Jack Kruschen

Jacob Joseph "Jack" Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian-American actor, known for his many character roles. He was nominated the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Dreyfuss in the 1960 comedy-drama The Apartment.

Early life Kruschen was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1922, the son of a watchmaker. His parents were of Russian Jewish descent, though by the time of Kruschen's birth both had converted to Christianity, and Kruschen himself was raised a Baptist.

Kruschen and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager, where he attended Hollywood High School. His acting in a school operetta brought him to the attention of CBS. During World War II, he served in the Army, assigned to the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). Following the war, he resumed working on network programs, and Pete Kelly's Blues (as club owner George Lupo), as well as frequent episodic roles on anthology series, westerns and crime dramas.

He also performed on Escape; Dragnet; Gunsmoke (usually as law-abiding locals); Full House; Crime Classics; Frontier Gentleman; Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar; Nightbeat and Suspense.

Film Front row, from left to right: Jack Kruschen, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Chill Wills in McLintock! Kruschen received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dr. Dreyfuss in Billy Wilder's The Apartment. That same year, the ever-profiled Kruschen also appeared in the films The Bellboy, Studs Lonigan, Seven Ways from Sundown, Where the Boys Are, and The Last Voyage, as Chief Engineer Pringle.

Kruschen's film debut came in Red, Hot, and Blue. His other films included George Pal's The War of the Worlds (as Salvatore, one of the first three victims, a role he reprised on the Lux Radio Theater adaptation); in Cecil B. DeMille's final film, The Buccaneer; as astronaut Sam Jacobs in the 1959 cult classic The Angry Red Planet; The Unsinkable Molly Brown (as saloon owner Christmas Morgan); Abbott and Costello Go to Mars; Lover Come Back; McLintock! (with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara); Follow That Dream (with Elvis Presley); Cape Fear, starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum; and Money to Burn with Eve McVeagh.

Stage Kruschen appeared as Maurice Pulvermacher in the original 1962 Broadway production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale. In 1969, he co-starred in the London staging of the musical drama Promises, Promises, reprising his film role in this show based on The Apartment.

Television Kruschen was performing on television as early as 1939, appearing in dramas on Don Lee's experimental television station in Los Angeles, where he was seen on some two hundred television sets with three-inch screens. Thereafter, Kruschen's television career included guest villain Eivol Ekdol, a villainous magicians' craftsman on Batman (episodes 9 and 10). He was seen in twelve episodes of NBC's Dragnet (portraying a pedophile ice cream vendor in one infamous episode) as well as the ABC/Disney series, Zorro. He also appeared in a color episode of Adventures of Superman. He had a recurring role across three seasons on Bonanza (Italian grapegrower Giorgio Rossi). He also played Clyde Bailey in "The Retired Gun" (episode 17) and Sammy in "One Went to Denver" (episode 25).

In 1969, Kruschen co-starred with Stefanie Powers in an unsold ABC sitcom pilot, Holly Golighty, adapted from Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. The husky, mustachioed Kruschen seemed to specialize in playing benevolent ethnic paternal figures. His roles included Sam Markowitz on Busting Loose, fireman Mike Woiski on Emergency!, Morris Sheinfeld on E/R, Tully on Hong Kong, and Jay Burrage on The Rifleman. He also appeared on Columbo (The Most Dangerous Match, 1973), Barney Miller, The Odd Couple, The Incredible Hulk, and, in later years, Murphy Brown and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

He appeared in the recurring role of "Grandpa Papadopolis" on Webster series (1985–87), and in the early 1990s, as another Greek grandfather and as Pam and Jesse's grandfather, Iorgos "Papouli" Katsopolis on Full House, appearing in only two episodes before his character is killed off in the episode, "The Last Dance". He also appeared as Kitty's grandfather, Fred Avery, on the CBC sitcom Material World from 1990 to 1993.

His final on-screen appearance was in the 1997 film 'Til There Was You as "Mr. Katz".

Personal life Kruschen was married three times. For many years, he was a parishioner at Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles. He had been in ill health for some time. Cause of death is given as a heart attack (myocardial infarction) following years of Type 2 diabetes. His death was not widely reported to the media until mid-late May.

