Eli Wallach was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 7, 1915, son of Abraham Wallach and his wife Bertha (Schorr). His brother and two sisters became school teachers. Other members of the family were lawyers and doctors. When Eli decided to become an actor he became the “black sheep” of the family.
He attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, followed by the University of Texas. He returned to New York and received a masters of science degree in education at CCNY in 1938.
Wallach studied for the stage at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre and with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in 1949, of which Wallach is a charter member.
His first stage appearance was in a boys’ club performance in Brooklyn in Sept-ember 1930. Following his participation in WW II, his Broadway debut was at the Belasco on Nov. 8, 1945, as the Crew Chief in “Skydrift.” Many Broadway, London, and roadshow appearances followed.
Wallach entered films in 1956 with Baby Doll for which he received the British Film Academy Award. Other movies have included Lord Jim, The Victors, How the West Was Won, The Misfits, The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Tiger Makes Out.
He played villains quite frequently. When asked why he was cast in so many “tough guy” movie roles, he remarked, “I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn.”
Wallach’s appearances on television have been mostly in dramatic anthology series. He won an Emmy in 1957 for his role in “The Poppy is Also a Flower.” Wallach has said that his favorite roles were as Kilroy in “Camino Real” and Mangiacavalle in “The Rose Tattoo,” for which he won a Tony award as supporting actor.
Wallach married Anne Jackson in 1948. She has since shared the stage and screen with Eli many times. As part of 1998’s Welcome Back to Brooklyn celebration, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson were named King and Queen of Brooklyn. The couple are also honored with places on the Brooklyn Celebrity Path at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
About his birthplace, Wallach had this to say: “Thomas Wolfe wrote ‘Only the Dead Know Brooklyn,’ but it couldn’t have been more wrong. There is a spirit and growth I’ve seen in Brooklyn that is alive in every great little restaurant and little shop that can’t be found anywhere [else] in the world.”
————————
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
