Lee J. Cobb
Highest Rated: 100% Man of the West (1958)
Lowest Rated: 20% MacKenna's Gold (1969)
Birthday: Dec 8, 1911
Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
American character actor of stage, screen, and TV Lee J. Cobb, born Leo Jacob or Jacoby, was usually seen scowling and smoking a cigar. As a child, Cobb showed artistic promise as a virtuoso violinist, but any hope for a musical career was ended by a broken wrist. He ran away from home at age 17 and ended up in Hollywood. Unable to find film work there, he returned to New York and acted in radio dramas while going to night school at CCNY to learn accounting. Returning to California in 1931, he made his stage debut with the Pasadena Playhouse. Back in New York in 1935, he joined the celebrated Group Theater and appeared in several plays with them, including Waiting for Lefty and Golden Boy. He began his film career in 1937, going on to star and play supporting roles in dozens of films straight through to the end of his life. Cobb was most frequently cast as menacing villains, but sometimes appeared as a brooding business executive or community leader. His greatest triumph on stage came in the 1949 production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in which he played the lead role, Willy Loman (he repeated his performance in a 1966 TV version). Between 1962-66, he also appeared on TV in the role of Judge Garth in the long-running series The Virginian. He was twice nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" Oscars for his work in On the Waterfront (1954) and The Brothers Karamazov (1958).

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
88% Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen Actor $38.7M 2000
No Score Yet Arthur Miller on Home Ground Actor — 1979
No Score Yet Origins of the Mafia Bartolomeo Gramignano (Gli antenati) — 1976
No Score Yet That Lucky Touch Lt. Gen. Henry Steedman — 1975
No Score Yet Ransom! Police Is Watching (La polizia sta a guardare) Actor — 1973
85% The Exorcist Lieutenant Kinderman — 1973
No Score Yet The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing Lapchance — 1973
67% Lawman Vincent — 1971
No Score Yet Heat of Anger Actor — 1971
No Score Yet The Liberation of L.B. Jones Oman Hedgepath — 1970
No Score Yet Macho Callahan Duffy — 1970
20% MacKenna's Gold The Editor — 1969
94% Coogan's Bluff Lt. McElroy — 1968
No Score Yet Il giorno della civetta (The Day of the Owl) Don Mariano Arena — 1968
No Score Yet They Came to Rob Las Vegas (Las Vegas, 500 millones) Actor — 1968
71% In Like Flint Lloyd C. Cramden — 1967
No Score Yet Death of a Salesman Willy Loman — 1966
82% Our Man Flint Cramden — 1966
No Score Yet The Meanest Men in the West Judge Garth — 1966
90% How the West Was Won Lou Ramsey — 1963
86% Come Blow Your Horn Harry R. Baker — 1963
No Score Yet The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse Julio Madariaga — 1962
No Score Yet The Bull of the West Judge Garth — 1962
64% Exodus Barak Ben Canaan — 1960
No Score Yet But Not for Me Jeremiah MacDonald — 1959
No Score Yet Green Mansions Nuflo — 1959
100% Man of the West Dock Tobin — 1958
80% Party Girl Rico Angelo — 1958
93% The Three Faces of Eve Doctor Curtis Luther — 1957
22% The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Karamazov — 1957
No Score Yet The Garment Jungle Walter Mitchell — 1957
100% 12 Angry Men (Twelve Angry Men) Juror No. 3 — 1957
75% The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Judge Bernstein — 1956
No Score Yet Miami Exposé Bart Scott — 1956
No Score Yet The Left Hand of God Mieh Yang — 1955
No Score Yet The Racers Maglio — 1955
98% On the Waterfront Johnny Friendly — 1954
No Score Yet Gorilla at Large Garrison — 1954
No Score Yet Day of Triumph Zadok — 1954
No Score Yet The Tall Texan Captain Theodore Bess — 1953
No Score Yet The Fighter Durango — 1952
No Score Yet Sirocco Col. Feroud — 1951
No Score Yet The Man Who Cheated Himself Ed Cullen — 1950
50% The Dark Past Dr. Andrew Collins — 1949
100% Thieves' Highway Figlia — 1949
No Score Yet The Luck of the Irish D.C. Augur — 1948
No Score Yet The Miracle of the Bells Marcus Harris — 1948
73% Call Northside 777 Brian Kelly — 1948
76% Boomerang! Harold F. 'Robbie' Robinson — 1947
No Score Yet Johnny O'Clock Inspector Koch — 1947
No Score Yet Captain from Castile Juan Garcia — 1947
88% Anna and the King of Siam Kralahome — 1946
85% The Song of Bernadette Dr. Dozous — 1943
No Score Yet Tonight We Raid Calais Bonnard — 1943
No Score Yet The Moon Is Down Dr. Winter — 1943
No Score Yet Buckskin Frontier Jeptha Marr — 1943
No Score Yet Men of Boys Town Dave Morris — 1941
No Score Yet Golden Boy Mr. Bonaparte — 1939
No Score Yet Danger on the Air Tony Lisotti — 1938
No Score Yet Rustler's Valley Cal — 1937
No Score Yet North of the Rio Grande Goodwin — 1937

TV

CREDIT
No Score Yet Gunsmoke
1955-1975
Josiah
  • 1974

QUOTES FROM Lee J. Cobb CHARACTERS