Never to be Forgotten:Eli Wallach 1915-2014

Eli Wallach, a talented actor whose career in film spanned from 1951 to 2010, has died at the age of 98. His best known roles are in the non-genre films Baby Doll, The Misfits, The Magnificent Seven and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, but he is remembered here because he was one of three actors to play Mr. Freeze on the 1960s TV version of Batman. The other two were George Sanders and Otto Preminger. I barely remembered he played the role; of the three, the one I remember is Preminger, not for being the best actor but for being the biggest ham.

As it was with Ruby Dee, I blush to add Wallach's name to a sci-fi blog list, since it's just one role in 167 film credits. If stretched to include horror, he was also in Tales of the Unexpected and The Sentinel, but even with that, it's just a drop in the bucket when looking at his career. For a boomer like me, seeing Wallach even in a bad film (like say, Godfather III) was a pleasure, not just for his work but for his connection to the past. He was a grown-ass man when I was a little kid and to see him when he was older still brought back memories of the foul-mouthed Tuco or the villainous Calvera. As much as I appreciate the work of Sergio Leone for his use of the camera, of music and of silence, the most memorable Spaghetti western is The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, and Eli Wallach's role is the extra ingredient that puts it over the top. Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef were are cool as cool could be, but Wallach's bluster made their performances stand out even more.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Eli Wallach, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.