Thursday, October 22, 2009

In Memoriam: Joseph Wiseman - Dr. No said "yes" to Televison

I just learned a few minutes ago that the esteemed character actor, Joseph Wiseman, had passed away on Monday October 19th. Although best-known for his role in the first James Bond film as the titular villain, Dr. No, Wiseman's television appearances comprise the major portion of his career. His television credits include the live drama anthology series of the Golden Age, Kraft Television Theatre and Armstrong Circle Theater; popular favorites of the 60's and 70's, The Untouchables, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, McCloud, The FBI, The Streets of San Francisco; and megahits of the 80's and 90's, The A-Team, Magnum, PI, MacGyver, L.A. Law and Law and Order. He was also the guest star on TV series featured on this blog, Letter to Loretta, T.H.E. Cat, Coronet Blue and Night Gallery. In addition to Dr. No, he created memorable characters in Detective Story (1951), Viva Zapata (1952) and The Unforgiven (1960).

Wiseman also had an impressive Broadway career, originating roles in such dramas as Detective Story, Incident at Vichy, and In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, portraying the controversial member of the scientific team responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb.

Joseph Wiseman's career spanned five decades with appearances in films, television and stage, with an admirable list of credits as guest star in some of the most popular TV series of the last 50 years. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving villain of the Sean Connery era of James Bond films.

3 comments:

  1. Is he related to the actor who played George McFly in Back to the Future 2?

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  2. Without the uber-villian Dr. No, there might have been no James Bond film series, so I salute Mr. Wiseman. Saz, I had forgotten (!) he was in DETECTIVE STORY, one of my favorite Kirk Douglas movies.

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  3. Saz, Thank you for posting this wonderful tribute to such a wonderful actor. He was in several of my favorite shows/movies.

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