Sam Jaffe | |
|---|---|
 Jaffe as David Zorba inBen Casey, 1961 | |
| Born | Shalom Jaffe (1891-03-10)March 10, 1891 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1984(1984-03-24) (aged 93) |
| Resting place | Williston Cemetery in Williston, South Carolina |
| Other names | Sam C. Jaffe |
| Education | City College of New York (B.Sc. Engineering, 1912) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1918–1984 |
| Spouses | |
Shalom "Sam"Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician, and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inThe Asphalt Jungle (1950). He also appeared inThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) andBen-Hur (1959), and is additionally known for his roles as the titular character inGunga Din (1939) and as the "High Lama" inLost Horizon (1937).
Jaffe was born to Ukrainian Jewish parents Heida (Ada) and Barnett Jaffe[1] at 97Orchard Street (current location of theLower East Side Tenement Museum)[2][3] in New York City,New York. His mother was aYiddish actress inOdesa, Ukraine, prior to moving to the United States; his father was a jeweller. He was the youngest of four children; his siblings were Abraham, Sophie, and Annie. As a child, he appeared in Yiddish theatre productions with his mother, who after moving to the United States became a prominent actress andvaudeville star. He graduated fromTownsend Harris High School and studied engineering atCity College of New York, graduating in 1912. He later attendedColumbia University for graduate studies. He also worked for several years as a teacher, and then dean, of mathematics at the Bronx Cultural Institute, a college preparatory school, before returning to acting in 1915.[1]
As a young man, he lived inGreenwich Village in the same apartment building as a youngJohn Huston. The two men became good friends and remained so for life. Jaffe was later to star in two of Huston's films:The Asphalt Jungle andThe Barbarian and the Geisha. Jaffe's closest friends includedZero Mostel,Edward G. Robinson,Ray Bradbury, andIgor Stravinsky. In 1923 he appeared in the Broadway premiere ofGod of Vengeance (Got fun Nekome) bySholem Asch, as Reb Ali. The production became notorious after the cast, producer, and theatre owner were indicted and found guilty on charges of indecency in May 1923.[4] Jaffe began to work in film in1934, rising to prominence with his first role as the madTsar Peter III inThe Scarlet Empress. In 1938, Jaffe was forty-seven years old when he played the title role ofbhisti (waterbearer)Gunga Din.
Jaffe wasblacklisted by theHollywoodmovie studio bosses during the 1950s, supposedly for being acommunist sympathizer. Despite being blacklisted, he was hired first byRobert Wise forThe Day the Earth Stood Still and then by directorWilliam Wyler for his role in the1959Academy Award-winning version ofBen-Hur.
Jaffe co-starred in theABCtelevision series,Ben Casey, as Dr. David Zorba from 1961 to 1965, alongsideVince Edwards. He also had many guest-starring roles on other series, includingBatman (as Mr. Zoltan Zorba) and in the westernAlias Smith and Jones. In 1975, he co-starred as a retired doctor who is murdered byJanet Leigh in theColumbo episode "Forgotten Lady". He also appeared with an all-star cast in the TV pilot film ofRod Serling'sNight Gallery and asEmperor Norton in one episode ofBonanza.[1]
Jaffe was married to American operatic soprano and musical comedy star Lillian Taiz from 1926 until her death from cancer in 1941. In 1956, he married actressBettye Ackerman, 33 years his junior, with whom he later co-starred inBen Casey. She died on November 1, 2006. He had no children from either marriage.[citation needed]
ADemocrat, Jaffe supported the campaign ofAdlai Stevenson II during the1952 presidential election.[5]
Jaffe died ofcancer inBeverly Hills, California, in 1984, two weeks after his 93rd birthday.[6] He wascremated at the Pasadena Crematory in Altadena, California, and his ashes were given to his surviving wife, Bettye, and, upon her death in 2006, buried with her at Williston Cemetery in Williston, South Carolina.[7]
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | A Cheap Vacation | |||
| 1934 | The Scarlet Empress | Grand Duke Peter | Josef von Sternberg | |
| 1934 | We Live Again | Gregory Simonson | Rouben Mamoulian | |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | High Lama | Frank Capra | |
| 1938 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | (uncredited) man who tells men to meet Robin at Gallows Oaks | ||
| 1939 | Gunga Din | Gunga Din | George Stevens | |
| 1943 | Stage Door Canteen | Sam Jaffe | Frank Borzage | |
| 1946 | 13 Rue Madeleine | Mayor Galimard | Henry Hathaway | |
| 1947 | Gentleman's Agreement | Professor Fred Lieberman | Elia Kazan | |
| 1949 | The Accused | Dr. Romley | William Dieterle | |
| 1949 | Rope of Sand | Dr. Francis Hunter | William Dieterle | |
| 1950 | The Asphalt Jungle | criminal mastermind Doc Erwin Riedenschneider | John Huston | |
| 1951 | I Can Get It for You Wholesale | Sam Cooper | Michael Gordon | |
| 1951 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Professor Jacob Barnhardt | Robert Wise | |
| 1953 | Main Street to Broadway | First Nighter (uncredited) | Tay Garnett | |
| 1957 | Les Espions | head of the American spy network Sam Cooper | Henri-Georges Clouzot | |
| 1958 | The Barbarian and the Geisha | translator-secretary Henry Heusken | John Huston | |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | merchant and loyal slave Simonides | William Wyler | |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Technical Adviser (Shrink) | Gene Kelly | |
| 1967 | Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion | Dr. Singleton (archive footage) | ||
| 1968 | La Bataille de San Sebastian | Father Joseph | Henri Verneuil | |
| 1969 | The Great Bank Robbery | Brother Lilac Bailey (Art Forger) | Hy Averback | |
| 1970 | The Dunwich Horror | Old Whateley | Daniel Haller | |
| 1970 | Quarantined | Mr. Berryman | Leo Penn | |
| 1970 | The Old Man Who Cried Wolf | Abe Stillman | Walter Grauman | |
| 1971 | Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster? | Toby | ||
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Bookman | Robert Stevenson | |
| 1971 | Enemies | Gittelman | ||
| 1971 | The Tell-Tale Heart | The Old Man | ||
| 1973 | Saga of Sonora | Old Sam | ||
| 1976 | The Sad and Lonely Sundays | Dr. Sweeny | ||
| 1980 | Gideon's Trumpet | 1st Supreme Court Justice | ||
| 1980 | Battle Beyond the Stars | Dr. Hephaestus | Jimmy T. Murakami | |
| 1984 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Father Knickerbocker | Tom Schiller | |
| 1984 | On the Line | El Gabacho (final film role) |
