Martin Balsam

Martin Balsam
in Ada (1961)
Born	Martin Henry Balsam November 4, 1919(1919-11-04) Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
Died	February 13, 1996(1996-02-13) (aged 76) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–1995
Spouse	Pearl Somner (1952–1954) Joyce Van Patten (1959–1962) Irene Miller (1963–1987)
Children	1 (Talia Balsam, b. 1959)

Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.

Early life

Martin Balsam was born in Bronx, New York to Jewish parents Lillian (née Weinstein) and Albert Balsam, who was a manufacturer of ladies sportswear.^[1][2] He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, where he participated in the drama club.^[3] He studied at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York with the influential German director Erwin Piscator and then served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Career

Martin Balsam made his professional debut in August 1941 in a production of The Play's the Thing in Locust Valley.^[4] In 1947, he was selected by Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg to be a player in the Actors Studio television program. He appeared in many other television drama series, including The Twilight Zone (episodes "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine" and "The New Exhibit"), as a psychologist in the pilot episode, Five Fingers, Target: The Corruptors!, The Eleventh Hour, Breaking Point, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Fugitive, and Mr. Broadway, as a retired U.N.C.L.E. agent in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode, "The Odd Man Affair", and guest starred in the two-part Murder, She Wrote episode, "Death Stalks the Big Top".

Balsam appeared in such films as On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men (as Juror #1), Time Limit, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Carpetbaggers, Seven Days in May, The Anderson Tapes, Hombre, Catch-22, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Little Big Man, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, All the President's Men, The Delta Force, and The Goodbye People.

Along with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, Martin Balsam appeared in both the original Cape Fear (1962), and the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake.

In 1965, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Arnold Burns in A Thousand Clowns. In 1967, he won a Tony Award for his appearance in the 1967 Broadway production of You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running.

Balsam played Washington Post editor Howard Simons in the 1976 blockbuster All the President's Men.^[5] He also appeared in a film that eventually became a highly popular Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, the 1975 Joe Don Baker police drama Mitchell. In 1973, he played Dr. Rudy Wells when the Martin Caidin novel Cyborg was adapted as the TV-movie, The Six Million Dollar Man, though he did not reprise the role for the subsequent weekly series. He appeared as a spokesman/hostage in the 1976 TV movie Raid on Entebbe and as a detective in the 1977 TV movie Contract on Cherry Street. He also appeared on an episode of Quincy ME. Balsam starred as Murray Klein on the All in the Family spin-off Archie Bunker's Place for two seasons (1979–1981). He even filled in for Charles Nelson Reilly on Match Game for one question when Reilly was late for a taping.

Personal life

In 1952, Balsam married his first wife, actress Pearl Somner. They divorced two years later. His second wife was actress Joyce Van Patten. This marriage lasted for three years (from 1959 until 1962), and produced one daughter, Talia Balsam. He married his third wife, Irene Miller, in 1963. They divorced in 1987.

Death

Balsam died in Rome, Italy, of a heart attack at the age of 76. He is interred at Cedar Park Cemetery, in Emerson, New Jersey.^[6] He was survived by Renee Landau, his companion.^[7]

Awards

National Board of Review -

• (1964) Best Supporting Actor - The Carpetbaggers

Academy Awards -

• (1966) Best Actor in a Supporting Role - A Thousand Clowns

Golden Globe Awards -

• (1974) Best Supporting Actor - Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (Nominated)

BAFTA Awards -

• (1976) Best Supporting Actor - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Nominated)
• (1977) Best Supporting Actor - All the President's Men (Nominated)

Primetime Emmy Awards -

• (1977) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Raid on Entebbe (Nominated)

References

1. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (February 14, 1996). "Martin Balsam Is Dead at 76; Ubiquitous Character Actor". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E2D81139F937A25751C0A960958260. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
2. ^ Great Character Actors
3. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Martin Balsam Is Dead at 76; Ubiquitous Character Actor", The New York Times, February 14, 1996. Accessed September 14, 2009. "He grew up on Mosholu Parkway and became involved in theater and music at DeWitt Clinton High School."
4. ^ Ian Herbert, ed (1981). "BALSAM, Martin". Who's Who in the Theatre. 1. Gale Research Company. pp. 39–40. ISSN 0083-9833. 
5. ^ All the President's Men (1976)
6. ^ "Sometimes the Grave Is a Fine and Public Place". New York Times. March 28, 2004. 
7. ^ New York Times

External links

• Martin Balsam at the Internet Movie Database
• Martin Balsam at the Internet Broadway Database
• Martin Balsam at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Martin Balsam at AllRovi
• Martin Balsam at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Balsam, Martin
Alternative names	Balsam, Martin Henry
Short description	Film actor
Date of birth	November 4, 1919
Place of birth	The Bronx, New York City
Date of death	February 13, 1996
Place of death	Rome, Italy