 1996 | Scene of the Crime | Lieutenant Jack "Jigsaw" Lasky | |
| 1997 | Farmer & Chase | Farmer | |
| 1997 | Shadow Conspiracy | Vice President Saxon | |
| 1997 | Stag | Frank Grieco | |
| 1997 | The Spanish Prisoner | Klein | |
| 1997 | Vicious Circles | March | |
| 1998 | The Big Lebowski | Jackie Treehorn | |
| 1998 | Too Tired to Die | John Sage | |
| 1998 | Buffalo '66 | Jimmy Brown | |
| 1998 | Happiness | Lenny Jordan | |
| 1998 | Illuminata | Old Flavio | |
| 1999 | Summer of Sam | Luigi | |
| 1999 | The Thomas Crown Affair | Andrew Wallace | |
| 1999 | Shark in a Bottle | The Arranger | |
| 1999 | Jack of Hearts | Bartossa | |
| 1999 | Paradise Cove | Duke Mantee | |
| 2000 | Blue Moon | Frank Cavallo | |
| 2000 | Poor Liza | The Narrator | |
| 2000 | Believe | Ellicott Winslowe | |
| 2000 | Home Sweet Hoboken | — | |
| 2000 | Very Mean Men | Gino Minetti | |
| 2000 | Undertaker's Paradise | Jim | |
| 2000 | The List | D.A. Bernard Salman | |
| 2000 | Nella terra di nessuno | L'avvocato Scalzi | |
| 2003 | L'ospite segreto | Solomos | |
| 2003 | Dogville | Jack McKay | |
| 2005 | Bonjour Michel | Michele Terranova | |
| 2005 | Schubert | Don José | |
| 2006 | Paris, je t'aime | Ben | Segment: "Quartier Latin" |
| 2006 | The Shore | Mr. Bob Harris | |
| 2008 | Looking for Palladin | Jack Palladin | |
| 2008 | Eve | Joe | Short film |
| 2009 | Holy Money | Vatican's Banker | |
| 2009 | 13 | Schlondorff | |
| 2010 | Christopher Roth | Paul Andersen | |
| 2011 | Chez Gino | Oncle Giovanni | |
| 2011 | Ristabbànna | Natale |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1954 | Danger | Various roles | 4 episodes |
| 1952–1953 | Treasury Men in Action | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1952–1958 | Kraft Television Theatre | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1954 | Medallion Theatre | Dick | Episode: "The Alibi Kid" |
| 1954 | The United States Steel Hour | Richard Elgin Jr. | Episode: "The Notebook Warrior" |
| 1954 | Justice | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1957–1958 | Playhouse 90 | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1959 | Armchair Theatre | Jim Mason | Episode: "You'll Never See Me Again" |
| 1959 | DuPont Show of the Month | Carlos Perez | Episode: "Body and Soul" |
| 1961 | Cry Vengeance! | Davidde | Television film |
| 1963–1964 | Arrest and Trial | Detective Sgt. Nick Anderson | Main role, 30 episodes |
| 1964 | A Carol for Another Christmas | Fred | Television film |
| 1965 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Paul Bryan | Episode: "Rapture at Two-Forty" |
| 1965–1968 | Run for Your Life | Paul Bryan | Main role, 85 episodes Also director, 5 episodes |
| 1967 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Sidney | Episode: "Free of Charge" |
| 1971 | The Name of the Game | — | Director Episode: "Appointment in Palermo" |
| 1972 | When Michael Calls | Doremus Connelly | Television film |
| 1972 | Fireball Forward | Major General Joe Barrett | |
| 1972 | The Family Rico | Eddie Rico | |
| 1972 | Pursuit | Steven Graves | |
| 1973 | You'll Never See Me Again | — | |
| 1973 | Maneater | Nick Baron | |
| 1974 | QB VII | Abe Cady | Main role, 2 episodes |
| 1974–1975 | Columbo | — | Director, 2 episodes |
| 1977 | The Death of Richie | George Werner | Television film |
| 1977 | The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald | Anson "Kip" Roberts | |
| 1982 | A Question of Honor | Detective Joe DeFalco | |
| 1984 | Hollywood's Most Sensational Mysteries | Narrator | |
| 1985 | An Early Frost | Nick Pierson | |
| 1985 | A Letter to Three Wives | Porter Holloway | |
| 1987 | Police Story: The Freeway Killings | Captain Tom Wright | |
| 1987 | Downpayment on Murder | Harry Cardell | |
| 1990 | People Like Us | Gus Bailey | |
| 1991 | Lies Before Kisses | Grant Sanders | |
| 1993 | Blindsided | Ira Gold | |
| 1993 | Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage | Joseph Bonanno | |
| 1993 | Cycle Simenon | John | Episode: "Les gens d'en face" |
| 1994 | Parallel Lives | Charlie Duke | Television film |
| 1994 | Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'Hara Story | Papa | |
| 1995 | Convict Cowboy | Warden | |
| 1996 | Una donna in fuga | Don Peppe | |
| 1996 | Strangers | Doctor | Episode: "A New Life" |
| 1997 | The Notorious 7 | Dom Diablo | Television film |
| 1998 | Valentine's Day | Joe Buddha | |
| 1998 | Angelo nero | Padre Guelfi | |
| 1998 | Il tesoro di Damasco | Gregorio Kos | |
| 1999 | Tre stelle | Colonel Marshall | Miniseries |
| 2000 | Un bacio nel buio | — | Television film |
| 2000 | Piovuto dal cielo | Cesare Palmieri | |
| 2001 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | E.A.D.A. | Episode: "Wrath" |
| 2001 | Brian's Song | Coach Halas | Television film |
| 2002 | Hysterical Blindness | Nick | |
| 2005 | Pope John Paul II | Agostino Casaroli | Main role, 2 episodes |
| 2006 | And Quiet Flows the Don | General Secretov | Miniseries |
| 2007 | Donne sbagliate | Franco Maresco | Television film |
| 2008 | Empire State Building Murders | Paulie Genovese | |
| 2009 | L'onore e il rispetto | Fred | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Pupetta: Il coraggio e la passione | Otello Di Bella | Main role, 4 episodes |
