Joseph Wiseman


Joseph Wiseman was a Canadian-American theatre, film and television actor. He starred as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, in 1962. He was also known for his role as crime boss Manny Weisbord on the television series Crime Story and his lengthy career on Broadway, where he was once called "the spookiest actor in the American theatre".

Early life

Wiseman was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Jewish parents Louis and Pearl Wiseman and was raised in New York City, United States. At age 16, he began performing in summer stock and became professional, which displeased his parents.
He was an alumnus of John Adams High School, Queens, New York, and graduated June 1935, as was his Dr. No co-star, Jack Lord.

Career

Wiseman made his Broadway debut in 1938, playing a small part in Robert E. Sherwood's Abe Lincoln in Illinois. Among the many productions he appeared in live theatre were the title role in In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer on Broadway in 1968, and the role of Father Massieu in the original Broadway production of Joan of Lorraine, the Maxwell Anderson play which eventually became the film Joan of Arc.
Wiseman appeared in several films in the 1950s. He made his first major film appearance in 1951's Detective Story, where he recreated his performance from Broadway as an unstable small-time hood. Soon after, he played Marlon Brando's archenemy in Viva Zapata!. Wiseman's role as the titular Dr. No in the first James Bond film by Eon Productions was a decision of producer Harry Saltzman, who cast Wiseman in the role in December 1961. It was Wiseman's performance in Detective Story that gained him the part.
In 1967, he was cast as Billy Minsky's father in The Night They Raided Minsky's; later he appeared opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in The Betsy. Wiseman had roles in a wide variety of other films: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Seize the Day, Bye Bye Braverman. In addition to being a regular on the series Crime Story, he had guest-starring and cameo roles in TV series including The Westerner; The Streets of San Francisco; The Untouchables; The Twilight Zone ; Magnum, P.I.; Buck Rogers in the 25th Century; and Night Gallery. His last film was released in 1988, though he appeared in TV shows such as MacGyver, L.A. Law, and Law & Order after that time. Wiseman's last appearance on television was the supporting role of Seymour Bergreen on a 1996 episode of Law & Order titled "Family Business". His last Broadway appearance was in Judgment at Nuremberg in 2001.
Following the death of Charles Gray in 2000, Wiseman was the last surviving main villain of the James Bond films that Sean Connery made for United Artists.

Personal life and death

Wiseman married Nell Kinard on August 25, 1943, in New York, but they eventually divorced May 15, 1964, in Durham, NC. He was married to dancer, teacher and choreographer Pearl Lang from 1964 until her death in February 2009. He had a daughter with Kinard, Martha Graham Wiseman.
Despite his many on-screen performances as the "heavy", Wiseman was a Jewish scholar who travelled extensively, giving readings from Yiddish and Jewish literature. He died on October 19, 2009, at his home in Manhattan, at the age of 91, having been in declining health for some time.

Filmography

Film

  • With These Hands as Mike Deleo
  • Detective Story as Charley Gennini
  • Viva Zapata! as Fernando Aguirre
  • Les Misérables as Genflou
  • Champ for a Day as Dominic Guido
  • The Silver Chalice as Mijamin
  • The Prodigal as Carmish
  • Three Brave Men as Jim Barron
  • The Garment Jungle as George Kovan
  • The Unforgiven as Abe Kelsey
  • The Happy Thieves as Jean Marie Calbert
  • Dr. No as Dr. Julius No
  • Bye Bye Braverman as Felix Ottensteen
  • The Counterfeit Killer as Rajeski
  • The Night They Raided Minsky's as Louis Minsky
  • Stiletto as Emilio Matteo
  • The Mask of Sheba as Bondelok
  • Lawman as Lucas
  • The Valachi Papers as Salvatore Maranzano
  • Pursuit as Dr. Nordmann
  • The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz as Benjy Kravitz
  • Journey into Fear as Col. Haki
  • Murder at the World Series as Sam Druckman
  • The Betsy as Jake Weinstein
  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Draco
  • Jaguar Lives! as Ben Ashir
  • Masada as Jerahmeel
  • Seize the Day as Dr. Adler

    Television

  • The Untouchables: Episode: "The Antidote" as Russell Shield
  • The Untouchables: Episode: "The Tommy Karpeles Story" as Albert Maris
  • The Twilight Zone: Episode: "One More Pallbearer" as Paul Radin
  • Wagon Train: Episode: "The Santiago Quesada Story" as Jim Case
  • Pursuit as Dr. Peter Nordmann
  • Men of the Dragon as Balashev
  • QB VII as Morris Cady
  • Zalmen or the Madness of God as Rabbi
  • Greatest American Hero: Episode: "Don't Mess Around with Jim" as James J. Beck
  • Magnum, P.I.: Episode: "Birdman of Budapest" as Dr. Albert Tessa
  • A-Team: Episode: "The Bells of St. Mary's" as Zeke Westerland
  • The Equalizer: Episode: "The Confirmation Day" as Eddie Vanessi
  • Crime Story as Manny Weisbord
  • MacGyver: Episode: "The Battle of Tommy Giordano" as Joe Catano
  • L.A. Law: Episode: "Finish Line" as Isidore Schoen
  • Law & Order: Episode: "Family Business" as Seymour Bergreen