Filmography

Film

Red, Hot and Blue (1949) as Steve Women from Headquarters (1950) as Sam Where Danger Lives (1950) as Cosey – Ambulance Driver (uncredited) No Way Out (1950) Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited) Gambling House (1950) as Burly Italian Immigrant (uncredited) Cuban Fireball (1951) as Lefty The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) as Muscleman (uncredited) Comin' Round the Mountain (1951) as Gangster in Night Club The People Against O'Hara (1951) as Detective (uncredited) Meet Danny Wilson (1951) as Drunken Heckler (uncredited) Confidence Girl (1952) as Detective Sergeant Quinn Just Across the Street (1952) Bit Part (uncredited) Shadow in the Sky (1952) as Intern (uncredited) The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952) as Sidonio (uncredited) Tropical Heat Wave (1952) as Stickey Langley The War of the Worlds (1953) as Salvatore Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) as Harry Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1953) as Jacques Amien (uncredited) Fast Company (1953) as Doc – Poker Player (uncredited) A Blueprint for Murder (1953) as Detective Lt. Harold Y. Cole The Long, Long Trailer (1953) as Mechanic (uncredited) Money from Home (1953) as Short Boy The Great Diamond Robbery (1954) as Cafe Counterman (uncredited) It Should Happen to You (1954) as Joe (uncredited) Tennessee Champ (1954) as Andrews Untamed Heiress (1954) as Louie Prince of Players (1955) as Rabble-Rouser (uncredited) Carolina Cannonball (1955) as Hogar Dial Red O (1955) as Lloyd Lavalle Soldier of Fortune (1955) as Austin Stoker The Night Holds Terror (1955) as Detective Pope The Benny Goodman Story (1956) as Murph Podolsky The Steel Jungle (1956) as Truckdriver Helper Outside the Law (1956) as Agent Phil Schwartz Julie (1956) as Det. Mace Badlands of Montana (1957) as Cavalry Sergeant Reform School Girls (1957) as Mr. Horvath Hear Me Good (1957) as Gaffer (uncredited) Cry Terror! (1958) as F.B.I. Agent Charles Pope Fräulein (1958) as Sgt. Grischa The Decks Ran Red (1958) as Alex Cole The Buccaneer (1958) as Hans The Man Who Understood Women (1959) as Mickey (uncredited) The Jayhawkers! (1959) as Cattleman (uncredited) Beloved Infidel (1959) as Darby Forsythe – Beach Bum (uncredited) The Angry Red Planet (1959) as CWO Sam Jacobs The Gazebo (1959) as Taxi Driver (uncredited) The Last Voyage (1960) as Chief Engineer Pringle The Apartment (1960) as Dr. Dreyfuss The Bellboy (1960) as Jack E. Mulcher, President of Paramount Pictures (uncredited) Studs Lonigan (1960) as Charlie the Greek Seven Ways from Sundown (1960) as Beeker Where the Boys Are (1960) as Max – Cafe Counterman (uncredited) The Ladies Man (1961) as Graduation Emcee Professor Lover Come Back (1961) as Doctor Linus Tyler Follow That Dream (1962) as Carmine Cape Fear (1962) as Attorney Dave Grafton Convicts 4 (1962) as Resko's Father McLintock! (1963) as Jake Birnbaum The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) as Christmas Morgan Dear Brigitte (1965) as Doctor Volker Harlow (1965) as Louis B. Mayer The Happening (1967) as Inspector Caprice (1967) as Matthew Cutter The Million Dollar Duck (1971) as Doctor Gottlieb Freebie and the Bean (1974) as Red Meyers Guardian of the Wilderness (1976) as Madden Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) as Billy Sunburn (1979) as Gela Under the Rainbow (1981) as Louie Legend of the Wild (1981) Money to Burn (1983) as Pops Penny Ante: The Motion Picture (1990) as Isadore (Izzy) Perlman 'Til There Was You (1997) as Mr. Katz

