A raucous storyteller, he would also recount his response to Francis Ford Coppola’s request that he appear as mobster Don Altobello, who suffers death by poisoned cannoli in “The Godfather Part III” (1990).
“Francis said, ‘I want you to play this old, old, old, old, marvelous old friend of the family,’“ Wallach told the Denver Post in 1991. “I said, ‘Listen, if I was such an old, old, old friend of the family, why wasn’t I in ‘Godfather I’ or ‘Godfather II’?”
Eli Wallach dies at 98; actor best known for two classic westerns – Los Angeles Times.
Reblogged this on Rogues & Vagabonds.
LOL What a funny quote. He was a great actor. RIP
A long and wonderful life, see the interview down there in the comments with his nephew A. O. Scott of the New York Times…
Wonderful actor.
http://youtu.be/sNJbXwhgtOw
Great to see that.
Great interview!
Oh, no, not Eli Wallach! I watched him in The Magnificent Seven recently and read about (and remembered) his brilliant scene-stealing in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. He was a fantastic actor, adept at both drama and comedy, and he was an incredibly funny man to boot with a keen wit. I remember he was hilarious as a short-sighted ex-fed in pursuit of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in the Eighties comedy, Tough Guys, while dramatic roles in Baby Doll (his film debut) and The Misfits among others were also memorable. Not to mention that he was one of the few good things about The Godfather, Part III, all that and a Tony and an Emmy too!
Rest In Peace, Eli.
Baby Doll…what a WILD movie!
Photo by Inge Morath, Mrs. Arthur Miller – after MM!
No wonder it’s such a powerful image.
Thank you!
Reblogged this on Carleigh-Hepburn and commented:
rip Eli <3
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