Eli Wallach Trivia

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In the "Murder, She Wrote" (1984) episode "A Good Year for Murder", he played a dying man, Salatore Gambini, who committed a murder because he had nothing to lose. In the "Law & Order" (1990) episode "The Working Stiff", he played a character, Simon Vilanis, who was suspected of committing a murder for the same reason although he ultimately proved to be innocent. (imdb.com)

There was no official theater department at the University of Texas when he attended, so he joined a student organization called The Curtain Club to put on plays. One of the other students involved was future Governor of Texas John Connally. (imdb.com)

Turned down the role in From Here to Eternity (1953) that won Frank Sinatra an Oscar. (imdb.com)

One of three actors to play the character of Mr. Freeze on "Batman" (1966). (The other two were George Sanders and Otto Preminger). He once said that he has received more fan mail for that role than for any other role he has ever done. (imdb.com)

He, his wife Anne Jackson and their daughter, Roberta Wallach, have all made guest appearances in "Law & Order" (1990) in different episodes. (imdb.com)

Has a brother and two sisters, all of whom became teachers. (imdb.com)

In 1966, he starred in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" with Clint Eastwood. Thirty-seven years later, Eastwood directed Wallach in "Mystic River.". (imdb.com)

One of his fellow students at Parsons New School for Social Research in New York was Marlon Brando. (imdb.com)

Father of Peter Wallach, Katherine Wallach and Roberta Wallach. (imdb.com)

While attending The University of Texas he acted in many student plays and in one he costarred with Walter Cronkite. (imdb.com)

His performance as Alvaro Mangiacavallo in "The Rose Tattoo" opposite Maureen Stapleton as Serafina won him a Theare World Award and the 1951 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play. (imdb.com)

Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1998. His wife Anne Jackson was named "Queen of Brooklyn" at the same festival. (imdb.com)

Was almost killed during the train scene in Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966). He was asked by Sergio Leone to do the scene again, and he then replied: "I'll never do that again!" (imdb.com)

He is perhaps best known for his role as the lead bandit Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Although his character is eventually defeated in the film, he has outlived six of the seven stars, as Robert Vaughn is the only one who is still alive as of 2006, despite the fact that he is older than all of them except for Yul Brynner. (imdb.com)

He served for five years in the Army's Medical Administrative Corps during World War II, eventually attaining the rank of captain. (imdb.com)

He has had two hip replacements and has arthritis in his back. (imdb.com)

Is blind in the left eye due to a stroke. (imdb.com)

He has three grandsons. (imdb.com)

Appeared with Steve McQueen in both his first major successful film (The Magnificent Seven (1960)) and his last ever film (The Hunter (1980)). (imdb.com)

Was credited with his first Broadway appearance in Harry Kleiner's "Skydrift" in 1945, the play in which Rita Moreno made her Broadway debut. The play closed after seven performances. Also appeared as a soothsayer in Katharine Cornell's 1947 production of William Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra." Other cast members in minor roles included Charlton Heston, Maureen Stapleton and Joseph Wiseman. Among the other Broadway plays he has appeared in are "Mr. Roberts," "The Rose Tattoo," "Camino Real," "The Teahouse of the August Moon," "Rhinoceros" and "Luv.". (imdb.com)

Graduated from The University of Texas at Austin - BA '36. (imdb.com)

Appeared with Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in their final completed films: The Hunter (1980) and The Misfits (1961) (for both Monroe and Gable) respectively. (imdb.com)

Was trained at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. (imdb.com)

Sergeant US Army Medical Corps as an admin clerk during WWII