Sam Jaffe is an American theater, film and television actor of the last century. In 1950 he won one of the main awards of the Venice Film Festival - the Volpi Cup for Best Actor in the film "Asphalt Jungle", and a year later he was nominated for an Oscar.
For the first time on the screen, Sam appeared in 1916 in a short film, and continued his film career only in 1934.
Before becoming an actor, Jaffe spent several years as a high school math teacher and dean of the college preparatory department at the Bronx Cultural Institute. It wasn't until 1915 that he began a professional acting career and made his Broadway debut 3 years later.
In the creative biography of the artist, there are more than 80 roles in television and film projects. He created dozens of images on the theater stage from 1918 to 1980. The last time he appeared on the screen was shortly before his death in 1984. It was a drama directed by Jose Luis Borau "On the Border", where Jaffe played El Gabacho.
Biography facts
Sam (real name Shalom) was born in the United States in the spring of 1891 in the Jewish family of Heida and Barnett Jaffe, who emigrated from Russia.
Mother was born in Odessa and even before leaving for America began performing on the theater stage. After moving to New York, she continued her acting career and soon achieved great success, performing in musical performances and vaudeville. The boy's father had nothing to do with show business and was engaged in jewelry business.
The family had four children: Abraham, Sophie, Annie and the youngest Sam. From an early age, the boy began performing on stage with his mother in performances in Yiddish. Many said that a child has all the data to become an actor. During his school years, he continued to play in various productions, but did not dream of a stage career and was going to become an engineer.
He received his primary education at Townsend Harris High School. After graduation, he entered City College in New York to study engineering. Then he continued his studies at Columbia University and in graduate school.
His career began in a regular school where he taught mathematics. He then went to college at the Bronx Cultural Institute, becoming Dean of the Preparatory Department.
In his youth, Sam lived in the same house with the future famous director John Huston. They became true friends and maintained a warm relationship throughout their lives. It was John who persuaded Sam to leave teaching and start an acting career. Later, Jaffe played several roles in Houston films, which brought him widespread fame and fame.
Creative way
In 1915, Jaffe returned to work and joined the Washington Square Players, a theater company in New York that existed from 1914 to 1918.
A few months after the closure of the company, the Theater Guild was founded, which staged performances on Broadway until 1996. Jaffe became a member of the Theater Guild and in the same year made his Broadway stage debut in the play "Youth".
In the 1920s, he regularly appeared in new productions and won acclaim from the public and theater critics. In the following decades, the actor continued to perform, but began to devote more time to cinema. In total, Sam has appeared in 21 plays on Broadway. The last time he appeared on the stage was in 1979.
For the first time on the screen, the actor appeared in 1916 in the short comedy film "A Cheap Vacation". This was followed by a long break associated with a theatrical career.
Jaffe returned to filming only in 1934. In the historical drama "The Bloody Empress" directed by Joseph von Stenberg, the actor played the role of Grand Duke Peter Alexandrovich. The main character was played by the famous Marlene Dietrich. In the same year, Sam appeared on the screen as Gregory Simonson in the film We Are Alive Again.
3 years later, Jaffe played a cameo role in the famous adventure film by F. Capra "The Lost Horizon". The film received 7 Oscar nominations, two of which were victorious.
Until the early 1950s, the actor starred in many popular projects: "Ganga Din", "Soldier's Club", "House 13 on Madeleine Street", "Gentlemen's Agreement", "The Accused", "Sand Rope", "Important Material" …
His next role in the crime thriller Asphalt Jungle brought the actor wide recognition, an Oscar nomination and one of the main prizes at the Venice Film Festival.
In the early 1950s, Jaffe, like many other well-known representatives of show business, was included in the "Hollywood blacklist". He was accused of sympathizing with the Communists, all major Hollywood studios were forced to stop working with him.
In 1950, 20th Century Fox had already signed a contract with Sam to play the role in The Day the Earth Stood Still, but under pressure from the HUAC Commission was ready to terminate the contract.
Producer Julian Blostein was able to persuade him to leave Jaffe in the project, because he was supposed to play Professor Barnhardt (the prototype of Albert Einstein) and like no one else was suitable for this role. The director of the studio agreed and approved the participation of the actor in the film. After that, until the end of the 1950s, by the decision of the Commission on Investigation of Un-American Activities, he was prohibited from working in the theater and acting in films.
Sam was able to return to work only in the late 1950s. In his later career, there were many roles in famous films and TV series: "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Theater 90", "Spies", "The Untouchables", "Ben Hur", "The Defenders", "Married Guide", "Colombo", American Love, The Streets of San Francisco, Kojak, The Boat of Love, Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century.
Personal life
In October 1925, Sam married the famous opera singer and actress Lilian Taiz. They lived together for 25 years until Lillian's death. She died of cancer in February 1941.
The second wife in 1956 was the actress Beti Ackerman, with whom the artist lived until the end of his days. Betty survived her husband by 22 years and passed away in 2006.
Neither in the first nor in the second marriage, Jaffe had children.
In the last years of his life, Sam was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent several courses of treatment, but the disease was stronger.
The actor passed away in 1984 at the age of 93, 2 weeks after his birthday. His body was cremated and his ashes were buried in Williston Cemetery in South Carolina.
