Martin Balsam(1919-1996)
- Actor
Martin Henry Balsam was born on November 4, 1919 in the Bronx, New York
City, to Lillian (Weinstein) and Albert Balsam, a manufacturer of
women's sportswear. He was the first-born child. His father was a
Russian Jewish immigrant, and his mother was born in New York, to
Russian Jewish parents. Martin caught the acting bug in high school
where he participated in the drama club. After high school, he
continued his interest in acting by attending Manhattan's progressive
New School. When World War II broke out, Martin was called to service
in his early twenties. After the war, he was lucky to secure a position
as an usher at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. By 1947, he was
honing his craft at the Actors Studio, run at that time by Elia Kazan
and Lee Strasberg. His time at the Actors Studio in New York City
allowed him training in the famous Stanislavsky method. Despite his
excellent training, he had to prove himself, just like any up and
coming young actor. He began on Broadway in the late 1940s. But, it was
not until 1951 that he experienced real success. That play was
Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo". After his Broadway success, he
had a few minor television roles before his big break arrived when he
joined the cast of
On the Waterfront (1954). In
the 1950s, Martin had many television roles. He had recurring roles on
some of the most popular television series of that time, including
The United States Steel Hour (1953),
The Philco Television Playhouse (1948),
Goodyear Playhouse (1951)
and Studio One (1948). In 1957, he
was able to prove himself on the big-screen once again, with a
prominent role in
12 Angry Men (1957), directed by
Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda. All of Martin's television work
in the 1950s did not go to waste. While starring on an episode of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955),
Hitchcock was so impressed by his work, that he offered him a key
supporting role of Detective Milton Arbogast in
Psycho (1960). His work with Hitchcock
opened him up to a world of other acting opportunities. Many strong
movie roles came his way in the 1960s, including parts in
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961),
Cape Fear (1962) and
The Carpetbaggers (1964). One
of the proudest moments in his life was when he received an Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actor for
A Thousand Clowns (1965). It
was soon after that he began accepting roles in European movies. He
soon developed a love for Italy, and lived there most of his remaining
years. He acted in over a dozen Italian movies and spent his later life
traveling between Hollywood and Europe for his many roles. After a
career that spanned more than fifty years, Martin Balsam died of
natural causes in his beloved Italy at age 76. He passed away of a
stroke at a hotel in Rome called Residenza di Repetta. He was
survived by his third wife Irene Miller and three children, Adam, Zoe
and Talia.
