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IMDbPro

Sam Jaffe(1891-1984)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Sam Jaffe in The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970)
An artist fails a test and is required to direct traffic in New York City's Holland Tunnel. He winds up falling in love with a beautiful woman, after he takes a trip to the moon on a Lunar Cruiser.
Play trailer1:49
Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
12 Videos
70 Photos
Originally named Shalom Jaffe, he became known to the world as Sam Jaffe. He was born in New York City, to Heida (Ada) and Barnett Jaffe, who were Russian Jewish immigrants. As a child, he appeared in Yiddish theatre productions with his mother, a prominent regional stage actress. He graduated from the City College of New York and then studied engineering at Columbia University graduate school. He began his career as a mathematics teacher in the Bronx. Around 1915 Jaffe joined the Washington Square Players. By 1918 he was no stranger to Broadway, having debuted in the original play Youth, and he appeared regularly through the 1920s, though less in the 1930s and only sporadically in the 1940s. He appeared in 21 plays on Broadway during his acting career, his final appearance in 1979.

Jaffe was a method actor before it was defined and early on sported his signature shock of curly hair that some people would later misinterpret as part of some Harpo Marx characterization. Jaffe was anything but. His acting talents were considerable, and Hollywood noticed him first for the unusual role of the mad Grand Duke Peter in Josef von Sternberg 's The Scarlet Empress (1934). Frightening in his rendition of Peter, he was dispatched by the always magnificent Marlene Dietrich.

Jaffe was no matinee idol but his homely features were made for unusual character roles. He did not disappoint in providing unforgettable performances. Frank Capra cast him as the mysterious High Lama in Lost Horizon (1937) (as last minute replacement; the actor originally cast had died). It would be another two years before Jaffe was once more called to Hollywood - he was back quite busy on Broadway. He appeared in George Stevens Gunga Din (1939) which sported big star names as well. Stevens gave Jaffe the lead, Gunga Din, native regimental bhisti (Hindi for water-carrier). It was probably Jaffe's most familiar film role. It was a standout part which Jaffe handled with great humanity, and the film was a huge hit.

Jaffe would not appear in another film for eight years. His second of two movies in 1947 was Elia Kazan 's powerful expose of anti-Semitism Gentleman's Agreement (1947) in which Jaffe played an Albert Einstein-like professor. Jaffe would play doctors of one sort or another in the handful of movies for the next few years. Then in 1950 he played a very different doctor - Doc Erwin Riedenschneider, criminal mastermind -- in John Huston's taut The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Jaffe would receive a nomination for a supporting actor Oscar for this effort. Of the three films he did in 1951, Jaffe also appeared in an another Einstein-like role in the Robert Wise sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Jaffe experienced the destructive anti-communist furor when his name was included on a listing of performers sympathetic to communism in the Red Channels pamphlet and like many, was blacklisted by the big Hollywood studios. He was considered essential by producer Julian Blaustein and Robert Wise to play Professor Jacob Barnhardt, and 20th Century Fox boss Darryl Zanuck (who had resisted much heat for Gentleman's Agreement (1947)) agreed. It was ironic that Einstein, veiled as the character Barnhardt, was a pacifist and being watched by the U.S. government at that time. There was some credence for rumors that Jaffe provided the calculus equations (mainly the gravitational force between bodies) on Barnhardt's blackboard - solved so easily by alien Michael Rennie.

Jaffe didn't appear on-screen for seven years due to the punitive effects of the blacklisting. In 1958, John Huston wanted him for his very original The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) with John Wayne, and director William Wyler also came forward later to cast him as faithful servant Simonides in the blockbuster Ben-Hur (1959). From then on Jaffe was very busy, especially with episodic TV through the 1960s which included his own recurring role as Dr. Zorba in the very popular Ben Casey (1961) series. Jaffe also appeared with his lifelong best friend, screen icon Edward G. Robinson in the made-for-TV film The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970) . Jaffe remained active into the year of his passing, a thoroughly engaging and unique actor and human being who never pushed his views on anyone.
BornMarch 10, 1891
DiedMarch 24, 1984(93)
BornMarch 10, 1891
DiedMarch 24, 1984(93)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 1 win & 2 nominations total

