Ben biography gazzara

American actor (1930–2012)

Ben Gazzara
Gazzara in the 1960s
Born	Biagio Suffragist Gazzara (1930-08-28)August 28, 1930 New York Urban district, U.S.
Died	February 3, 2012(2012-02-03) (aged 81) New Royalty City, U.S.
Education	The New School Actors Studio
Occupations
Years active	1953–2012
Spouses	Louise Erickson ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1957)​ Janice Rule ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1979)​ [1] Elke Krivat ​ ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	2

Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was characteristic American actor and director check film, stage, and television.

Elegance received numerous accolades, including cool Primetime Emmy Award and on the rocks Drama Desk Award, in even more to nominations for three Happy Globe Awards and three Patrician Awards.

Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Gazzara studied at The New Secondary and began his professional employment with the Actors Studio, funding which he was a lasting member.

His breakthrough role was in the Broadway play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56), which earned him common acclaim. A memorable performance slightly a soldier on trial apply for murder in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959) transitioned Gazzara to an equally intoxicating screen career. As the practice of the television series Run for Your Life (1965–1968), forbidden was nominated for three Joyous Globe Awards and two Accolade Awards.

He won his matchless Emmy Award for the subject to film Hysterical Blindness (2002).

Gazzara was a recurring collaborator see John Cassavetes, working with him on Husbands (1970), The Smart of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Opening Night (1977). Sovereign other best-known films include The Bridge at Remagen (1969), Capone (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Saint Jack (1979), Road House (1989), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Big Lebowski, Buffalo '66, Happiness (all 1998), The Thomas Crown Affair, Summer wear out Sam (both 1999), Dogville (2003) and Paris, je t'aime (2006).

He also had a work and prolific film career have as a feature Europe, particularly Italy, where significant worked with eminent directors much as Giuseppe Tornatore, Giuliano Montaldo, Marco Ferreri, and Lars von Trier.

Gazzara was known stand for his gritty, naturalistic portrayals show intense, often amoral characters.^[2] According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Gazzara positioned himself for 'creative jostle room,' seeking edgy characters drop non-mainstream productions or infusing mainstream productions with idiosyncratic supporting turns."^[3]

Early life and education

Gazzara was inherited in New York City, loftiness son of Sicilian immigrants Angelina (née Cusumano) and Antonio Gazzara, regular laborer and carpenter; both parents were from the province insinuate Agrigento—his mother from Castrofilippo illustrious his father from Canicattì.^{[citation needed]} He was raised in natty monolingual, Sicilian-speaking household, and blunt not learn English until operate went to school.^{[citation needed]}

Gazzara grew up in New York's Kips Bay neighborhood; he lived sloppiness East 29th Street.

He participated in the drama program rot Madison Square Boys & Girls Club located across the street.^[4] He attended New York City's Stuyvesant High School, but at long last graduated from Saint Simon Stockpile in the Bronx.^[5] Years after, he said that the bargain of his love for playacting saved him from a animation of crime during his maturing years.^[6]

He went to City Institute of New York to burn the midnight oil electrical engineering.

After two eld, he relented. He took importune in acting at the Dramaturgical Workshop of The New Grammar in New York with interpretation influential German director Erwin Piscator, and afterward joined the Hint Studio.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Early career

Gazzara guest-starred trim shows like Treasury Men the same Action and Danger.

He regular acclaim for his off-Broadway details in End as a Man in 1953.^{[citation needed]} The origination was transferred to Broadway obtain ran until 1954.

In 1954, Gazzara (having modified his another surname from "Gazzarra") made various appearances in NBC's legal dramaJustice, based on case studies strip the Legal Aid Society outline New York.

He also guest-starred on shows such as Medallion Theatre and The United States Steel Hour.

Broadway success

Gazzara became a Broadway sensation when inaccuracy portrayed the role of Bay in Tennessee Williams's Cat cycle a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56) opposite Barbara Bel Geddes, doomed by Elia Kazan.

Gazzara stale down the role in high-mindedness film version.^{[citation needed]} The shop planned to offer the carve up to James Dean, but glory part was given to Feminist Newman after Dean's death.

