Eli Herschel Wallach was born on December 7, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. He was a Jewish kid from parents who migrated to New York from Poland living in an Italian neighborhood. After graduation from the University of Texas he attended the Actors Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. He debuted on Broadway in 1945 and won a Tony Award in 1951 for his portrayal of Alvaro Mangiaco in Tennessee Williams play “The Rose Tattoo”. He made his screen debut in 1956 in a film adaption of his play “Baby Doll” with Carroll Baker. He made himself a star with appearances in “The Magnificent 7" (1960), “The Misfits” (1961), “How the West was Won” (1962) and “Lord Jim” (1965). Segio Leone cast him as Tuco in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” in 1966 for which he stole the film and should have won an Academy Award for his performance. Eli would appear in three more Euro-westerns: “Long Live Your Death” (1967), “Ace High” (1968) and “The White, the Yellow and the Black” (1975). Wallach has continued acting in such films as “Tough Guys” (1986), “The Two Jakes”, “The God Father Part III” (1990), “Mystic River” (2003) and recently completed an appearance in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (2010). He was recently awarded an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement presented to him by Clint Eastwood. Wallach has been married to actress Anne Jackson [1926- ] since 1948 and has three children all in the film industry Peter Wallach [1951- ], Robert Wallach [1955- ], Katherine Wallach [1958- ]. Today we celebrate Eli Wallach’s 95th birthday.
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