Eli Wallach in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
News: Eli Wallach Dies at Age 98
By Daniel Rester
Eli Wallach, one of the character actors for the ages, passed away today at the age of 98. Possibly best known for having portrayed Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), alongside Clint Eastwood’s Blondie, Wallach was a respected actor who had a career that spanned seven decades.
Wallach began his climb on Broadway, having won a Tony Award for playing Mangiacavallo in the play The Rose Tattoo (1951). He then went on to be in over two dozen Broadway shows over the years, several of them opposite Anne Jackson – his wife.
Off of the stage, Wallach had over 150 film and television credits to his name. This included Baby Doll (1956), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. And though he was never nominated for an Academy Award, Wallach picked up an Honorary Award in 2011 for his work. A number of other awards went his way over the years.
Known for playing everything from a Mexican bandit in The Magnificent Seven (1960) to Mr. Freeze in the 1960s Batman TV show, Wallach had a terrific amount of range in picking out characters. He also got to work with some of the best directors around, from Sergio Leone to Francis Ford Coppola to Roman Polanski to Oliver Stone. His work inspired many for years and it will undoubtedly continue to do so.
Eli Herschel Wallach was born on December 7th, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. He passed away today in New York City, New York. He will be missed by many around the world.
