Hollywood tough guy Gazzara dies aged 81

Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 00:00

ACTOR Ben Gazzara, known for his brooding tough-guy presence in dozens of films, television shows and stage productions over his long career, has died of pancreatic cancer in New York, his lawyer said. He was 81.

The New York-born performer died at Bellevue Hospital Center, with members of his family at his side, according to his attorney, Jay Julien.

Born Biagio Anthony Gazzara to Italian immigrant parents, he began his career in live theatre, most notably in the role of Brick in the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Elia Kazan. The role was played by Paul Newman in the 1958 film version.

A three-time Tony Award nominee for his stage work, Gazzara made his film debut as a sociopathic military academy cadet in the 1957 drama The Strange One, followed by his breakout role as an accused killer in Otto Preminger’s 1959 hit courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder.

The actor, best known for playing emotionally complex men and villains, went on to work with numerous high-profile Hollywood directors, including John Cassavetes, with whom he collaborated on several films, including the 1976 gangster drama The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.

His credits also included a role as porn-film producer Jackie Treehorn in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 cult comedy classic The Big Lebowski and a supporting role in the 1999 remake of the art-heist drama The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

On television, Gazzara starred from 1965 to 1968 on the American prime-time drama Run for Your Life.

He played wealthy, successful lawyer Paul Bryan, who quits his practice after learning he has a terminal illness and embarks on a globe-trotting quest for adventure before he dies.

The role earned him two Emmy nominations as best actor in a lead dramatic role. He picked up a third Emmy nomination for his 1985 role in the made-for-TV movie An Early Frost, and won an Emmy for his supporting work in the 2002 HBO television film Hysterical Blindness.

He earned Tony nominations for his appearances in three Broadway productions of the 1970s, a revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and his dual roles in a double bill of the plays Hughie and Duet.

Gazzara was married three times, with his first two marriages ending in divorce. He is survived by his third wife, Elke, and daughter Elizabeth.