Photos70

Sam Jaffe in Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Sam Jaffe in Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Eduardo Ciannelli, Sam Jaffe, and Victor McLaglen in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant, Sam Jaffe, and Victor McLaglen in Gunga Din (1939)
Sam Jaffe and Victor McLaglen in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant and Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant and Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant and Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Cary Grant and Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din (1939)
Sam Jaffe and Victor McLaglen in Gunga Din (1939)

Known for

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
The Asphalt Jungle
7.8
  • Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
  • 1950
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still
7.8
  • Professor Jacob Barnhardt
  • 1951
Angela Lansbury, Dal McKennon, Cindy O'Callaghan, Roy Snart, Ian Weighill, and Lennie Weinrib in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
7.0
  • Bookman
  • 1971
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur
8.1
  • Simonides
  • 1959

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Victoria Abril, David Carradine, and Jeff Delger in On the Line (1984)
    On the Line
    • El Gabacho
    • 1984
  • Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
    Nothing Lasts Forever
    • Father Knickerbocker
    • 1984
  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    • Professor Roscoe Weber
    • TV Series
    • 1983
  • Barry Bostwick and Deborah Raffin in Foul Play (1981)
    Foul Play
    • Barbary Bob Norwood
    • TV Series
    • 1981
  • Sybil Danning, George Peppard, Richard Thomas, Lara Cody, Darlanne Fluegel, Lawrence Steven Meyers, and Morgan Woodward in Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
    Battle Beyond the Stars
    • Dr. Hephaestus
    • 1980
  • Gideon's Trumpet (1980)
    Gideon's Trumpet
    • 1st Supreme Court Justice
    • TV Movie
    • 1980
  • Gil Gerard and Erin Gray in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
    • The Keeper
    • TV Series
    • 1980
  • Pat Klous, Connie Sellecca, and Kathryn Witt in Flying High (1978)
    Flying High
    • Dr. Alsdorf
    • TV Series
    • 1978
  • Kojak (1973)
    Kojak
    • Papa
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • The Bionic Woman (1976)
    The Bionic Woman
    • Admiral Richter
    • TV Series
    • 1976
  • The Sad and Lonely Sundays
    • Dr. Sweeny
    • TV Movie
    • 1976
  • Medical Story (1975)
    Medical Story
    • Dr. Gershowitz
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • David Janssen in Harry O (1973)
    Harry O
    • Dr. Howard Cambridge
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • Peter Falk in Columbo (1971)
    Columbo
    • Dr. Henry Willis
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • S.W.A.T. (1975)
    S.W.A.T.
    • Dr. Brunner
    • TV Series
    • 1975

Videos12

Battle Beyond the Stars
Clip 1:18
Battle Beyond the Stars
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Clip 1:10
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Clip 1:58
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:18
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:10
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:49
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:32
Trailer
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Trailer
Trailer 1:08
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Trailer
Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition [Blu-Ray]
Trailer 1:53
Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition [Blu-Ray]
Ben-Hur
Trailer 4:03
Ben-Hur
13 Rue Madeleine
Trailer 1:56
13 Rue Madeleine
Gunga Din
Trailer 2:12
Gunga Din

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 6½″ (1.69 m)
  • Born
    • March 10, 1891
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • March 24, 1984
    • Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(cancer)
  • Spouses
      Bettye AckermanJune 7, 1956 - March 24, 1984 (his death)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (credited as Samuel Jaffe; Broadway debut) in "Youth" on Broadway. Written by Miles Malleson. Comedy Theatre: 20 Feb 1918-9 Mar 1918 (unknown performances). Cast: Edward Balzerit, Edward F. Flammer, Arthur Hohl, John King, Saxon Kling, Robert Strange, Jay Strong, James Terbell, Marjorie Vonnegut, Helen Westley. Produced by The Washington Square Players.
  • Publicity listings
    • 7 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist during the HUAC hearings. Although he had already been signed, 20th Century-Fox wanted to remove him from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Producer Julian Blaustein felt that Jaffe was so crucial for the role of the Albert Einstein-like Prof. Barnhardt that he appealed to studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck approved Jaffe for the role, but it was his last Hollywood film until the late 1950s.
  • Trademarks
      His unruly hair

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