His professional debut, however, came in 1942, when at the age of 27, he turned up at a Manciattan nightclub called Cafe Society Downtown and did impressions, such as the following. Why must it always be dull as shit? The case was settled for an undisclosed sum. The family's income in those days came from a winery and a slaughterhouse. After the success of “Fiddler,” Mr. Mostel was ranked by many critics with such greats as Bert Lahr, Groucho Marx and two of his own idols—Charlie Chaplin and W. C. Fields. Reflecting on that rising popularity, Roger Ebert, longtime critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote in 2000, "This is one of the funniest movies ever made", adding that Mostel's performance "is a masterpiece of low comedy. [4], Mostel was born in Brooklyn, to Israel Mostel, who was of Eastern European Jewish origin, and Cina "Celia" Druchs, a Polish Jew who was raised in Vienna. Zero Mostel (1915–1977) Zero Mostel. The Birth of Shylock & the Death of Zero Mostel. Because of Mostel's respect for the works of Sholem Aleichem he insisted that more of the author's mood and style be incorporated into the musical, and he made major contributions to its shape. “He's one of those characters who's bottomless. The tumultuous events surrounding the release of Shylock in 1977 reveals the workings of the New York Theater world, which torpedoed the promising play after its star, Zero Mostel, died soon after the premier. Zero Mostel : biography February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977 Death In the last four months of his life, Mostel took on a nutritionally unsound diet (later described by his friends as a starvation diet) that reduced his weight from 304 to 215 pounds. Zero Mostel. Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He electrified audience in 1961 with his role in Eugene Ionesco's drama “Rhinoceros,” in which he created the illusion of changing himself from a man into a rhinoceros with such realism that theatergoers gasped. He appeared in a series of plays, musicals, operas, and movies. [10], Thus, at the age of 27, Mostel dropped every other job and occupation to start his show business career. The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Sophie's Choice (1982), City Slickers (1991), Billy Madison (1995), and Big Daddy (1999). DEATH DATE Sep 8, 1977 (age 62) Birth Sign Pisces. [19], On January 29, 1952, Martin Berkeley identified Mostel to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as having been a member of the Communist Party. In accordance with his final requests, his family did not stage any funeral or other memorial service to mark his death. He often dominated the stage whether or not his role called for it. Letting the part lay in him had a special significance in his last movie role, in Woody Allen's “The Front,” which came out last year. People born on … The farm failed, and the family moved back to New York, where his father obtained work as a wine chemist. In 1944 Zero Mostel married Kathryn Harkinwhich met with the disapproval of his parents who were both Orthodox Jews. The next year, the family—he had five brothers and two sisters—moved to a farm in Moodus, Conn., where they “tilled the soil” for almost 10 years. Zero Mostel, the actor who became legend on Broadway with his poignant portrayal of the woebegone dairyman Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” died of … Most notably, Newsweek's Jack Kroll compared him to Laurence Olivier, writing, "Something unbelievable happened. Samuel, later known as Zero, was Israel 's seventh child stipend teach... 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