Jack Gilford

Jack Gilford (born Jacob Aaron Gellman; July 25, 1908 – June 4, 1990)^[2] was an American Broadway, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Save the Tiger (1973).

Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford in 1986
Born	Jacob Aaron Gellman (1908-07-25)July 25, 1908 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Died	June 4, 1990(1990-06-04) (aged 81) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Actor comedian activist
Years active	1937–1989
Spouse	Madeline Lee Gilford[1] (1949–1990; his death)
Children	3

Early life and family

Gilford was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His parents were Romanian-born Jewish immigrants Sophie "Susksa" (née Jackness), who owned a restaurant, and Aaron Gellman, a furrier.^[3] Gilford was the second of three sons, with an older brother Murray ("Moisha") and a younger brother Nathaniel ("Natie").

Career

Gilford was discovered working in a pharmacy by Milton Berle, who became his mentor. While working in amateur theater, he competed with other talented youngsters, including a young Jackie Gleason. He started doing imitations and impersonations. His first appearance on film was a short entitled Midnight Melodies in which he did his imitations of George Jessel, Rudy Vallee and Harry Langdon. Gilford developed some unique impressions that became his trademarks — most notably, one of "split pea soup coming to a furious boil" using only his face. Other unusual impressions he created were a fluorescent light going on in a dark room, John D. Rockefeller Sr. imitating Jimmy Durante, and impressions of animals.^{[4][citation needed]}

In 1938, Gilford worked as the master of ceremonies in the first downtown New York integrated nightclub, Café Society, which was owned and operated by Barney Josephson. His was a unique blend of the earlier style of the Yiddish theater, vaudeville and burlesque, and started the tradition of monology such as later comedians Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen used. He won numerous industry awards.

Gilford was nominated for several Tony Awards, including for best supporting actor as Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963), and for his role as Herr Schultz in Cabaret (1966). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in (1973) for his role as Phil Green in Save the Tiger (his co-star Jack Lemmon won for Best Actor). Sir Rudolf Bing engaged Gilford for the comic speaking role of the tippling jailer Frosch in the operetta Die Fledermaus.^[5] Beloved in the part, Gilford performed it 77 times between 1950 and 1964.^[6]

One of Gilford's specialties was pantomime, and this talent was put to good use by director George Abbott when he cast Gilford as the silent King Sextimus in Once Upon a Mattress (Off-Broadway, 1959). Gilford shared the stage with a young Carol Burnett in this production, and reprised his performance with her in two separate televised versions of the show in 1964 and in 1972.^[7]

Gilford's career was derailed for a time during the 1950s and McCarthyism. He was an activist who campaigned for social change, integration, and labor unions. He was quite active both socially and politically in left-wing causes, as was his wife, Madeline Lee.^[1] In 1953 Gilford and Lee were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) regarding their alleged Communist sympathies, after being specifically named by choreographer Jerome Robbins in his own testimony to the committee.^[1][8] The couple had difficulty finding work during much of the rest of the 1950s due to the Hollywood blacklist, and often had to borrow money from friends to make ends meet.

Gilford found work towards the end of the 1950s and during the early 1960s with the end of the Joseph McCarthy era. He made his comeback as Hysterium in the 1962 Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He co-starred in the play with his close friend, Zero Mostel, who was also blacklisted during the McCarthy era. This production was also choreographed by Jerome Robbins, who had previously testified before House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953.^[8]

Gilford became successful mostly through roles on the Broadway stage, such as Drink To Me Only, Romanoff and Juliet, and The Diary of Anne Frank. He later enjoyed success in film (one of his notable roles was in the 1985 film Cocoon) and television, as well as a series of nationwide television commercials for Cracker Jack.^[8]

Personal life

Gilford met actress (and later producer) Madeline Lee at progressive political meetings and events during the late 1940s. Gilford entertained at many of these events, some of them produced by Lee.^[1] She was married at the time and divorced her first husband soon after meeting Gilford.^[8] The couple married in 1949,^[1] remaining together for 40 years until his death in 1990. The couple raised three children: Lisa Gilford, a producer (from Lee's previous marriage); Joe Gilford, a screenwriter, playwright, and stage director; and Sam Max Gilford, an artist and archivist.^[2]

Death

Following a year-long battle with stomach cancer, Gilford died in his Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, home in 1990 at age 81.^[9] His wife, Madeline Lee Gilford, died on April 15, 2008 from undisclosed causes.^[1] Gilford is buried in the Yiddish theater section of Flushing, New York's Mount Hebron Cemetery.^[10]

Biographical play, Finks

In July 2008, Josh Radnor and Jennifer Westfeldt starred in the premiere of the play Finks, based on the Gilfords' experiences with HUAC and the Hollywood blacklist, written by Joe Gilford (their son), and directed by Charlie Stratton for stage and film.^[11] The play was produced Off-Broadway at New York's Ensemble Studio Theatre in April 2013.

