Lee J. Cobb

For many of his theater contemporaries, Lee J. Cobb (1911â"1976) was the greatest actor of his generation. In Hollywood he became the definitive embodiment of gangsters, psychiatrists, and roaring lunatics. From 1939 until his death, Cobb contributed riveting performances to a number of films, including Boomerang, On the Waterfront, The Brothers Karamazov, 12 Angry Men, and The Exorcist. But for all of his conspicuous achievements in motion pictures, Cobbâs name is most identified with the character Willy Loman in the original stage production of Arthur Millerâs Death of a Salesman (1949). Directed by Elia Kazan, Cobbâs Broadway performance proved to be a benchmark for American theater.

In Lee J. Cobb: Characters of an Actor, Donald Dewey looks at the life and career of this versatile performer. From his Lower East Side roots in New York Cityâ"where he was born Leo Jacobâ"to multiple accolades on stage and the big and small screens, Cobbâs life proved to be a tumultuous rollercoaster of highs and lows. As a leading man of the theater, he gave a number of compelling performances in such plays as Golden Boy and King Lear. For the Hollywood studios, Cobb fit the description of the âcharacter actor.â No one better epitomized the performer who suddenly appears on the screen and immediately grabs the audienceâs attention. During his forty-five-year career, there wasnât a significant starâ"from Humphrey Bogart and James Stewart to Paul Newman and Clint Eastwoodâ"with whom he didnât work.

Cobb was also followed by controversy: he appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s and was a witness to a movie-set murder case in the 1970s. Through it all, he never lost his taste for fast cars and gin rummy. A bear of a man with a voice that equally accommodated growls and sibilant sympathies, Cobb was undeniably an actor to be reckoned with. In this fascinating book, Dewey captures all of the drama that surrounded Cobb, both on screen and off.