Sam Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and appeared in other classic films such as Ben-Hur (1959) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). He may be best remembered for playing the title role in Gunga Din (1939), and the High Lama in Lost Horizon (1937).
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance In A Supporting Role By An Actor
Movies
Ben-Hur, The Asphalt Jungle, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Gunga Din, Lost Horizon, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Scarlet Empress, Gentleman's Agreement, The Barbarian and the Geisha, Battle Beyond the Stars, Nothing Lasts Forever, Guns for San Sebastian, The Dunwich Horror, 13 Rue Madeleine, I Can...
TV Shows
Ben Casey
Star Sign
Pisces
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Trademark
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Often played very smart but eccentric characters
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His unruly hair
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Fact
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His nephew by his older brother Abraham Jaffe, was named after him. Both Sam Jaffes worked for ABC in the 1960's. The elder actor on Ben Casey and the younger nephew as ABC News Bureau Chief in Moscow and then Hong Kong. ABC put out a press release about the two Sam Jaffes'. There is an extensive & fascinating biography, Sam Jaffe, An Actor of Character written by his friend Arlene Lorrance. 2013 LP Publications His great niece is the photographer Deborah Jaffe.
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He was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist during the HUAC hearings. Although he had already been signed, 20th Century-Fox wanted to remove him from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Producer Julian Blaustein felt that Jaffe was so crucial for the role of the Albert Einstein-like Prof. Barnhardt that he appealed to studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck approved Jaffe for the role, but it was his last Hollywood film until the late 1950s.
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His cousin Alma's grandson is NYC amateur comedian Jeremy Jacobs.
$2 Million
