Eli Wallach

Biography: Eli Wallach

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). 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. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide less

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Tickling Leo (2009)
Cast: Eli Wallach Lawrence Pressman Mary Stuart Masterson Jeremy Davidson Ronald Guttman
Tags: Drama Family Drama
Length: 90min
In the days before Yom Kippur (aka the Day of Atonement), Zak Pikler takes his pregnant girlfriend, Delphina, to find his estranged father in the family drama Tickling Leo, written and directed by Jeremy Davidson. When they reach the man's home in the...
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Mama's Boy (2007)
Cast: Jeff Daniels Eli Wallach Diane Keaton Mark Mothersbaugh Sarah Chalke
Tags: Comedy Coming-of-Age Domestic Comedy Slice of Life
Length: 92min
Jeff Daniels, Jon Heder, and Diane Keaton star in director Tim Hamilton's domestic comedy concerning a slacker who finds his status as man of the house challenged when his single mother begins dating a self-help guru. As the influence of youth...
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New York, I Love You (2008)
Cast: Julie Christie Andy Garcia James Caan Natalie Portman Chris Cooper
Tags: Comedy Drama Romantic Drama Ensemble Film Slice of Life
Length: 110min
Some of the world's most-respected directors align forces to pay tribute to the city of the New York in this unconventional omnibus sister film to 2006's Paris, Je T'Aime. Broken into short segments, New York, I Love You is comprised of ten films,...
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The Holiday (2006)
Cast: Jude Law Kate Winslet Cameron Diaz Eli Wallach Vic Armstrong
Tags: Romantic Comedy Comedy Drama
Length: 135min
Nancy Meyers' omantic comedy Holiday stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two women who exchange houses in order to get a new lease on life. After each suffers her fair share of romantic disappointments, Englishwoman Iris (Winslet) and L.A. woman...
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A Taste of Jupiter (2002)
Cast: Teri Garr Eli Wallach Derek Diorio
Tags: Romantic Comedy Romantic Fantasy Comedy Romance Ensemble Film
Length: 97min
Eight lives converge in Little Italy when a celestial event brings Venus and Jupiter together in the night sky. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
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The Education of Gore Vidal (2003)
Cast: Paul Newman Eli Wallach Tim Robbins Gore Vidal Anne Jackson
Tags: Biography Language & Literature
Length: 84min
Always his own best audience, celebrated author, social critic, and self-described political "nag" Gore Vidal also proves the ideal master of ceremonies (via film clips from an extended interview) for this biographical documentary. From the vantage...
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Ahead of Time (2006)
Cast: Eli Wallach Águst Guðmundsson
Tags: Comedy Showbiz Comedy
Length: 94min
Agust Gudmundsson's comedy Ahead of Time concerns the attempts of an Icelandic pop band to regroup decades after their acrimonious split. The machinations begin after Frimann (Jakob Frimann Magnusson) loses the rest of the band he was playing with....
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King of the Corner (2004)
Cast: Rita Moreno Isabella Rossellini Eli Wallach Peter Riegert Dominic Chianese
Tags: Comedy Drama Psychological Drama Family Drama
Length: 93min
A man looking for a new purpose in his life finds one that last place he expected in this comedy. Leo Spivak (Peter Riegert) is a man slowly sinking into the quicksand of a midlife crisis. He's become increasingly unsatisfied with his career in...
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Keeping the Faith (2000)
Cast: Eli Wallach Ben Stiller Edward Norton Milos Forman Anne Bancroft
Tags: Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Religious Comedy
Length: 127min
Actor Edward Norton debuts as a director with this comedy-drama about love, friendship, and faith. Priest Brian Finn (Norton) and rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) have known each other since childhood. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), whom they both...
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American Experience: Ansel Adams - A Documentary Film (2002)
Cast: Eli Wallach David Ogden Stiers Barbara Feldon Josh Hamilton Ric Burns
Tags: Biography Visual Arts History Natural Environments Graphic & Applied Arts
Length: 100min
Ansel Adams chronicles the life and art of one of America's best-loved photographers. Raised by a doting father who encouraged Adams' eccentricities, the young boy focused his intense energy on becoming a concert pianist. Adams discovered his life's...
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Eli Wallach

Biography: Eli Wallach

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