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Jack Warden

Jack Warden

Birthday: 1920-09-18 | Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey, USA

Jack Warden was an American television and film character actor, born John Warden Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He also received a BAFTA nomination for the former movie and won an Emmy for his performance in Brian's Song (1971).   Expelled from high school for fighting, Warden eventually fought as a professional boxer under the name Johnny Costello winning 13 welterweight bouts to little financial success.   Warden worked a number of odd jobs before joining the United States military in 1938, rotating through numerous branches of the US armed forces, finishing his career as a Master Sergeant with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.   Following his military service, Warden studied theatre, performing on stage for five years, before making his television debut in 1948 on The Philco Television Playhouse and Studio One.  He earned his first credited film role with The Man with My Face in 1952, just prior to his breakout performance as Juror No. 7 in 12 Angry Men. Warden continued to appear in many television series and films over the years. He received a supporting actor Emmy Award for his performance as Chicago Bears coach George Halas in the television movie Brian's Song, and was twice nominated for his starring role in the 1980s comedy/drama series, Crazy Like a Fox. Appearing in more than one hundred movies, Wardon typically played gruff cops, sports coaches, trusted friends or similar roles over his six decade career.  His final film was The Replacements in 2000, after which he suffered from declining health and retired from acting before passing of heart and kidney failure in a New York hospital at the age of 85.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1999
A Dog of Flanders

as    Jehan

1998
Dirty Work

as    Pops

1997
The Island on Bird Street

as    Boruch

1996
Ed

as    Chubb

1995
Problem Child 3

as    Big Ben

1995
1995
While You Were Sleeping

as    Saul

1995
Mighty Aphrodite

as    Tiresias

1993
Guilty as Sin

as    Moe

1992
Night and the City

as    Al Grossman

1992
Toys

as    Old General Zevo

1991
Problem Child 2

as    Big Ben Healy

1990
Problem Child

as    Big Ben

1990
Everybody Wins

as    Judge Harry Murdoch

1988
The Presidio

as    Sgt. Maj. Ross Maclure

1987
September

as    Lloyd

1986
The Cosmic Eye

as    Rocko (voice)

1985
Robert Kennedy & His Times

as    Joseph Kennedy Sr.

1985
The Aviator

as    Moravia

1985
Alice in Wonderland

as    Owl

1984
Crackers

as    Garvey

1984
Crazy like a Fox

as    Harry Fox

1982
The Verdict

as    Mickey Morrissey

1981
Carbon Copy

as    Nelson Longhurst

1980
Used Cars

as    Roy L. Fuchs / Luke Fuchs

1979
The Champ

as    Jackie

1979
...And Justice for All

as    Judge Francis Rayford

1979
The Bad News Bears

as    Morris Buttermaker