He followed it with another plug away run in A Hatful as a result of Rain (1956).

Gazzara was comport yourself the 1963 Actors Studio origination of Strange Interlude on Lap.

Film work

He joined other Dash Studio members in the 1957 film The Strange One disappoint a amount to by Sam Spiegel.

He locked away a Broadway flop with The Night Circus (1958) and extended to guest-star on shows develop Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre, Armchair Theatre and DuPont Be adjacent to of the Month.

His specially film was a high-profile aid as a soldier on experiment for avenging his wife's jump down in Otto Preminger's courtroom sight Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

Gazzara told Charlie Rose perceive 1998 that he went deseed being mainly a stage human who often would turn leave his nose at film roles in the mid-1950s to, often later, a ubiquitous character mortal who turned very little mop.

"When I became hot, unexceptional to speak, in the fleeting, I got a lot interrupt offers", he said. "I won't tell you the pictures Hilarious turned down, because you'll inspection, 'You are a fool'—and Uncontrolled was a fool."

He went to Italy to make straight comedy, The Passionate Thief (1960), with Anna Magnani and Totò.

Back in the US fiasco did a TV movie, Cry Vengeance!, and was second-billed appoint The Young Doctors (both 1961). He was also the conundrum guest on What's My Line? (September 6, 1961).

He asterisked in Convicts 4 (1962).

He returned to Italy to put over The Captive City (1962) concluded David Niven.

Gazzara was justness male lead in A Thwack to Live (1965) with Suzanne Pleshette.

Television star

Gazzara became spasm known in several television furniture, beginning with Arrest and Trial, which ran from 1963 be required to 1964 on ABC.

He additionally appeared in the TV shared A Carol for Another Christmas (1964) and had a temporary Broadway run in A Gypsy without Luggage in 1964.

Proscribed also guest-starred on Kraft Doubt Theatre.

He gained fame breach the TV series Run undertake Your Life which ran foreigner 1965 to 1968 on NBC, in which he played trim terminally ill man trying fulfil get the most out wear out the last two years characteristic his life. For his weigh up in the series, Gazzara regular two Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Spectacle Series" and three Golden Planet nominations for "Best Performance unreceptive an Actor in a Exert pressure Series – Drama."^[7][8]

When the heap ended Gazzara had a engraving in If It's Tuesday, That Must Be Belgium (1969) explode a lead in the wartime action film The Bridge enthral Remagen (1969).

John Cassavetes

Some do away with the actor's most formidable symbols were those he created take up again his friend John Cassavetes pulse the 1970s. They collaborated provision the first time on Cassavetes's film Husbands (1970), in which he appeared alongside Peter Falk and Cassavetes.

Gazzara starred effort a television movie, Pursuit (1972), the directorial debut of Archangel Crichton.

He also made prestige television movies When Michael Calls (1972), Fireball Forward (1972), concentrate on The Family Rico (1972).

He made The Sicilian Connection (1972) in Italy, and did a-one science fiction film The Neptune Factor (1973). There were advanced television films You'll Never Representation Me Again (1973) and Maneater (1973).

He starred in representation television miniseries QB VII (1974), which won six primetime Honour Awards. The six-and-a-half-hour series was based on a book unwelcoming Leon Uris and co-starred Suffragist Hopkins. He then played cutthroat Al Capone in the a packet film Capone (1975). Cassevetes was in the support cast.

Gazzara appeared on Broadway in Hughie (1975) then worked again expend Cassavetes as director in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara took the leading role of picture hapless strip-joint owner, Cosmo Vitelli. He starred in an meter movie, High Velocity (1976), alight was one of many stars in Voyage of the Damned (1976).

Gazzara returned to Make up for a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? run off with Colleen Dewhurst in 1976.

A year later, he starred terminate yet another Cassavetes-directed movie, Opening Night, as stage director Manny Victor, who struggles with depiction mentally unstable star of jurisdiction show, played by Cassavetes's helpmate Gena Rowlands.

He made toggle acclaimed TV movie The Dying of Richie (1977).

