Sam Jaffe

Jafee subsequently played notable roles in films like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Ben-Hur (1959), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He also had a co-starring role as neurosurgeon Dr. David Zorba on the television medical drama Ben Casey (1961–65), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1962.

Sam Jaffe studied at City College of New York and Townsend Harris High School. The recorded working language is English. Work by Sam Jaffe is recorded in the collections of Harvard Film Archive. Distinctions recorded are Paul Robeson Award and Volpi Cup for Best Actor.

• Name — Sam Jaffe • Birth Name — Shalom Jaffe • Born — 10 March 1891 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 24 March 1984 • Place of death — Beverly Hills, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Williston Cemetery in Williston, South Carolina • Other Names — * Samuel Jaffe • Sam C. Jaffe • Occupation — * Actor • teacher • Education — City College of New York (B.Sc. Engineering, 1912) Columbia University • Years Active — 1918–1984

Shalom Jaffe was born to Ukrainian Jewish parents Heida (Ada) and Barnett Jaffe at 97 Orchard Street (current location of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum) 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. As a young man, he lived in Greenwich Village in the same apartment building as a young John Huston. The two men became good friends and remained so for life. Jaffe was later to star in two of Huston's films: The Asphalt Jungle and The Barbarian and the Geisha.

• Illustration — Jaffe and Ruth Foster on the set of Ben Casey • Illustration — Jaffe (left) and Jack Albertson in the 1976 TV special The Sad and Lonely Sundays

In 1923 he appeared in the Broadway premiere of God of Vengeance (Got fun Nekome) by Sholem Asch, as Reb Ali. The production became notorious after the cast, producer, and theatre owner were indicted and found guilty on charges of indecency in May 1923. 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).

Jaffe co-starred in the ABC television series, Ben Casey, as Dr. David Zorba from 1961 to 1965, alongside Vince Edwards. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for that role in 1962. He also had many guest-starring roles on other series, including Batman (as Mr. Zoltan Zorba) and in the western Alias Smith and Jones. In 1975, he co-starred as a retired doctor who is murdered by Janet Leigh in the Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady". He also appeared with an all-star cast in the TV pilot film of Rod Serling's Night Gallery and as Emperor Norton in one episode of Bonanza.

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

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.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1960–61 — Alfred Hitchcock Presents — The Abbot/Hal Ballew — 2 episodes • The Law and Mr. Jones — Martin Berger • 1961 — The Westerner — Old Man McKeen — Episode: "The Old Man" • The Untouchables — Luigi Valcone — Episode: "Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino" • Naked City — Lazslo Lubasz — Episode: "Economy of Death" • The Islanders — Papa Matthews — Episode: "To Bell a Cat" • 1961–65 — Ben Casey — Dr. David Zorba — Main cast; Seasons 1-4 • 1965 — Daniel Boone — Jed Tolsen — Episode: "The First Beau" • 1966 — Batman — Zoltan Zorbra — Episode: "Walk the Straight and Narrow" • Bonanza — Joshua Norton — Episode: "The Emperor Norton" • 1969 — Night Gallery — Bleum — Segment: "The Escape Route" • 1970 — Quarantined — Berryman — TV movie • The Old Man Who Cried Wolf — Abe Stillman • 1971–72 — Alias Smith and Jones — Soapy Saunders — 3 episodes • 1971 — Enemies — Gittelmann — TV movie • Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster? — Toby — TV movie • 1973 — Saga of Sonora — Old Sam — TV movie • The Snoop Sisters — Issac Waldersack — Episode: "Corpse and Robbers" • 1974 — QB VII — Dr. Mark Tessler — Miniseries • Mooch — Himself — TV movie • The Best of Times — Rabbi Roth • The Streets of San Francisco — Alex Zubatuk — Episode: "Mr. Nobody" • 1975 — S.W.A.T. — Dr. Brunner — Episode: "Omega One" • Columbo — Dr. Henry Willis — Episode: "Forgotten Lady" • Harry O — Dr. Howard Cambridge — Episode: "The Acolyte" • 1976 — The Bionic Woman — Admiral Richter — Episode: "Kill Oscar: Part 3" • The Sad and Lonely Sundays — Dr. Sweeney — TV movie • 1977 — Kojak — Papa — Episode: "Tears for All Who Loved Her" • 1980 — Buck Rogers in the 25th Century — Council Leader — Episode: "Flight Of The War Witch" • The Love Boat — Prof. Weber — Episode: "The Professor Has Class" • 1984 — Gideon's Trumpet — Supreme Court Justice — TV movie

Sam Jaffe is recorded as actor, teacher, musician, engineer and film producer.

Jaffe began to work in film in 1934, rising to prominence with his first role as the mad Tsar Peter III in The Scarlet Empress. In 1938, Jaffe was 47-years-old when he played the title role of bhisti (waterbearer) Gunga Din. In 1950, he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of criminal mastermind "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider in John Huston's film noir The Asphalt Jungle. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Jaffe was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses during the 1950s, supposedly for being a communist sympathizer. Despite being blacklisted, he was hired first by Robert Wise for The Day the Earth Stood Still and then by director William Wyler for his role in the 1959 Academy Award-winning version of Ben-Hur.

• 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 Kelly — Uncredited • 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 Grauman • 1971 — Bedknobs and Broomsticks — Bookman — Robert Stevenson • 1980 — Battle Beyond the Stars — Dr. Hephaestus — Jimmy T. Murakami • 1984 — On the Line — El Gabacho — José Luis Borau • Nothing Lasts Forever — Father Knickerbocker — Tom Schiller