Joseph Wiseman | |
|---|---|
 Wiseman in 1950 | |
| Born | (1918-05-15)May 15, 1918 |
| Died | October 19, 2009(2009-10-19) (aged 91) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–2001 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1[1] |
Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian-American theatre, film and television actor. He starred as thevillainJulius No in the firstJames Bond film,Dr. No, in 1962. He was also known for his role as crime boss Manny Weisbord on the television seriesCrime Story and his lengthy career onBroadway, where he was once called "the spookiest actor in the American theatre".[2]
Wiseman was born inMontreal,Quebec, Canada, toJewish parents Louis and Pearl Wiseman and was raised inNew York City,United States.[3] At age 16, he began performing in summer stock and became professional, which displeased his parents.
He was an alumnus ofJohn Adams High School,Queens,New York, and graduated June 1935,[4] as was hisDr. No co-star,Jack Lord.
Wiseman made hisBroadway debut in 1938, playing a small part inRobert E. Sherwood'sAbe Lincoln in Illinois. Among the many productions he appeared in live theatre were the title role inIn the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer onBroadway in 1968, and the role of Father Massieu in the original Broadway production ofJoan of Lorraine, theMaxwell Anderson play which eventually became the filmJoan of Arc.
Wiseman appeared in several films in the 1950s. He made his first major film appearance in 1951'sDetective Story, where he recreated his performance from Broadway as an unstable small-time hood. Soon after, he playedMarlon Brando's archenemy inViva Zapata! (1952). Wiseman's role as the titularDr. No in the first James Bond film byEon Productions was a decision of producerHarry Saltzman, who cast Wiseman in the role in December 1961. It was Wiseman's performance inDetective Story that gained him the part.[5] (Later in his life, he viewed the film with disdain, and preferred to be remembered for his theater career.[6])
In 1967, he was cast as Billy Minsky's father inThe Night They Raided Minsky's; later he appeared oppositeSir Laurence Olivier inThe Betsy (1978). Wiseman had roles in a wide variety of other films:The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz,Seize the Day,Bye Bye Braverman. In addition to being a regular on the seriesCrime Story, he had guest-starring and cameo roles in TV series includingThe Westerner;The Streets of San Francisco;The Untouchables;The Twilight Zone ("One More Pallbearer");Magnum, P.I.;Buck Rogers in the 25th Century; andNight Gallery. His last film was released in 1988, though he appeared in TV shows such asMacGyver,L.A. Law, andLaw & Order after that time. Wiseman's last appearance on television was the supporting role of Seymour Bergreen on a 1996 episode ofLaw & Order titled "Family Business". His last Broadway appearance was inJudgment at Nuremberg in 2001.
Following the death ofCharles Gray in 2000, Wiseman was the last surviving mainvillain of the James Bond films thatSean Connery made forUnited Artists.
Wiseman married Nell Kinard on August 25, 1943, in New York, but they eventually divorced May 15, 1964, in Durham, NC.[7] He was married to dancer, teacher and choreographerPearl Lang from 1964 until her death in February 2009.[8] He had a daughter with Kinard, Martha Graham Wiseman.[8]
Despite his many on-screen performances as the "heavy", Wiseman was aJewish scholar who travelled extensively, giving readings from Yiddish and Jewish literature. He died on October 19, 2009, at his home in Manhattan, at the age of 91, having been in declining health for some time.[8]
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