Who is zero mostel

Israel already had four children from his first wife; he had four more children with Cina. Samuel, later known as Zero, was Israel's seventh child. Initially living in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, the family moved to Moodus, Connecticut, where they bought a farm.

The farm did not do well. When, according to Zero, an unyielding bank president with fierce mustache and long whip foreclosed the mortgage on the farm, the ten Mostels trekked back to New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where the boy attended public school, his character was shaped, and his father was employed as a wine chemist.

While not at poverty level, the family had to struggle financially. As a child, Mostel was described by his family as outgoing and lively, and with a developed sense of humor. He showed an intelligence and perception that convinced his father he had the makings of a rabbi; however, Mostel preferred painting and drawing, a passion he was to retain for life. According to Roger Butterfield, his mother made a practice of dressing the boy in a velvet suit and sending him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to copy masterpieces.

One afternoon, while a crowd was watching over his velvet-clad shoulder, he solemnly copied the whole painting upside down, delighting his audience. Already at a young age he developed the duality of character that baffled critics years later: when alone he was studious and quiet, but when observed he felt he had to be the center of attention, which he invariably did through use of humor.

The fact that at home he spoke English, Yiddish, Italian and German helped him reach out to audiences of many ethnicities in New York. He attended Public School , where he had been an A student this is in contrast to his later claim that he was nicknamed Zero after his grade average.

He also received professional training as a painter through The Educational Alliance. He completed his high school education at Seward Park High, where his yearbook voiced said: "A future Rembrandt… or perhaps a comedian? Mostel attended the City College of New York, a public college that allowed many poor students to pursue higher education.

Mostel belonged to the swimming team and the R. When he was commanded by the captain to stand at attention, the future comedian "started to crumple like an airless accordion. They attempted to detail him on special duty. I gotta get strong. I gotta get ready to die for dear old City College. As only beginner classes were available in art, Mostel took them repeatedly to be able to paint and receive professional feedback. In he married Clara Sverd, and the couple moved to an apartment in Brooklyn.

The marriage did not last, however, since Clara could not accept the many hours Mostel spent in his studio with his fellow artists, and he did not seem to be able to provide for her at the level to which she had been accustomed. They separated in and divorced in , Clara only agreeing to the divorce in return for a percentage of Mostel's earnings for the rest of his life. Leading groups of students through the many paintings, Mostel could not suppress his comedic nature, and his lectures were noted less for their artistic content, but more for his sense of humor.

As his reputation grew, he was invited to entertain at parties and other social occasions, earning three to five dollars per performance. Labor Union Social Clubs followed, where Mostel mixed his comic routine with social commentary.

These performances would play a large role in his eventual blacklisting in the next decade. He also made cameo appearances at the Yiddish theatre, the style of which influenced his own. In March , Mostel was drafted by the Army. His length of service is hard to determine as conflicting accounts exist—some say that he was released after six months due to colitis, others that he served to the end of the war.

At any rate it is apparent that he was honorably discharged and gave the troops many months of free entertainment through the USO until Their relationship was described by friends of the family as complicated, with many fights but having mutual adoration. The couple stayed together until Mostel's death, bearing two children: film actor Joshua Josh in and Tobias Toby in He appeared in a series of plays, musicals, operas and movies. In he even made an attempt at serious operatic acting in The Beggar's Opera , but received lukewarm reviews.

Mostel's rise was aided by his appearances on early TV in the late s. The early live TV show was featured in Life Magazine that year Oct - Nov , with pictures from the telecast, followed by Zero sending in a Letter to the Editor published in the Life magazine December issue thanking them for the free publicity.

An October Billboard article describes disputes between the show producer and DuMont on their not providing live studio audiences for the program which Zero needed to play off to perform at his peak. Zero also appears in the May 11, Toast of the Town broadcast hosted by Ed Sullivan, doing a hilarious and crazy routine as only he could. Zero married Kathryn Harkin, a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, on July 2, , an act that ruined his relationship with his Orthodox Jewish parents as his new wife was a gentile.

