Who Am I? April 2019

I was born in Los Angeles, CA to European-Jewish parents whose roots were in Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania. Both my grandfather and great- grandfather were murdered in the Ukraine, then part of Russia, by the Cheka in the early years of the C.C.C.P. because they were considered “undesirables.” My dad never spoke much about our lineage and I really didn’t discover much about my heritage until I became a septuagenarian at which time, Professor Henry Louis Gates revealed it to me on his PBS TV program, "Finding Your Roots". My dad worked as a prop man for a major Hollywood studio and later sold furniture.

I thought about studying medicine or becoming a professional pianist before I found out that my talent lay elsewhere. I became infatuated with theatre and moved to NYC to study at the Actors Studio where I developed into a competent method actor. You won’t believe with whom I roomed back then! Both my roomies became famous actors in their own right.

I actually lived below the American poverty line until I was 31 years old at which time I got my breakout role. I love to show my range by playing quirky and unusual characters on the screen. Nobody ever described me as being a matinee idol; nevertheless, I was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won two of them. I also love live theater and have won awards for my work on stage.

In October 1978 I made a professional on-stage appearance at the now closed Capitol Theatre in Passaic. Matey, That’s me, the menacing buccaneer, in the picture below.

(1a)”Who am I?”(1b) Who was I named after? (2)Who were my two, soon to be famous roomies, back in the 1960’s? (3)What was my breakout role? (4)What nickname do some close friends call me and why? (5)What 2 films earned me Academy Awards? (6)What items do I like to collect?