Matthew Jenner
Staff Writer
Anyone who is passionate about film is bound to have a deep love and respect for Eli Wallach, who sadly died yesterday at the age of 98.
Wallach, who began acting in 1945, was a dedicated and brilliant character actor who had a wide variety of roles over the years, usually as the slimy and creepy villains in film noir and spaghetti westerns. Perhaps his most famous role is that of Tuco, one of the titular characters in Sergio Leone’s classic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, the film that made Clint Eastwood an icon. However, without Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, then we wouldn’t have had the film – its right there in the title.
You would think some people would stop working and retire to the countryside when they turn 60. That wasn’t the case of Eli, who continued to work up until he was 95, with his last film appearance in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In his twilight years, he appeared in some incredibly interesting projects, including a 2009 guest appearance in Nurse Jackie, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
Perhaps the most suitable recognition Wallach ever received was an Honorary Academy Award in 2010. In his heyday, the Academy Awards were only really given to handsome leading men and fragile young ingénues. A unique character actor like Wallach was often swept to the side and not given much attention. However, to give him an Honorary Award in recognition of his long, wonderful career was a great way to thank him for his contributions to cinema. He also became the oldest recipient of an Academy Award at the age of 95.
Eli Wallach was a great actor who left an indelible mark on cinema with his unique talents and dedication to his craft. He will be missed, and every actor who has come after him as been affected by his talent and love of acting, and that is an impressive achievement and one he will be remembered for as long as movies are still being made.
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