Zero Mostel

Acting

Zero Mostel

Born February 28, 1915 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Died August 8, 1977 · aged 62

Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye onstage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus onstage and onscreen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version of The Producers. He was blacklisted during the 1950s, and his testimony before…

Known For

Watership DownWatership Down · 1978
Watership Down
★ 7.21978
MovieAdventureAnimation
When the warren belonging to a community of rabbits is threatened, a brave group led by Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry and Hazel leave their homeland in a search of a safe new haven.
The ProducersThe Producers · 1968
The Producers
★ 7.11968
MovieComedy
A conniving Broadway producer and his meek accountant plan to profit from charming wealthy old biddies to invest in an overbudget production, and then put on a sure-fire disaster, so nobody will ask for their money back — and what's more disastrous than a tasteless musical celebrating Adolf Hitler.
The Hot RockThe Hot Rock · 1972
The Hot Rock
★ 6.51972
MovieCrimeComedy
Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum · 1966
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
★ 6.11966
MovieComedy
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
SiroccoSirocco · 1951
Sirocco
★ 6.01951
MovieCrimeDrama
A mysterious American gets mixed up with gunrunners in Syria.
The FrontThe Front · 1976
The Front
★ 7.11976
MovieComedyDrama
A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
Panic in the StreetsPanic in the Streets · 1950
Panic in the Streets
★ 6.91950
MovieThrillerCrime
A medical examiner discovers that an innocent shooting victim in a robbery died of bubonic plague. With only 48 hours to find the killer, who is now a ticking time bomb threatening the entire city, a grisly manhunt through the seamy underworld of the New Orleans Waterfront is underway.
The EnforcerThe Enforcer · 1951
The Enforcer
★ 7.11951
MovieDramaThriller
After years of investigation, Assistant District Attorney Martin Ferguson has managed to build a solid case against an elusive gangster whose top lieutenant is about to testify.

Filmography

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The World of Sholom AleichemThe World of Sholom Aleichem · 1959
The World of Sholom Aleichem
★ 9.01959
MovieDramaTV Movie
This omnibus release consists of three playlets filmed and aired during television's Golden Age, and starring some of the legends of film and television. The collection originally ran as a two-hour segment on December 14, 1959, on the anthology series The Play of the Week, broadcast locally in New York City via the independent radio station WNTA. Each "tale" in the anthology was adapted from a single tale by the inimitable Sholom Aleichem, regarded by many as the "Yiddish Mark Twain". Included are: "A Tale of Chelm" starring Zero Mostel and Nancy Walker in the story of a bookseller attempting to buy a goat; "Bontche Schweig" about a poor man (Jack Gilford) whose recent arrival in Heaven makes the angels cry; and "The High School" about a Jewish merchant (Morris Carnovsky) persuaded by his wife (Gertrude Berg) to let their son attend a particular high school despite the enforcement of quotas for Jewish students.

Melamed / Maxel

The Electric CompanyThe Electric Company · 1971
The Electric Company
★ 7.31971
SeriesComedyFamily
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977. After it ceased production that year, the program continued in reruns from 1977 to 1985, the result of a decision made in 1975 to produce two final seasons for perpetual use. CTW produced the show at Teletape Studios Second Stage in Manhattan, the first home of Sesame Street. The Electric Company employed sketch comedy and other devices to provide an entertaining program to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. It was intended for children who had graduated from CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street. Appropriately, the humor was more mature than what was seen there.

Spell Binder (voice)