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Lee J. Cobb

Lee J. Cobb

Birthday: 1911-12-08 | Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA

Lee J. Cobb (December 8, 1911 - February 11, 1976) ) was an American actor best known for his performance in 12 Angry Men (1957), his Academy Award-nominated performance in On the Waterfront, and one of his last films, The Exorcist (1973). He also played the role of Willy Loman in the original Broadway production of Arthur Miller's 1949 play Death of a Salesman under the direction of Elia Kazan. On television, Cobb costarred in the first four seasons of the popular, long-running western series The Virginian. He typically played arrogant, intimidating, and abrasive characters, but often had roles as respectable figures such as judges. Born Leo Jacob in New York City, he grew up in The Bronx,  before studying at New York University and making his film debut in The Vanishing Shadow (1934).  Cobb performed in numerous theater productions and companies, including Group Theatre (New York) before serving in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force during World War II.   Following the war, Cobb returned to film, television and theater before being accused of being a Communist in 1951 testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee by Larry Parks, himself a former Communist Party member. Cobb was called to testify before HUAC but refused to do so for two years until, with his career threatened by the blacklist, he relented in 1953 and gave testimony in which he named 20 people as former members of the Communist Party USA. Following the hearing he resumed his career and worked with Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg, two other HUAC "friendly witnesses", on the 1954 film On the Waterfront, which is widely seen as an allegory and apologia for testifying.  His 1968 performance as King Lear achieved the longest run (72 performances) for the play in Broadway history.  One of his final film roles was that of police detective Lt. Kinderman in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist. Cobb died of a heart attack in February 1976 in Woodland Hills, California, and was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. He was survived by his second wife, Mary Hirsch, and daughter, also an accomplished actress, Julie Cobb.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1978
The Meanest Men in the West

as    Judge Henry Garth

1976
Origins of the Mafia

as    Bartolomeo Gramignano

1975
Blood, Sweat and Fear

as    Benzi

1974
Trapped Beneath the Sea

as    Victor Bateman

1974
The Great Ice Rip-Off

as    Willy Calso

1973
Double Indemnity

as    Barton Keyes

1973
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing

as    Lapchance

1973
The Exorcist

as    Lt. Bill Kinderman

1971
Lawman

as    Vincent Bronson

1969
Mackenna's Gold

as    The Editor

1967
In Like Flint

as    Lloyd C. Cramden

1966
Our Man Flint

as    Cramden

1963
Come Blow Your Horn

as    Harry R. Baker

1963
How the West Was Won

as    Marshal Lou Ramsey

1962
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

as    Julio Madariaga

1960
Exodus

as    Barak Ben Canaan

1959
But Not for Me

as    Jeremiah MacDonald

1959
Green Mansions

as    Nuflo

1959
The Trap

as    Victor Massonetti

1958
Man of the West

as    Dock Tobin

1958
The Brothers Karamazov

as    Fyodor Karamazov

1958
Party Girl

as    Rico Angelo

1957
The Three Faces of Eve

as    Doctor Curtis Luther

1957
12 Angry Men

as    Juror 3

1957
The Garment Jungle

as    Walter Mitchell

1954
Gorilla at Large

as    Detective Sgt. Garrison

1954
On the Waterfront

as    Johnny Friendly

1954
Day of Triumph

as    Zadok

1951
Sirocco

as    Col. Feroud