Cliff Gorman

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Cliff Gorman (born: Joel Joshua Goldberg ; born October 13, 1936 in Queens , New York City , New York ; † September 5, 2002 there ) was an American film and stage actor .

Life

Cliff Gorman grew up as the son of Jewish parents in Mexico , where he graduated from the University of Mexico from the mid-1950s . He later moved to California , where he became a student at the University of California, Los Angeles . Initially, Gorman wanted to become a teacher, so that he last studied at the University of New York, and since 1959 obtained his bachelor's degree in education .

But it wasn't until the mid-1960s, when American director Jerome Robbins discovered him, that Gorman decided to give it a try, and then made his debut in an episode of the television series Hawk in 1966 . He won an Obie Award in 1968 for his portrayal of a gay interior designer looking for love in the play The Boys in the Band . He played this role again in 1970 in the film adaptation of the same name , directed by William Friedkin .

In 1971 he was signed to Broadway for his first of only four stage play . For his portrayal in Julian Barry's play Lenny , which was the basis of the biography of Lenny Bruce , Gorman received a Tony Award in 1972 . The play itself was performed 453 times between May 1971 and June 1972. Another success in Gorman's theater career is the play Chapter Two by Neil Simon , which was staged for two years from December 1977 to December 1979, and a total of 857 times, and in which Gorman was also seen in a leading role. In 1978 Gorman was only nominated for the Tony Award.

Parallel to his work at the theater, Gorman also appeared in front of the camera in around 50 roles. Although his filmmaking was mostly limited as a guest actor in television series or in television films, some of his films are still known even today. Special mention should be made of the war film Der Bunker , produced in 1981 , in which Gorman played the Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels .

Gorman was married to the stage actress Gayle Gorman from 1963 until his death.

Cliff Gorman himself contracted leukemia and died in September 2002 at the age of 65.

Filmography (selection)

Award

Web links