Eli Wallach
Highest Rated: 100% Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005)
Lowest Rated: 8% Mama's Boy (2007)
Birthday: Dec 7, 1915
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Long before earning his B.A. from the University of Texas and his M.A. in Education from C.C.N.Y., Eli Wallach made his first on-stage appearance in a 1930 amateur production. After World War II service and intensive training at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, the bumpy-nosed, gravel-voiced Wallach debuted on Broadway in Skydrift (1945). In 1951, he won a Tony award for his portrayal of Alvaro Mangiaco in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo. Though a staunch advocate of "The Method," Wallach could never be accused of being too introspective on-stage; in fact, his acting at times was downright ripe -- but deliciously so. He made his screen debut in Baby Doll (1956) playing another of Tennessee Williams' abrasive Latins, in this instance the duplicitous Silva Vaccaro; this performance earned Wallach the British equivalent of the Oscar. He spent the bulk of his screen time indulging in various brands of villainy, usually sporting an exotic accent (e.g., bandit leader Calvera in The Magnificent Seven [1960]). Perhaps his most antisocial onscreen act was the kidnapping of Hayley Mills in The Moon-Spinners (1965). Even when playing someone on "our" side, Wallach usually managed to make his character as prickly as possible: a prime example is Sgt. Craig in The Victors (1963), who manages to be vituperative and insulting even after his face is blown away. Busy on stage, screen, and TV into the 1990s, Wallach has played such unsavory types as a senile, half-blind hitman in Tough Guys (1986) and candy-munching Mafioso Don Altobello in The Godfather III (1990). He continued to work steadily into the 1990s with parts in the Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes, the remake of Night and the City, Article 99, and narrating a number of documentaries. He didn't slow down much at all during the 21st century, appearing in the comedy Keepin the Faith, Clint Eastwood's Oscar Winning Mystic River, and The Hoax. In 2010 he acted for Roman Polanski in his thriller The Ghost Writer, and for Oliver Stone in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, which was to be his last film role; Wallach died in 2014 at age 98.His television work has included an Emmy-winning performance in the 1967 all-star TV movie The Poppy Is Also a Flower and the continuing role of mob patriarch Vincent Danzig in Our Family Honor. Married since 1948 to actress Anne Jackson, Wallach has appeared on-stage with his wife in such plays as The Typists and the Tiger, Luv, and Next, and co-starred with her in the 1967 comedy film The Tiger Makes Out. Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson are the parents of special effects director Peter Wallach.