The New York Times called it a "bracing play" that "quickly leaves you not caring that you've visited the territory before."^[12] Finks was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, with Miriam Silverman^[13] nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Play.^[14]

Broadway stage appearances

• Meet the People (1940–1941, musical revue)^[15]
• They Should Have Stood in Bed (1942, play)^[15]
• Alive and Kicking (1950, musical revue)^[15]
• The Live Wire (1950, play)^[15]
• The World of Sholem Aleichem (1953, play, Off-Broadway)^[15]
• The Diary of Anne Frank (1955–1957, play)^[15]
• Romanoff and Juliet (1957–1958, play)^[15]
• Drink to Me Only (1958, play)^[15]
• Look After Lulu (1959, play)^[15]
• Once Upon a Mattress (1959, musical)^[15] – Gilford initially played the role of King Sextimus Off-Broadway. When the show moved to Broadway, the role was played by Will Lee instead. Gilford, though, reprised his Sextimus performance for two television productions of the musical.
• The Tenth Man (1959–1961, play)^[15]
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962–1964, musical)^[15]
• Cabaret (1966–1968, musical)^[15]
• Three Men on a Horse (1969–1970, play, revival)^[15]
• No, No, Nanette (1971, revival, musical)^[15]
• The Sunshine Boys (1973–1974, play, replacement for Jack Albertson)^[15]
• Sly Fox (1976–1978, play)^[15]
• The Supporting Cast (1981, play)^[15]
• The World of Sholem Aleichem (1982, play, revival)^[15]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1944	Hey, Rookie	Specialty
1944	Reckless Age	Joey Bagle
1959	TV: The World of Sholem Aleichem	Bontshe Shveig
1963	TV: Cowboy and the Tiger	Tiger
1963	TV: Car 54, Where Are You? Season #2 Episode #30 (series finale) "The Curse of the Snitkins"	Officer Luther Snitkin
1964	TV: Once Upon a Mattress	King Sextimus
1966	The Daydreamer	Papa Andersen
1966	TV: T.H.E. Cat "Little Arnie From Long Ago"	Drummer
1966	Mister Buddwing	Mr. Schwartz
1966	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	Hysterium
1967	Enter Laughing	Mr. Foreman
1967	Who's Minding the Mint?	Avery Dugan
1967	The Incident	Sam Beckerman
1968	TV: The Ghost and Mrs Muir	Uncle Arnold
1969	TV: Arsenic and Old Lace	Dr. Herman Salk
1969	Here's Lucy	Driving Examiner
1969	TV: Get Smart	Simon the Likable
1970	Catch-22	"Doc" Daneeka
1971	They Might Be Giants	Wilbur Peabody
1972	TV: Of Thee I Sing	Vice President Throttlebottom
1972	TV: Once Upon a Mattress	King Sextimus
1973	Save the Tiger	Phil Greene
1975	Tubby the Tuba	voice: The Herald
1976	Rhoda	Billy Glass
1976	Short: Max	Max
1976	Harry and Walter Go to New York	Mischa
1976	TV: All in the Family	Bernard Bernstein
1977	TV: Seventh Avenue	Finklestein
1977	A Doonesbury Special	voice
1978	TV: Apple Pie	Grandpa Hollyhock
1979	TV: Taxi	Joe Rieger (Alex Rieger's father) in episode entitled "Honor Thy Father"; role reprised in 1981 episode "Like Father, Like Son"
1979	TV: Soap	Saul
1980	Cheaper to Keep Her	Stanley Bracken
1980	Wholly Moses!	Tailor
1981	TV: Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood	Wally
1981	Caveman	Gog
1981 & 1982	TV: The Love Boat	episodes: "That Old Gang of Mine" (1981); "A Honeymoon for Horace" (1982)
1983	Anna to the Infinite Power	Dr. Henry Jelliff
1983	TV: Happy	Bernie Nelson
1983	TV: Mama's Family	Alvin Thompson
1984	The Duck Factory[16]	Brooks Carmichael
1985	Cocoon	Bernie Lefkowitz
1985	TV: Hostage Flight	Mr. Singer
1985	TV: Night Court - An Old Flame	Marty Ratner
1986	TV: Young Again	The Angel
1988	Arthur 2: On the Rocks	Mr. Butterworth
1988	Cocoon: The Return	Bernie Lefkowitz
1988	TV: The Golden Girls	Max Weinstock
1989	TV: Head of the Class	Wesley Winthrop

Partial discography

• You Don't Have to be Jewish (1965)
• Cole Porter: Anything Goes, conducted by John McGlinn; EMI Records (1989)
• Winnie-The-Pooh: 17 Songs From The Pooh Song Book (1952)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1973	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Save the Tiger	Nominated	[17]
1979	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming	Big Blue Marble (Episode: "Hello in There")	Won
1973	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Save the Tiger	Nominated	[18]
1963	Grammy Awards	Best Recording for Children	Winnie-the-Pooh	Nominated	[19]
1989	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	The Golden Girls (Episode: "Sophia's Wedding: Parts 1 & 2")	Nominated	[20]
		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Thirtysomething (Episode: "The Mike Van Dyke Show")	Nominated
1988	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Cocoon: The Return	Nominated
1963	Tony Awards	Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	Nominated	[21]
1967		Best Leading Actor in a Musical	Cabaret	Nominated	[22]