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Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918–October 19, 2009) was a Canadian actor, best known for starring as the titular antagonist of the first James Bond film, Dr. No. He was born in Montreal, Quebec. Wiseman had roles in a wide variety of films, including the very first James Bond film Dr. No, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Bye Bye Braverman, and the TV series Crime Story and The Twilight Zone. His last film was made in 1988, but appeared in TV shows such as MacGyver, L.A. Law, and Law & Order. He has had a long career in live theatre, including the title role in In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer in New York City, and the role of Father Massieu in the original Broadway production of Joan of Lorraine, the Maxwell Anderson play which eventually became the film Joan of Arc. His most recent Broadway appearance was in Judgment at Nuremberg in 2001.
He appeared in several films in the 1950s. He made his first major film appearance in 1951`s Detective Story, where he recreated his performance from Broadway as an unstable small time hood. Soon after he played Marlon Brando`s archenemy in Viva Zapata! (1952). In 1967, he was cast as Billy Minsky`s father in The Night They Raided Minsky`s, later he appeared opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in The Betsy (1978). His most famous role as the titular Dr. No in the first big screen James Bond movie by EON Productions came by the way of producer Harry Saltzman, who cast Wiseman as 007`s first nemesis in December 1961. It was his role as a drug fiend in Detective Story which singled him out as the front runner. Following the death of Charles Gray on March 7, 2000, Wiseman was the last surviving main villain of the James Bond films that Sean Connery made for United Artists. Wiseman died on October 19, 2009 at his home in Manhattan, having been in declining health for some time. Wiseman`s second wife, the choreographer Pearl Lang, died in February. He is survived by Martha and a sister, Ruth Wiseman.
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