Joseph Wiseman

Joseph Wiseman
Born	May 15, 1918(1918-05-15) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	October 19, 2009 (aged 91) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Film, television actor
Spouse(s)	Nell Kinard (1943-?) Pearl Lang (1964-2009)

Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian actor, best known for starring as the titular antagonist of the first James Bond film, Dr. No. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.

Life

The son of Louis and Pearl Rubin (née Ruchwarger), Wiseman married Nell Kinard on August 28, 1943; they divorced. He was married to choreographer Pearl Lang from 1964 until her death in February 2009.

Career

Wiseman had roles in a wide variety of films, including the very first James Bond film Dr. No, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Bye Bye Braverman, and the TV series Crime Story, The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery. His last film was made in 1988, though he appeared in TV shows such as MacGyver, L.A. Law, and Law & Order after that time. He has had a long career in live theatre, including the title role in In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer in New York City, and the role of Father Massieu in the original Broadway production of Joan of Lorraine, the Maxwell Anderson play which eventually became the film Joan of Arc. His most recent Broadway appearance was in Judgment at Nuremberg in 2001.

He appeared in several films in the 1950s. He made his first major film appearance in 1951's Detective Story, where he recreated his performance from Broadway as an unstable small time hood. Soon after he played Marlon Brando's archenemy in Viva Zapata! (1952). In 1967, he was cast as Billy Minsky's father in The Night They Raided Minsky's, later he appeared opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in The Betsy (1978). Wiseman's last appearance on television was the supporting role of Seymour Bergen on a 1996 episode of Law & Order titled "Family Business".

His most famous role as the titular Dr. No in the first big screen James Bond movie by EON Productions came by the way of producer Harry Saltzman, who cast Wiseman as 007's first nemesis in December 1961. It was his role as a drug fiend in Detective Story which singled him out as the front runner. ^[1] Several sources also claim that Wiseman was the voice of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball, although the role is uncredited (other sources claim the voice belonged to Eric Pohlmann).

Following the death of Charles Gray in 2000, Wiseman was the last surviving main villain of the James Bond films that Sean Connery made for United Artists.

Death

Wiseman died on October 19, 2009 at his home in Manhattan, having been in declining health for some time.^[2]

Wiseman is survived by his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, and his sister, Ruth Wiseman.

References

External links

• Joseph Wiseman at the Internet Movie Database
• Joseph Wiseman at IBDB
• The O'Neill Theater Center
• Joseph Wiseman Actor

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