The two remained a married couple until his death and produced two sons: Josh Mostel , who was born in , and Tobias, who was born in In the post-war years, Zero began to branch-out as a straight actor. On October 19, , he made his television debut in the series "Off the Record," which was broadcast on the DuMont network, following it up with an appearance on October 26, In the movies, Zero often played heavies due to his physique, roles that downplayed his unique gift for comedy.

Zero had long been a leftist politically, and had made contributions to progressive causes. His nightclub act lampooned the red-baiters rampant at the time, and featured the character of a pompous senator called Polltax T. In a playful mood, he told the Committee that he was employed by "19th Century-Fox.

He told the Committee that he would gladly discuss his own conduct but was prohibited by religious convictions from naming others. Consequently, he was blacklisted during the s.

Shut-out from the movies, he also lost many lucrative nightclub gigs, and he had to make due by playing gigs for meager salaries and by selling his paintings. Kazan said Mostel chided him for putting Mostel through the paces in "Panic in the Streets," forcing him to run more than he ever had. The two retired to a bar, and as they began to drink, s Mostel kept muttering, in reference to Kazan's naming names before HUAC, "Ya shouldn't a done that.

Ya shouldn't a done that. Mostel's performance as Leopold Bloom, Joyce's Jewish Everyman, was a great hit with audiences and critics alike, and he won an "Obie," the Off-Broadway equivalent of a Tony. Zero also starred in productions of "Nighttown" in London and Paris.

By the end of , Zero again was appearing on television, cast in the "Play of the Week" episode "The World of Sholom Aleichem," which was broadcast on December 14, in syndication. He also was cast in a Broadway play, "The Good Soup.

His left leg was severely injured, and required four operations. Zero was in the hospital for five months but regained the use of the leg. He made a triumphant return to Broadway in the fall of , starring in Ionesco's absurdist tour-de-force "Rhinoceros," for which he won a Tony award.

He was cast in another "Play of the Week" episode, this time in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," which was broadcast on April 3, in syndication. Zero and his friend Jack Gilford , who had also been blacklisted due to Jerome Robbins having named names and hadn't worked for many years, were both cast in the Broadway musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. When Stephen Sondheim pitched Robbins to producer Harold Prince as the savior of "Forum," which was floundering in its out-of-town tryouts, Prince phoned Mostel to ask whether he would be prepared to work with Robbins.

Robbins made the rounds of the cast, shaking hands. When he got to Mostel, there was silence. Then Mostel boomed, "Hiya, Loose Lips! Robbins was uncredited for staging and choreographing "Forum," which opened at the Alvin Theatre on May 8, Zero followed up this triumph with his legendary turn as Tevye, the milkman with marriageable daughters in "Fiddler on the Roof," based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem.

It's the name. One reason I became Zero was so if I accomplished only a middle level of fame, I still wouldn't be a zero. If you know my name, how can I be a zero? Smart, huh? In , Zero made his Broadway debut in Keep 'Em Laughing , which ran for 77 performances and was a hit. In , Mostel served briefly in the army but was honorably discharged due to an unknown physical disability.

He remained overseas during the remainder of the war to entertain troops. After returning home from serving the troops, he married Kathryn Harkin in Harkin was a New York City Rockette.

Kathryn and Mostel had two sons, Josh and Tobias. They stayed together until Mostel's death in Mostel's career as an actor took off.

He made his television debut in the series Off the Road on October 19, He won his first Oscar in for this film. In , Jerome Robbins called Mostel a communist because of his leftist views.

Mostel denied being a communist and refused to name names. He was blacklisted because of this, along with many other actors and artists at the time. Being blacklisted resulted in losing gigs at nightclubs and having a difficult time finding roles. In order to get by, Mostel had to play small gigs for little pay and sell his paintings. In , Mostel lucked out and was offered the lead role in Burgess Meredith's production of Ulysses in Nighttown.

His performance as Leopold Bloom landed him an Obie award, and he starred in productions of Nighttown in London and Paris. After being out of television for about four years, Mostel was again making appearances.

In January , Mostel was hit by a bus, which resulted in a severe leg injury that required multiple surgeries and a five month stay in the hospital to regain use of his leg.