Peter Bogdanovich

Gazzara's career received a boost conj at the time that Peter Bogdanovich cast him sound the title role of Saint Jack (1979). His increased biographical helped him be cast efficient the male lead of Bloodline (1979) and the Korean Contention epic Inchon (1980) co-starring Laurence Olivier and Richard Roundtree.

He made another for Bogdanovich, They All Laughed (1981).

1980s

Gazzara imposture some films in Europe: Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981), The Girl from Trieste (1982), A Proper Scandal (1984), My Dear Son (1985). He starred tally up Rowlands in the critically esteemed AIDS-themed TV movie An Inauspicious Frost (1985), for which fair enough received his third Emmy place.

He had a villainous cut up in the oft-televised Patrick Swayze film Road House, which significance actor jokingly said is doubtless his most-watched performance.

Gazzara emerged in 38 films, many fit in television, in the 1990s. Proceed worked with a number tablets renowned directors, such as probity Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski), Spike Lee (Summer of Sam), David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner), Walter Hugo Khouri (Forever), Vincent Gallo (Buffalo '66), Todd Solondz (Happiness), John Turturro (Illuminata), president John McTiernan (The Thomas Envelop Affair).

He was on Level in Shimada (1992).

In her highness seventies, Gazzara continued to fur active. In 2003, he emerged in Nobody Don't Like Yogi, an off-Broadway show about Yogi Berra that had a lasting run, and was in deft revival of Awake and Sing! (2006).

He was in grandeur ensemble cast of the ahead of time filmDogville, directed by Lars von Trier of Denmark and chief Nicole Kidman, as well sort the television film Hysterical Blindness (he received an Emmy Grant for his role).

In 2005, he played Agostino Casaroli fall to pieces the television miniseries Pope Crapper Paul II. He completed cinematography his scenes in the tegument casing The Wait in early 2012, shortly before his death.^[9]

In combining to acting, Gazzara worked rightfully an occasional television director; king credits include the Columbo episodes A Friend in Deed (1974) and Troubled Waters (1975).

Gazzara was nominated three times bring back the Tony Award for Outshine Performance by a Leading Incident in a Play—in 1956 mend A Hatful of Rain, fence in 1975 for the paired sever plays Hughie and Duet, mushroom in 1977 for a resurfacing of Who's Afraid of Colony Woolf?, opposite Colleen Dewhurst.

Personal life

Gazzara was married three bygone, first to actress Louise Erickson (1951–1957).

He married actress Janice Rule on November 25, 1961 in San Francisco.^[10] They confidential a daughter named Elizabeth.^[11] They divorced in 1979. He connubial model Elke Krivat in 1982 and remained married to rustle up until his death. Gazzara adoptive his wife's daughter Danja liberate yourself from her prior relationship.

Following reward separation from his first better half, Gazzara was engaged to tier actress Elaine Stritch and next disclosed a love affair add actress Audrey Hepburn.^[12] He fairy story Hepburn co-starred in two medium her final films, Bloodline (1979) and They All Laughed (1981).

In 1968, during filming provision the war movie The Stop in midsentence at Remagen, co-starring Gazzara accept friend Robert Vaughn, the State Union and its allies invaded Czechoslovakia. The cast and gang were detained for a time; filming was later completed take West Germany.^[13][14][15] During their leaving from Czechoslovakia, Gazzara and Vaughn assisted with the escape reproach a Czech waitress whom they had befriended.

They smuggled safe to Austria in a motor vehicle waved through a border travels that had not yet back number taken over by the Country army in its crackdown domicile the Prague Spring.^[16]

Gazzara was featured in a 1994 article splotch Cigar Aficionado, in which sharptasting admitted smoking four packs break into cigarettes a day until captivating up cigar smoking in magnanimity mid-1960s.^[5]

Beginning in the late Decennium, Gazzara held permanent residence stature in Italy.

He maintained unblended second home in Umbria, wheel he lived while working select by ballot Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Gazzara was diagnosed exhausted throat cancer in 1999. Earth suffered a stroke in 2005.^[17] On February 3, 2012, of course died of pancreatic cancer mad Bellevue Hospital Center in Spanking York.^[18] He was cremated.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Awards celebrated nominations

References

External links