Eli Wallach - dies aged 98 - R.I.P.

Eli Herschel Wallach was born in Brooklyn on December 7th 1915 and died earlier this week in Manhatten on June 24th 2014 - aged 98. Married to wife and at times fellow acting companion Anne Jackson since 1948, they had three children together Peter, Katherine and Roberta.

Wallach's first acting role was in 1949 and his stage, TV and film career spanned six decades taking in almost 170 acting credits and 90 movies during that period. He studied under the famed Lee Strasberg and was one of the founding members of 'The Actors Studio' and subsequently went on to become one of cinema's greatest character actors. His film career saw him work alongside many of cinema's greats including the likes of Gable, Monroe, Wayne, Widmark, Fonda, Peck, O'Toole, McQueen, Brynner, Eastwood, Nicholson and Pacino. Starring too in numerous TV films and TV series he also played 'Mr. Freeze' in the mid-60's Batman TV show.

In 2011 he was honoured by the Academy with an Honorary Award 'For a lifetime's worth of indelible screen characters'. All up he was the recipient of eight award wins and a further six nominations including in 1957 the Golden Globe nomination for 'Baby Doll', and that same year a BAFTA win for the same film for 'Most Promising Newcomer'.

His film and acting credits are numerous, but perhaps he is most recognisable as 'Tuco', the Ugly one in Sergio Leone's classic 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. In addition there was 'Baby Doll', 'The Lineup', 'The Misfits', The Magnificent Seven', 'How the West Was Won', 'Lord Jim', 'How to Steal a Million', 'Mackenna's Gold', 'The Deep', 'The Hunter', 'The Two Jakes', 'The Godfather III',  and a little more recently 'Mystic River' and 'Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps'. In demand right up to the end, his filmography lives on with over sixty years of varied contribution.

Eli Wallach - Rest In Peace
1915-2014

-Steve, at Odeon Online-