Who Am I? March 6, 2021

I was born in Manhattan to Jewish immigrant parents from Czechoslovakia {dad} and Hungary who emigrated here after WWI. Dad worked as a tailor but there was never much money in the house. In fact, I had a really hardscrabble childhood and could have been considered a juvenile delinquent. I was, at times, a truant, a shoplifter and a shoeshine boy. Times were so bad that for a time my folks made their kids wards of the state in an orphanage. I did attend high school for awhile at 350 Grand Street in NYC.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor I enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and served
honorably in the submarine service from 1942-1945. After my release I took advantage of the G.I. Bill and took classes at City College, the N.Y. Dramatic Workshop and The New School in Greenwich Village. My chosen ambition was to be an actor.

I found odd acting jobs at the YMCA, the Borscht Belt and in a Jewish theater company. My big break came when an agent, a niece of a famous Hollywood producer, got me an interview and a screen test at Universal Studios.

My early films were “easterns” (as opposed to “westerns”) where I was often cast as prince or a sultan of some kind. Up until the time that the studio agreed to provide me with some diction lessons I caused a lot of hilarity with my Bronx accent. Who ever heard of a middle-eastern prince speaking thusly, “Yonda lies da cas’l of my fadd , da caliph…”?

In my early years in Hollywood I had a reputation as a ‘pretty-boy’ because of my baby blues and athletic build. Admittedly, I was easy on the eyes. In time I received recognition for my dramatic roles too. I was to have a 5 decade+ career as a film and TV star. I did have one Oscar-nomination role and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I was married 6 times and my daughter became a famous actress in her own right.

In a nod to my heritage I contributed a lot of money to rebuilding the ‘Great Synagogue’ in Budapest and founded an organization to restore synagogues and cemeteries in Hungary.

Eventually, good roles stopped being offered to me and ‘father time’ took its toll on my good looks. I abused alcohol and drifted into marijuana, uppers, downers, cocaine and dope. My severe case of cirrhosis of the liver led me to spend some time at
the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage. My detox stint there was rewarded by a successful rehabilitation.

In 2009 I came to Bookends on E. Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood (very near to the JHSNJ) to promote my autobiography and sign autographs. Did any of you come to see me? That’s me, ‘Josephine’, blowing on my sax in the photo below.

(1a)”Who Am I?” (1b)What were my parents’ first names? (2)How exactly did I choose my stage name? (3a)Who was that agent that got me that Hollywood interview? (3b) I starred in 2 movies with my first wife. What were the titles of those movies? (3c)What is the name of my famous actress daughter? (4a)What links me to a Beatles album? (4b)I played myself in 2 movies. What were the names of those 2 films? (4c)To aid in my rehabilitation I took up a hobby which I became rather good at. What was it? (5a)Who was my favorite actor? (5b)In what film did I mimic his iconic way of speaking? (5c) In what film did I actually co-star with my film idol?