Eli Wallach, noted actor, dead at 97

Eli Wallach, a noted actor whose work on Broadway catapulted him into a longtime film career, died today at the age of 97, according to news reports that quoted his daughter.

Wallach made his career playing heavies, usually portraying secondary characters, oftentimes villains. He made his debut on Broadway in 1945 and won a Tony Award six years later when he played opposite Maureen Stapleton in Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo.”

Wallach’s screen debut was the controversial “Baby Doll” from director Elia Kazan. His biggest early breaks came in movies like “The Magnificent Seven,” which had an all-star cast, and “The Misfits” in which he was featured with Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Cliff.

His work as Tuco (“the Ugly) opposite Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti western “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” has been considered a film classic. Yet his work was also ntoed in earlier classics like “From Here to Eternity” and even more recent work such as “Mystic River,” “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” and “The Godfather, Part III.”

Wallach was born in Brooklyn in 1915 to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland. His was the only Jewish family in a mostly Italian neighborhood. Following his graduation from the University of Texas at Austin in 1936, he became interested in acting. He received a master’s degree in acting from City College of New York and later was associated with method acting. He was a student of the Actor’s Studio at the same time as Marlon Brando and started his career on Broadway after serving in the U. S. Army during World War II.

Wallach received many awards throughout his career including a BAFTA (British “Oscar”) Award and an honorary Academy Award.

Wallach is survived by his longtime wife, longtime actress Anne Jackson, two daughters and a son.