Roberts Blossom

Roberts Scott Blossom (March 25, 1924 – July 8, 2011) was an American poet and character actor of theater, film, and television. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged (1974). Blossom is also remembered for his supporting roles in films such as The Great Gatsby (1974), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Christine (1983), and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).

Early life Roberts Scott Blossom was born on March 25, 1924, in New Haven, Connecticut, to John Blossom, an athletic director at Yale University. He was raised in Cleveland, but later moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Blossom attended Hawken School and graduated from Asheville School in 1941 and attended Harvard University for a year until he joined the United States Army and served in World War II in Europe.

Career Blossom began acting on stage during the 1950s. He won three Obie Awards for his performances in the off-Broadway plays Village Wooing (1955), which was his debut, Do Not Pass Go (1965) and The Ice Age (1976).

Blossom is remembered for his role as Ezra Cobb in the 1974 horror film Deranged based on American murderer Ed Gein. According to the 2014 book Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies by David Itzkoff, the cast of Chayefsky's multiple Oscar-winning film Network originally included Blossom as media mogul Arthur Jensen. However, he was replaced in pre-production by Ned Beatty.

Blossom is also known for starring in the 1983 horror film Christine, a film directed by John Carpenter which is an adaptation of the book by Stephen King. Blossom is best known for his role in the 1990 film Home Alone, where he played Old Man Marley alongside Macaulay Culkin. He appeared in his final film role in 1995 alongside Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Quick and The Dead (1995). Blossom's other film credits include Doc Hollywood (1991) starring Michael J. Fox; Reuben, Reuben (1983); Resurrection (1980) starring Ellen Burstyn; Flashpoint (1984); Vision Quest (1985) starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino; and Always (1989).

In 1958, Blossom made his first television appearance in the television series Naked City. From 1976 to 1978, Blossom starred on the television soap opera Another World, for which he won a Soapy Award for Best Villain. Blossom's other television credits include Moonlighting, with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, Tales from the Darkside, The Equalizer, the revived 1980s version of The Twilight Zone and Chicago Hope. His television films include Family Reunion, with Bette Davis, the 1985 version of Noon Wine, Murder in the Heartland and Disney's Balloon Farm, which was his final role as an actor.

In 2000, Blossom appeared in the biography documentary Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom, Blossom was later married to Marylin Orshan Blossom until her death in 1982, with whom he had a daughter.

After Blossom retired from acting in the late 1990s, he moved to Berkeley, California, and spent his time writing poetry.

Death Blossom later moved to Santa Monica, where he died from cerebrovascular disease on July 8, 2011, at age 87. Blossom was residing in a nursing home at the time of his death.

Filmography

Film Title Year Role Director Echo of an Era (short) 1959 Unnamed/unknown The Sins of Jesus (short) 1961 Unnamed/unknown The Hospital 1971 Guernsey The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope (short) 1972 Gov. Phips Slaughterhouse-Five 1972 Wild Bob Cody Please Stand by 1972 Judge Nott Deranged 1974 Ezra Cobb The Great Gatsby 1974 Mr. Gatz Handle with Care 1977 Papa Thermodyne Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 Farmer Escape from Alcatraz 1979 Chester 'Doc' Dalton Resurrection 1980 John Harper Christine 1983 George LeBay Reuben, Reuben 1983 Frank Spofford Flashpoint 1984 Amarillo Vision Quest 1985 Harry Swain Candy Mountain 1987 Archie The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 Aged Master Always 1989 Dave Home Alone 1990 Old Man Marley Doc Hollywood 1991 Judge Evans Death Falls 1991 Hals Johnson The Quick and the Dead 1995 Doc Walter Wallace Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom 2000 Himself (documentary)

Television Title Year Role Notes Studio One 1957 First Refugee Season 10, episode 11 Naked City 1958 Brissen Season 1, episode 5 Quint Butcher Season 1, episode 13 The DuPont Show of the Month 1959–1961 Billy Budd Season 2, episode 9 Gustav Season 4, episode 5 The Art Carney Show 1959 Simon Stimson Season 1, episode 2 Camera Three 1959 Himself Season 4, episode 46 John Brown's Raid 1960 Stevens Television film The Robert Herridge Theater 1960 Season 1, episode 26 The Eleventh Hour 1962 Schizophrenic Season 1, episode 1 Brenner 1964 Reader Season 2, episode 10 The Defenders 1964 Thomas Riggs Season 4, episode 4 Great Performances 1972 Judge / Preacher New York Playhouse (episode 2) Beacon Hill 1975 D.W. Griffith Season 1, episode 10 The Adams Chronicles 1976 Carver Miniseries (episode 4) Another World 1976–1978 Bert Ordway Sven Petersen Soapy Award for Best Villain (1978) Mourning Becomes Electra 1978 Seth Part of Great Performances (Season 6) ABC Weekend Special 1980 Mr. LeGrand Season 3, episodes 9 & 10 Family Reunion 1981 Phil King Television film The Wall 1982 Kuchaski Television film Johnny Belinda 1982 John McAdam Television film Airwolf 1984 Old Nan with Dog Season 2, episode 11 American Playhouse 1985 Mr. McClellan Season 4, episode 6 Amazing Stories 1985 Opa Globe Season 1, episode 1 The Twilight Zone 1985–1987 The Man Season 1, episode 8 (segment b) Mordecai Hawkline Season 2, episode 11 (segment a) Moonlighting 1986 Lawrence Everette Season 2, episode 15 Tales from the Darkside 1986 Inquisitor Season 3, episode 7 The Equalizer 1986 Oscar Peabody Season 2, episode 9 "Tip on a Sure Thing" At Mother's Request 1987 Doug Steele Miniseries (2 episodes) Stingray 1987 Uncle Pat 'The Cat' Morel Season 2, episode 4 In the Heat of the Night 1989 Dr. Harris Pendleton Season 2, episode 10 Northern Exposure 1992 Ned Svenborg Season 3, episode 23 "Cicely" The Habitation of Dragons 1992 Mr. Charlie Television film Crossroads 1992 Oscar Poland Season 1, episode 1 The American Clock 1993 Old Wayne Taylor Television film Murder in the Heartland 1993 Gus Meyer Miniseries (2 episodes) Chicago Hope 1997 William Kronk Season 3, episode 26 Balloon Farm 1999 'Weasel' Mayfield

Theater credits 1955: Village Wooing 1958: The Infernal Machine (Anubis) 1961: A Cook for Mr. General (Kroy) 1963: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Merlie Ryan) 1964: The Physicists 1965: Do Not Pass Go 1970: Operation Sidewinder 1973: Statis Quo Vadis (Mr.Elgin) 1988: The Cherry Orchard 1989: The Chairs (Old Man)