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Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
No Score Yet Root Actor — 2013
No Score Yet Honey Sweet Love Actor — 2012
No Score Yet The Adventures Of Gerard Actor — 2011
55% Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Julie Stenhardt $52.5M 2010
90% Ahead of Time Mordechai Rossman $33.5K 2010
84% The Ghost Writer Vineyard Old Man $11.1M 2010
No Score Yet Just Laugh! Actor — 2010
37% New York, I Love You Abe (Joshua Marston segment) $1.7M 2009
33% Tickling Leo Emil Pikler — 2009
44% The Toe Tactic Maestro — 2009
8% Mama's Boy Seymour Warburton — 2007
87% Constantine's Sword Piero Terracina — 2007
No Score Yet Brando Actor — 2007
85% The Hoax Noah Dietrich $7.1M 2007
48% The Holiday Arthur Abbott $63.3M 2006
No Score Yet James Dean: Sense Memories Actor — 2005
100% Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson Actor — 2005
71% King of the Corner Sol Spivak — 2005
No Score Yet The Real James Dean: From Indiana Farmboy To Hollywood Legend Actor — 2005
No Score Yet The Easter Egg Adventure Narrator — 2004
83% Broadway: The Golden Age Actor — 2004
No Score Yet Reconstructing 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' Actor — 2004
No Score Yet The Leone Style Actor — 2004
No Score Yet Leone's West Actor — 2004
88% Mystic River Liquor Store Owner [uncredited] $88.9M 2003
No Score Yet Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip Actor — 2003
No Score Yet Rita Actor — 2003
No Score Yet American Masters Reader — 2003
No Score Yet I sogni nel mirino Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Advice and Dissent Actor — 2002
67% Monday Night Mayhem Leonard Goldenson — 2002
No Score Yet Taste of Jupiter Actor — 2002
No Score Yet The Typists Actor — 2002
69% Keeping the Faith Rabbi Lewis — 2000
No Score Yet Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows Actor — 2000
No Score Yet Naked City Justice With A Bullet Deluca — 1999
No Score Yet Slapstick, Too! Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Trial of Adolf Eichmann Actor — 1997
28% The Associate Fallon — 1996
14% Two Much Sheldon — 1996
No Score Yet Search for Dracula Narrator — 1996
No Score Yet Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey Narrator — 1995
57% Night and the City Peck — 1992
No Score Yet Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story Bill Presser — 1992
No Score Yet Legacy of Lies Moses Resnick — 1992
43% Article 99 Abrams — 1992
No Score Yet Lincoln: Now He Belongs to the Ages, 1865 William Crook — 1992
No Score Yet Lincoln: I Want to Finish This Job, 1864 William Crook — 1992
No Score Yet Lincoln: The Pivotal Year, 1863 William Crook — 1992
No Score Yet Lincoln: The Making of a President, 1860-1862 William Crook — 1992
72% Mistress Lieberhoff — 1991
No Score Yet A Family Matter Frank Latella — 1991
68% The Godfather, Part III Don Altobello — 1990
68% The Two Jakes Cotton Weinberger — 1990
No Score Yet The Impossible Spy Yacov — 1987
36% Nuts Dr. Herbert A. Morrison — 1987
57% Tough Guys Leon B. Little — 1986
No Score Yet Something in Common Norman Voss — 1986
No Score Yet Rocket to the Moon Mr. Prince — 1986
No Score Yet Spark Among the Ashes Narrator — 1986
No Score Yet Murder: By Reason of Insanity Dr. Huffman — 1985
No Score Yet Embassy Joe Verga — 1985
No Score Yet Sam's Son Sam Orowitz — 1984
No Score Yet The Salamander Actor — 1983
No Score Yet The Executioner's Song Uncle Vern Damico — 1982
No Score Yet The Wall Mauritzi Apt — 1982
No Score Yet Skokie Bert Silverman — 1981
No Score Yet The Pride of Jesse Hallam Sal Galucci — 1981
No Score Yet The Salamander Leporello — 1981
55% The Hunter Ritchie Blumenthal — 1980
87% Winter Kills Joe Diamond — 1979
No Score Yet Firepower Sal Hyman — 1979
43% Circle of Iron Man-in-Oil — 1979
No Score Yet Sabbath of Peace Actor — 1979
No Score Yet Movie Movie Vince Marlowe/Pop — 1978
100% Girlfriends Rabbi Gold — 1978
No Score Yet The Domino Principle Gen. Tom Reser — 1977
33% The Deep Adam Coffin — 1977
No Score Yet Nasty Habits Monsignor — 1977
47% The Sentinel Gatz — 1977
No Score Yet Aces High Cacopoulos — 1976
No Score Yet Independence Benjamin Franklin — 1976
No Score Yet Il Bianco, il giallo, il nero (White, the Yellow, and the Black)(Shoot First... Ask Questions Later) Black — 1975
No Score Yet Stateline Motel Joe — 1975
No Score Yet Crazy Joe Don Vittorio — 1974
No Score Yet Don't Turn the Other Cheek Actor — 1974
50% Cinderella Liberty Lynn Forshay — 1973
No Score Yet The Chill Factor Frank Enari — 1973
No Score Yet Viva la muerte... tua! (Don't Turn the Other Cheek) (Long Live Your Death) Actor — 1971
No Score Yet Romance of a Horsethief Kifke — 1971
No Score Yet The People Next Door Arthur Mason — 1970
No Score Yet The Angel Levine Store clerk — 1970
No Score Yet Zig Zag Actor — 1970
No Score Yet Ace High Cacopoulos — 1969
No Score Yet Le Cerveau (The Brain) Frankie Scannapieco — 1969
20% MacKenna's Gold Ben Baker — 1969
No Score Yet How to Save a Marriage---and Ruin Your Life Harry Hunter — 1968
No Score Yet The Tiger Makes Out Ben Harris — 1967
97% The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Tuco — 1966
No Score Yet The Poppy Is Also a Flower Locarno — 1966
100% How to Steal a Million Davis Leland — 1966
No Score Yet Genghis Khan The Shah of Khwarezm — 1965
57% Lord Jim General — 1965
No Score Yet Kisses For My President Raphael Valdez Jr. — 1964
No Score Yet The Moon-Spinners Stratos — 1964
No Score Yet Act One Warren Stone — 1963
No Score Yet The Victors Sgt. Craig — 1963
57% Twice Told Tales Actor — 1963
90% How the West Was Won Charlie Gant — 1963
No Score Yet Heningway's Adventures of a Young Man John — 1962
100% The Misfits Guido Dellini — 1961
No Score Yet Seven Thieves Poncho/Baron von Roelitz — 1960
88% The Magnificent Seven Calvera — 1960
No Score Yet Lullaby Actor — 1960
97% Some Like It Hot Actor — 1959
83% The Lineup Dancer — 1958
100% Baby Doll Silva Vacarro — 1956
No Score Yet Danger Actor — 1952

TV

CREDIT
100% The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
2014
Voice
  • 2014
81% Nurse Jackie
2009-2015
Bernard Zimberg
  • 2009
60% The War
2007
Voice
  • 2007
83% Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
2006-2007
Eli Weintraub
  • 2006
No Score Yet Whoopi
2003-2004
Norman
  • 2004
No Score Yet American Masters
2001
Voice Narrator Reader
  • 2003
No Score Yet ER
1994-2009
Mr. Langston
  • 2003
No Score Yet American Experience
1988
Voice
  • 2002
  • 2001
  • 1992
No Score Yet Ken Burns' Baseball
1994-2010
Voice
  • 1994
No Score Yet Law & Order
1990-2010
Union Worker Simon Vilanis
  • 1992
No Score Yet Murder, She Wrote
1984-1996
Salvatori
  • 1988
No Score Yet Highway to Heaven
1984-1989
Gene Malloy Tim Charles
  • 1987
  • 1986
No Score Yet American Playhouse
1982-1996
Mr. Prince
  • 1986
No Score Yet Kojak
1973-1978
Lee Curtain
  • 1975
  • 1974
93% Batman
1966-1968
Mr. Freeze
  • 1967
No Score Yet Tales of the Unexpected
1979-1988
Gerry Williams

QUOTES FROM Eli Wallach CHARACTERS