Television

Dragnet – 12 episodes (1951–1959) Terry and the Pirates – episode "Macao Gold" (1952) as Chopstick Joe Craig Kennedy, Criminologist – "The Big Shakedown" (1952) as Jack Brown Treasury Men in Action – "Case of the Swindler's Gold" (1955) as Miguel The Adventures of Jim Bowie – "The Birth of the Blade" (1956) as Louis, and "Jackson's Assassination" (1957) as Frost Gunsmoke – "Spring Term" (1956) as Jed Crusader – "A Deal in Diamonds" (1956) as Leon Adventures of Superman – "Tomb of Zaharan" (1957) as First Airport Robber Zorro – "The Man with the Whip" and "The Cross of the Andes" (1958) as Jose Mordante Trackdown – "The Kid" (1958) as Milo York The Rifleman – "One Went to Denver" (1959) as Sammy, "The Retired Gun" (1959) as Clyde Bailey, "Baranca" (1960) as Doc Burrage, "Trail of Hate" (1960) as Doc Burrage Bat Masterson – "The Inner Circle" (1959) as Patch Finley, "The Desert Ship" (1959) as Ben Tarko Wanted: Dead or Alive – "The Empty Cell" (1959) as Hunt Willis, "Railroaded" (1959) as Sheriff Pig Wells The Rough Riders – "Ransom of Rita Renee" (1959) as Tully The D.A.'s Man – "Guns for Hire" (1959) as Leo Muller Sugarfoot – "The Desperadoes" (1959) as Sam Bolt The Detectives – "Twelve Hours to Live" (1960) as Fred Hambrough, "Secret Assignment" (1961) as Jonesy The Westerner – "Going Home" (1960) as Rigdon Richard Diamond, Private Detective – "The Lovely Fraud" (1960) as Max Schilling Death Valley Days – "Eagle in the Rocks" (1960) as Manuel Garcia Black Saddle – "The Apprentice" (1960) as Ben Winkleman Rawhide – "Canliss" (1964) as Barkeep I Spy – "Lisa" (1966) as Aram Kanjarian The Red Skelton Show – "The Bum Who Came in from the Cold" (1966) as Dr. Shnorba The John Forsythe Show – "Engagement, Italian Style" (1966) as Constantino Batman – "Zelda the Great" (1966) and "A Death Worse Than Fate" (1966) as Eivol Ekdal Bonanza – "Big Shadow on the Land" (1966), "The Deed and the Dilemma" (1967) and "The Sound of Drums" (1968) as Giorgio Rossi I Spy – "The Medarra Block" (1967) as Isaac The Mike Douglas Show (1967) as Himself Istanbul Express (1968 TV movie) as Captain Granicekm Ironside – "The Macabre Mr. Micawber (1968) as McKay, "Memory of an Ice Cream Stick" (1968) as Busch Daniel Boone – "Sweet Molly Malone" (1969) as Herman Holly Golightly (1969 TV movie) Hawaii Five-O – "For a Million... Why Not?" (1971) as Blumberg Emergency! – "The Wedsworth-Townsend Act" (1972) as State Assemblyman Michael Wolski Deadly Harvest (1972 TV movie) The Magician – "Ovation for Murder" (1973) as Albie Allikolos Columbo – "The Most Dangerous Match (1973)" as Tomlin Dudek Assignment: Vienna – "So Long, Charlie" (1973) as Orloff McCloud – "Shivaree on Delancy Street" (1974) as Selditz The Rockford Files – "Gearjammers, Part 2" (1975) as John Koenig The Log of the Black Pearl (1975 TV movie) The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper (1976 TV movie) Movin' On – "Living It Up!" (1976) as Mr. Nash Ellery Queen – "The Adventure of the Judas Tree" (1976) as Gunther Starr Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color – "The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper: Parts 1 & 2" (1976) as Abner Debney The November Plan (1977 TV movie) The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams – Home of the Hawk (1977) as Metcalf, "Once Upon a Starry Night" (1978) as Frost-bite Foley Busting Loose – 12 episodes (1977) as Sam Markowitz Barney Miller – "Burial" (1977) as Julius Wittenour Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (1977 TV movie) The Time Machine (1978 TV movie) Once Upon a Starry Night (1978 TV movie) The Incredible Hulk – "Terror in Times Square" (1978) as Norman Abrams Trapper John, M.D. – "Deadly Exposure" (1979) as Nicholas Bulgari Alice – "Mel, the Magi" (1979) as Santa Claus Barney Miller – "The DNA Story" (1979) as Rudolph Kamen Vega$ – "Vendetta" (1980) as Carlo Cheaters (1980 TV movie) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1980 TV movie) Little House on the Prairie – "Gambini the Great" (1981) as Rudolpho 'The Great' Gambini Trapper John, M.D. – "Cooperative Care" (1981) as Marvin Krakowsky CHiPs – "Home Fires Burning" (1981) as Frank Higgins Alice – "Carrie Chickens Out" (1981) as Benny Conway The Devlin Connection – "Brian and Nick" (1982) as Max Salkall No Soap, Radio – 5 episodes (1982) as Skit Performer Hart to Hart – "Hart and Sole" (1982) as Harry Fulterman Barney Miller – "Examination Day" (1982) as Benjamin Diamond Matt Houston – "The Crying Clown" (1983) as Jonas Van Poolen, "Company Secrets" (1985) as Reels Zorro and Son – "Zorro and Son" (1983) as Commandante La Brea The A-Team – "The Out-of-Towners" (1983) as Bernie Shatzman Hill Street Blues – "Fuched Again" (1984) as Isadore Fagenbaum Webster – 18 episodes (1984–1989) as 'Papa' Papadapolis Dark Mirror (1984 TV movie) Deadly Intentions (1985 TV movie) Too Close for Comfort – "Reconcilable Differences" (1985) as Dr. Axel Schreiber Remington Steele – "Springtime for Steele" (1985) as Buddy Brokaw Magnum, P.I. – "Laura" (1987) as Doheny's partner and speaker at the retirement Full House – "Greek Week" (1990) and "The Last Dance" (1994) as Iorgos 'Papouli' Katsopolis Material World – 8 episodes (1990–1991) as Fred Avery Matlock – "The Nightmare" (1991) as Judge Ogilvie/Bus Repairman Murder, She Wrote – "Tainted Lady" (1991) as Dr. John Logan The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – "Home Is Where the Heart Attack Is" (1993) as Mr. Melville The American Clock (1993 TV movie) Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994 TV movie) Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – "Madame Ex" (1994) as Captain Keene Empty Nest – "What's a Mother to Do?" (1994) as Heshy