Eli Is 95

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Eli Herschel Wallach (born December 7, 1915) is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Other roles include his portrayal of Don Altobello in The Godfather Part III, Calvera in The Magnificent Seven, and Arthur Abbott in The Holiday. Wallach has received BAFTA Awards, Tony Awards and Emmy Awards for his work. Wallach also has a cameo as a liqour store owner in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (film).

With his 95th birthday approaching, Wallach can be seen in two 2010 films, Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer and Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Wallach received an Honorary Academy Award at the 2nd Annual Governors Awards, presented on November 13, 2010.

Wallach took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School in New York with the influential German director Erwin Piscator. Wallach made his Broadway debut in 1945 and won a Tony Award in 1951 for his performance in the Tennessee Williams play The Rose Tattoo. Additional theater credits include Mister Roberts, The Teahouse of the August Moon, Camino Real, Major Barbara, Luv, and Staircase, co-starring Milo O'Shea, which depicted an aging homosexual couple in a serious way. He also played a role in a tour of Antony and Cleopatra, produced by actress Katharine Cornell in 1946. He last starred on stage as the title character in Visiting Mr. Green.

Wallach's film debut was in Elia Kazan's controversial Baby Doll, and he went on to have a prolific career in films, although rarely in a starring role. Other early films include The Lineup, The Misfits, The Magnificent Seven (he portrayed Mexican bandit Calvera), Lord Jim as the General, a comic role in How to Steal a Million (the latter two with Peter O'Toole), and perhaps most famously, as Tuco (the 'Ugly') in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. After the latter's success, Wallach would appear in several other "Spaghetti Westerns", including Ace High with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.

Wallach is central to one of the most infamous show business legends. In 1953 he was cast as Angelo Maggio in the movie From Here to Eternity. He was abruptly replaced by Frank Sinatra before filming began. Sinatra went on to win an Oscar for the performance and revived his career. Legend has it that Sinatra used pressure from his reputed underworld connections to get the part. That story inspired a similar incident depicted in the classic 1972 film The Godfather. Wallach says he turned down the role to appear in a Tennessee Williams play: "Whenever Sinatra saw me, he’d say, 'Hello, you crazy actor!'"

In 2006, Wallach made a guest appearance on the NBC show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, playing a former writer who was blacklisted in the 1950s. His character was a writer on The Philco Comedy Hour, a comedy show that aired on the fictional NBS network. This is a reference to The Philco Television Playhouse, several episodes of which Wallach actually appeared on in 1955. Wallach earned a 2007 Emmy nomination for his work on the show.

Before accepting a role as a villain in Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, Henry Fonda called Wallach and asked "What the hell does he [Leone] know about the West?" Wallach assured Fonda he would be pleasantly surprised if he accepted the role. After the film's success Fonda called Wallach back to thank him.

Wallach and Leone, though having built a good relationship during shooting The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, had a falling-out later on. Leone had asked Wallach to play a role in his upcoming film, A Fistful of Dynamite, but the actor explained he had a scheduling conflict. After much pleading Wallach finally relented and turned down the other offer and waited for Leone to raise enough Hollywood money for the picture. However, the studio Leone went to had an actor, Rod Steiger, with one more picture in his studio contract and the studio announced that Leone would have to use him if they were to put up any financing. Leone then called to apologize to Wallach, who remained dumbstruck on the other end of the line. After even refusing to give Wallach a token payment for losing out on two jobs, the actor said, "I'll sue you"—to which Leone replied, "Get in line", and slammed down the phone. In his autobiography, Wallach relates the incident as regrettably being the final time the two spoke to one another.

Wallach played Mr. Freeze in the 1960s Batman television series. He wrote in his autobiography that he received more fan mail about his role as Mr. Freeze than all of his other roles combined.

All of these stories bounced around in my mind for a long time.
Eli Wallach

And I did Batman, too. I did Mr. Freeze. I get more mail for him than anything I've ever done.
Eli Wallach

And that movie was underrated - Nuts - because it deals with a terrible subject, but It's very well done.
Eli Wallach

And then the first was The Misfits, which I enjoyed very much, with Marilyn and Gable.
Eli Wallach

But Clint I love, because Clint was my mentor. I knew nothing about making an Italian movie.
Eli Wallach

But I went to the University of Texas in the 30s, and while there I learned to ride. Mostly polo ponies.
Eli Wallach

Even if I don't want to slow down, I'm slowing down.
Eli Wallach

Everyone thinks acting is easy. It's far from easy, but it's the most gratifying thing I do.
Eli Wallach

Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you've got a pretty neck.
Eli Wallach

I always end up being the evil one, and I wouldn't hurt a fly.
Eli Wallach

I always wanted to tell stories and act.
Eli Wallach

I love to tell stories and this is my way of getting them down on paper.
Eli Wallach

I met my wife and, for the next ten years, we did no films at all. She did the first movie and then I did several after. My first movie was written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Kazan and was called Baby Doll.
Eli Wallach

I never dreamed I would do Westerns.
Eli Wallach

I never lost my appetite for acting.
Eli Wallach

I was an original member of the Actors' Studio.
Eli Wallach

I'd come out of the army after five years as a medic. I was a medical administrator and we ran hospitals, and I was a Captain in the army at the end, in 1945.
Eli Wallach

I've learned that life is very tricky business: Each person needs to find what they want to do in life and not be dissuaded when people question them.
Eli Wallach

I've never lost my appetite for acting; it's innovative and challenging.
Eli Wallach

I've worked with wonderful actors like Marlon Brando and Henry Fonda.
Eli Wallach