Lee Wallace (actor)


Lee Wallace was an American actor of film, stage, and television.

Early life

Wallace was born as Leo Melis in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Celia and Eddie Melis.

Career

His movie roles include more than a dozen productions big and small, including Klute, The Hot Rock, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three as the Mayor of New York City, The Happy Hooker, Diary of the Dead, Thieves, Private Benjamin as Mr. Waxman, World War III, Daniel, [Batman (1989 film)|Batman (1989 film)|Batman] as Gotham City's Mayor Borg, and Used People. John Simon in his review of Batman called Wallace "a perfect Ed Koch lookalike".
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

As of 2016, Wallace lived in New York City with his wife Marilyn Chris until his death on December 20, 2020.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRole
1971KluteNate Goldfarb
1972The Hot RockDr. Strauss
1974The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeAl – the Mayor of New York City
1975The Happy HookerHenry Knowlton
1976Diary of the DeadLt. Gart
1977ThievesHarry
1980Private BenjaminMr. Waxman
1983DanielThe Mayor
1985War and LoveOskar Kohn
1989BatmanMayor Borg
1992Used PeopleUncle Harry

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977KojakHobart1 episode
1977Lou GrantMr. KelsoEpisode: "Nazi"
1978The Eddie Capra MysteriesEpisode: "And the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead"
1980The AssociatesGerald McMartinEpisode: "The Censors"
1980This Year's BlondeSamuel GoldwynTV movie
1982World War IIDr. Jules FarberTV miniseries
1986The EqualizerWhitneyEpisode: "Unpunished Crimes"
1987Kojak: The Price of JusticeChief of OperationsTV movie
1992Law & OrderJudge Thomas SimonEpisode: "Intolerance"