Fyvush Finkel | |
|---|---|
 Finkel on the red carpet at the 1994 Emmys | |
| Born | Philip Finkel (1922-10-09)October 9, 1922 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 2016(2016-08-14) (aged 93) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1931–2016 |
| Television | Picket Fences Boston Public |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Emmy Award (1994) |
Philip "Fyvush"Finkel (Yiddish:פֿײַוויש פֿינקעל; October 9, 1922 – August 14, 2016) was an American actor and director known as a star ofYiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television seriesPicket Fences, for which he earned anEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1994. He is also known for his portrayal of Harvey Lipschultz, a crotchety history teacher, on the television seriesBoston Public.
Philip Finkel was born at home inBrownsville, Brooklyn,New York City, the third of four sons of Jewishimmigrant parents, Mary ("Miryam"), a housewife fromMinsk, Belarus, and Harry ("Cwi Hirsh") Finkel, a tailor fromWarsaw.[1][2] He adopted the stage name "Fyvush", a commonYiddish given name.[1]
Finkel first appeared on the stage at age 9, and acted for almost 35 years in the thrivingYiddish theaters of theYiddish Theater District ofManhattan'sLower East Side, as well as performing as astandup comic in the Catskills'Borscht Belt. In 2008, he recalled:
I played child parts till I was 14, 15, then my voice changed. So I decided to learn a trade and went to a vocational high school in New York. I studied to be a furrier, but I never worked at it. As soon as I graduated high school, I went to a stock company in Pittsburgh, a Jewish theater, and I played there for 38 weeks, and that's where I actually learned my trade a little bit as an adult.[1]
He worked regularly until the ethnic venues began dying out in the early 1960s, then made hisBroadway theatre debut in the original 1964 production of themusicalFiddler on the Roof, joining the cast as Mordcha, the innkeeper, in 1965.[1][3] The production ran through July 2, 1972. Finkel then played Lazar Wolf, the butcher, in the limited-run 1981 Broadway revival,[4] and eventually played the lead role of Tevye the milkman for years[1] in the national touring company.
Shortly afterward, Finkel succeededHy Anzell in the role of Mr. Mushnik in theOff-Broadway musicalLittle Shop of Horrors.[5] Then in 1988, Finkel's work as "Sam" in the New YorkShakespeare Festival revival of the Yiddish classicCafe Crown earned him anObie Award[6] and aDrama Desk nomination.[7]
Finkel made his movie debut in the English-subtitled, Yiddish sketch-comedy revueMonticello, Here We Come (1950), then after small parts in an episode of thetelevision seriesKojak in 1977 and theminiseriesEvergreen in 1985, returned to film in the detective comedyOff Beat (1986). That same year saw a role oppositeRobin Williams in aPBSAmerican Playhouse adaptation ofSaul Bellow's novelSeize the Day and a role in the film adaptation ofNeil Simon's Broadway comedyBrighton Beach Memoirs. An appearance as a lawyer in directorSidney Lumet'sQ & A (1990) led TV producer-writerDavid E. Kelley to cast Finkel as public defender Douglas Wambaugh in the television seriesPicket Fences (CBS, 1992–1996). For the role, Finkel earned a 1994Emmy Award, announcing at the televised ceremonies that he had waited 51 years for that moment.[citation needed]
Following the end ofPicket Fences, Finkel had a regular role on the short-lived revival ofFantasy Island (ABC, 1998) and then reteamed with Kelley to play history teacher Harvey Lipschultz inBoston Public (Fox; 2000–04).[citation needed]
In the 1990s and 2000s, Finkel appeared in movies includingNixon andThe Crew, guested on TV series includingChicago Hope,Law & Order,Early Edition, andHollywood Squares, and provided voiceovers for episodes of theanimated seriesThe Simpsons ("Lisa's Sax") andAaahh!!! Real Monsters ("Ickis! You'll Be Snorched!") and the animated direct-to-video featureThe Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars. In 2009, he appeared in theCoen brothers' filmA Serious Man, and in 2013 had a guest appearance inBlue Bloods ("Men In Black")
Finkel continued to appear onstage in productions such asFyvush Finkel: From Second Avenue to Broadway (1997)[8] and Classic Stage Company's historical dramaNew Jerusalem (2007), byDavid Ives.[9]
Finkel was married to Trudi Lieberman from March 1947 until her death in 2009.[citation needed] They had two sons:Ian, a musical arranger and xylophonist, and Elliot, a concert pianist.[citation needed]
Finkel died in Manhattan on August 14, 2016, at the age of 93, as a result of heart problems.[2][10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Monticello, Here We Come | ||
| 1986 | Off Beat | Vendor | |
| 1986 | Seize the Day | Shomier | |
| 1986 | Brighton Beach Memoirs | Mr. Greenblat | |
| 1990 | Q&A | Preston Pearlstein | |
| 1991 | Mobsters | Tailor | |
| 1993 | The Pickle | Mr. Shacknoff | |
| 1993 | For Love or Money | Milton Glickman | |
| 1995 | Aaron's Magic Village | Narrator | English version, Voice |
| 1995 | Nixon | Murray Chotiner | Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1998 | The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars | Hearing Aid | Voice |
| 2000 | The Crew | Sol Lowenstein | |
| 2009 | A Serious Man | Traitl Groshkover | Nominated—Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast |
| 2013 | The Other Men in Black | Moshe | |
| 2015 | Deli Man | Himself | |
| 2016 | Game Day | Max | [11] (final film role) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |