Lee Wallace (actor)
Lee Wallace | |
---|---|
![]() Wallace in Alice (1977) | |
Born | Leo Melis July 15, 1930 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
Died | December 20, 2020 New York City, U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1966–2005 |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Lee Wallace (born Leo Melis; July 15, 1930 – December 20, 2020)[1][2] was an American actor of film, stage, and television.
Early life
[edit]Wallace was born as Leo Melis in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Celia (née Gross) and Eddie Melis.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]His movie roles include more than a dozen productions big and small, including Klute (1971), The Hot Rock (1972), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) as the Mayor of New York City, The Happy Hooker (1975), Diary of the Dead (1976), Thieves (1977), Private Benjamin (1980) as Mr. Waxman, World War III (1982), Daniel (1983), Batman (1989) as Gotham City's Mayor Borg, and Used People (1992). John Simon in his review of Batman called Wallace "a perfect Ed Koch lookalike".[3]
On Broadway, he appeared in A Teaspoon Every Four Hours, Unlikely Heroes, The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, Molly, Zalmen or The Madness of God, Some of My Best Friends, Grind and The Cemetery Club.
Personal life
[edit]As of 2016, Wallace lived in New York City with his wife Marilyn Chris[4] until his death on December 20, 2020. The couple have one child, Paul Wallace.
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1971 | Klute | Nate Goldfarb (uncredited) |
1972 | The Hot Rock | Dr. Strauss |
1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Al – the Mayor of New York City |
1975 | The Happy Hooker | Henry Knowlton |
1976 | Diary of the Dead | Lt. Gart |
1977 | Thieves | Harry |
1980 | Private Benjamin | Mr. Waxman |
1983 | Daniel | The Mayor |
1985 | War and Love | Oskar Kohn |
1989 | Batman | Mayor Borg |
1992 | Used People | Uncle Harry |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Kojak | Hobart | 1 episode |
Lou Grant | Mr. Kelso | Episode: "Nazi" | |
1978 | The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Episode: "And the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead" | |
1980 | The Associates | Gerald McMartin | Episode: "The Censors" |
This Year's Blonde | Samuel Goldwyn | TV movie | |
1982 | World War II | Dr. Jules Farber | TV miniseries |
1986 | The Equalizer | Whitney | Episode: "Unpunished Crimes" |
1987 | Kojak: The Price of Justice | Chief of Operations | TV movie |
1992 | Law & Order | Judge Thomas Simon | Episode: "Intolerance" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Lee Wallace". Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Lee Wallace, Actor in 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' and 'Batman,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. December 25, 2020.
- ^ Simon, John (2005). John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982–2001. Applause Books. p. 224.
- ^ "Fall in love with these Queens power couples". QNS. February 10, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Lee Wallace at IMDb
- Lee Wallace at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lee Wallace at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- 1930 births
- 2020 deaths
- American male film actors
- American male musical theatre actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Male actors from Brooklyn
- Burials at Kensico Cemetery
- American screen actor, 1930s birth stubs
- American theatre actor, 20th-century birth stubs