Sal Mineo

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Sal Mineo (1973)

Salvatore Mineo (born January 10, 1939 in New York City , New York , † February 12, 1976 in West Hollywood , California ) was an American actor and singer. He became known to a wide audience in the 1950s for portraying tragic and sensitive young people, for example in his breakthrough film ... because they don't know what they are doing (1955).

life and career

Salvatore Mineo Jr. was born on January 10, 1939 to Josephine and Salvatore Mineo Sr., a coffin maker who had emigrated from Sicily to the United States, in the Bronx , New York . He had three siblings, Michael, Victor and Sarina. Sal was kicked out of school early and was a member of a street gang at the age of eight. His mother enrolled him in a dance school. When he was ten, however, he was arrested for robbery and given the chance to choose between juvenile detention and drama school. He chose the latter.

Soon after, in 1951, Mineo made his first stage appearance in Tennessee Williams ' play The Tattooed Rose, alongside Maureen Stapleton , Eli Wallach and Martin Balsam . He then played the young prince in The King and I at the side of Yul Brynner . This helped the young actor to improve his skills.

After various television and film appearances, Mineo got the role of the sensitive teenager John "Plato" Crawford in the legendary 1955 film ... because they don't know what they are doing from director Nicholas Ray . At the side of James Dean and Natalie Wood , he achieved the breakthrough. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his popularity quickly skyrocketed. Mineo received countless fan letters and was assaulted by his fans on all occasions. He and Dean became good friends. In George Stevens ' drama Giants Mineo played again the following year on the side of James Dean, but he only had a small appearance as a young Mexican on the ranch of the Benedicts, played by Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor .

The worried teenage image haunted him from then on, and he was almost exclusively offered these types of roles. For example, he played the young Sioux White Bull in the Disney adventure film Tonka , who tames the spirited horse Tonka. Mineo was famous in the late 1950s and was mostly called the Switchblade Kid, a nickname that earned him his role in the juvenile crime-themed film Crime in the Streets .

In 1957 Mineo made a foray into the music industry. He recorded a few songs and put them on an album. Two of the songs published on it made it into the top 40 pop charts. His most famous song, Start Movin ' , reached number 9 on the Billboard charts . During this time he played Gene Krupa in the biopic The Gene Krupa Story by Don Weis , on the side of Susan Kohner , James Darren and Susan Oliver .

Mineo tried more and more to break his image and the associated commitment to certain roles. This he succeeded particularly in its multifaceted portrayal of Jewish emigrants Dov Landau in epic film Exodus of Otto Preminger . Here he played alongside Hollywood greats such as Paul Newman , Eva Marie Saint and Lee J. Cobb . For his performance, regarded by many critics as the best career achievement, he won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a second Oscar .

In the 1960s, Mineo was getting too old for the teenage roles he was mostly given and failed to make the leap into adult leading man. He auditioned for a role in David Leans Lawrence of Arabia but was not accepted. The sudden decline in popularity frightened him. Later he once said: “One minute it seemed I had more movie offers than I could handle, the next, no one wanted me.” ("At first I got more role offers than I could accept, and the next moment nobody wanted me.") His role as a stalker in the B-movie Who Killed Teddy Bear? didn't help him get out of this situation either. Despite receiving critical acclaim, he found himself forced back into his old image, this time as a deranged criminal.

Eventually he returned to the stage in 1971 to produce Fortune and Men's Eyes , in which Don Johnson starred . The piece received positive reviews in Los Angeles , but was received rather negatively in New York. In particular, the prison rape scenes were assessed as excessive for no reason.

A supporting role in the science fiction film Escape from the Planet of the Apes as the chimpanzee Dr. Milo was supposed to be Sal Mineo's last film appearance. After that he was only seen in television productions until his death. In 1976 his career experienced another turning point. The role of a gay burglar in the comedy PS Your Cat Is Dead in San Francisco , he received a lot of attention and numerous positive reviews. Because of its success, the piece with Mineo should also be staged in Los Angeles.

Death and personal life

After rehearsing for the play in Los Angeles, Sal Mineo was stabbed to death on February 12, 1976 on the way home. He was 37 years old. He was only stabbed by a knife, but it grazed his heart and caused severe internal bleeding. The pizza delivery boy Lionel Ray Williams was sentenced to 57 years in prison for manslaughter and other robbery offenses . Williams testified that he did not know who Mineo was at the time of the crime. In the 1990s, the perpetrator was pardoned, but was imprisoned again a little later for further violations of the law.

Gravestone of Sal Mineo and his brother Michael in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Mineo was buried in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne , New York. The actor was bisexual . He was dating actress Jill Haworth in the early 1960s and had been in a relationship with actor Courtney Burr for six years at the time of his death.

Filmography (selection)

bibliography

  • H. Paul Jeffers: Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery. Running Press, 2000, 240 pages.
  • Michael Gregg Michaud: Sal Mineo: A Biography. Three Rivers Press, 2010, 448 pages.

Web links

Commons : Sal Mineo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Sal Mineo | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved August 6, 2019 (American English).
  2. ^ Sal Mineo - Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB. Retrieved August 6, 2019 .
  3. ^ Sal Mineo | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved August 6, 2019 (American English).
  4. ↑ 'The Switchblade Kid' dies. February 10, 2009, accessed August 6, 2019 .
  5. ^ Sal Mineo Quotes. Accessed August 6, 2019 .
  6. ^ Sal Mineo at Find A Grave
  7. ↑ Terry: Gay Influence: Sal Mineo. In: Gay Influence. November 26, 2015, accessed August 6, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Mineo, Sal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mineo, Salvatore
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and singer
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH new York
DATE OF DEATH February 12, 1976
Place of death West Hollywood , California