Sam Jaffe

Shalom "Sam" Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor and teacher, known for his portrayals of intelligent but eccentric characters. in New York City. His mother was a Yiddish actress in Odesa (then in the Russian Empire), prior to moving to the United States; his father was a jeweller. He was the youngest of four children; his siblings were Abraham, Sophie, and Annie.

As a child, he appeared in Yiddish theatre productions with his mother who, after moving to the United States, became a prominent actress and vaudeville star. He graduated from Townsend Harris High School and studied engineering at City College of New York, graduating in 1912. He later attended Columbia University for graduate studies. He also worked for several years as a teacher, and then dean, of mathematics at the Bronx Cultural Institute, a college preparatory school, before returning to acting in 1915. Two years later, he played Yudelson in the original Broadway production of The Jazz Singer.

His other Broadway credits included Grand Hotel (1930–31), The Eternal Road (1937), A Doll's House (1937–38), and Cafe Crown (1942).

Personal life Jaffe was married to American operatic soprano and musical comedy star Lillian Taiz from 1926 until her death from cancer in 1941. In 1956, he married actress Bettye Ackerman, 33 years his junior, with whom he later co-starred in Ben Casey. She died on November 1, 2006. He had no children from either marriage.

Jaffe's closest friends included Zero Mostel, Edward G. Robinson, Ray Bradbury, and Igor Stravinsky

Death Jaffe died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California, in 1984, two weeks after his 93rd birthday. He was cremated at the Pasadena Crematory in Altadena, California, and his ashes were given to his surviving wife, Bettye and, upon her death in 2006, buried with her at Williston Cemetery in Williston, South Carolina.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Director Notes 1916 A Cheap Vacation P.D. Hugon Short film 1934 The Scarlet Empress Grand Duke Peter Josef von Sternberg We Live Again Gregory Simonson Rouben Mamoulian 1937 Lost Horizon The High Lama Frank Capra 1939 Gunga Din Gunga Din George Stevens 1943 Stage Door Canteen Himself Frank Borzage 1946 13 Rue Madeleine Mayor Galimard Henry Hathaway 1947 Gentleman's Agreement Prof. Fred Lieberman Elia Kazan 1949 The Accused Dr. Romley William Dieterle Rope of Sand Dr. Francis Hunter 1950 The Asphalt Jungle "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider John Huston 1951 I Can Get It for You Wholesale Sam Cooper Michael Gordon The Day the Earth Stood Still Prof. Jacob Barnhardt Robert Wise 1953 Main Street to Broadway First Nighter Tay Garnett Uncredited 1957 Les Espions Sam Cooper Henri-Georges Clouzot 1958 The Barbarian and the Geisha Henry Heusken John Huston 1959 Ben-Hur Simonides William Wyler 1967 A Guide for the Married Man Shrink Gene KellyUncredited 1968 La Bataille de San Sebastian Father Joseph Henri Verneuil 1969 The Great Bank Robbery Lilac Bailey Hy Averback 1970 The Dunwich Horror Old Whateley Daniel Haller Quarantined Mr. Berryman Leo Penn The Old Man Who Cried Wolf Abe Stillman Walter Grauman1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks Bookman Robert Stevenson 1980 Battle Beyond the Stars Dr. Hephaestus Jimmy T. Murakami1984 On the Line El Gabacho José Luis Borau Nothing Lasts Forever Father Knickerbocker Tom Schiller

Television

Awards and nominations