Cliff Osmond (born Clifford Osman Ebrahim; February 26, 1937 – December 22, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

and television screenwriter. A parallel career as an acting teacher coincided with his other activities.

Early life

Osmond was born in the Margaret Hague Medical Center in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Union City, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Thomas A. Edison grammar school, Emerson High School, and

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

(

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

). He received his master's degree in Business Administration from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. in the field of Theater History at UCLA.

Career

He starred in four films directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

, including ''

Irma la Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

'', ''

Kiss Me, Stupid ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' is a 1964 American sex comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the play ''L'ora della fantasia'' (''Th ...

'' (1964), ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative UK title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matthau ...

'' and ''

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot The ...

''. Osmond played Pap in the 1981 television adaptation for ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''. Osmond appeared in over one hundred films and television series. During that period he guest-starred at least half a dozen times on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' and in the 1965 episode "Yahoo" of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's '' Laredo''. He played a vengeful blind man in the “None So Blind” episode of

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show wa ...

in 1962, and was cast in " The Gift", (1962) of the original ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

''. He played a hippie in '' Ironside'' (1968) and appeared as well on ''

Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's thir ...

'' (1974), ''

The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The Emi ...

'' (1974), as a plumber's apprentice on work release from prison in ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' (1975). As a screenwriter, Osmond was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award for writing an episode of '' Streets of San Francisco'' (1973). He also wrote and directed the film '' The Penitent''. Osmond received a Best Actor award for his UCLA performance of Berthold Brecht's ''

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during Ancient Near East, antiquity. From its use among people, it cam ...

'', and the Joseph Jefferson acting award for a Chicago stage appearance in Shaw's '' You Never Can Tell''. In addition to his acting and writing careers, Osmond was an acting teacher and coach in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and San Francisco. In the fall of 2004, he was visiting professor in acting and Guest Resident Artist at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, teaching two acting courses and directing

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

''. In 2010, he wrote a book about his career and acting: ''Acting Is Living: Exploring the Ten Essential Elements in any Successful Performance''.

Death

Osmond died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on December 22, 2012.

Filmography

*''

'' (1962) - None So Blind *'

'' (1962) - Bartender (uncredited) *''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

'' (1962) "The John Bernard Story" - Ben Gill *''

Irma La Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

'' (1963) - Police Sergeant *'' Have Gun, Will Travel (February 22, 1963) - "Caravan" - Koro *'' The Raiders'' (1963) - Private Jean Duchamps *''

Wild and Wonderful ''Wild and Wonderful'' is a 1964 comedy film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann. The screenplay concerns a clever French poodle named Monsieur Cognac, and the dog's effect on the newly married couple po ...

'' (1964) - Hercule - Giselle's Uncle *''

'' (1964) - Barney *'' Laredo'' (1965, TV) - Midas Mantee / Running Antelope *''

'' (1966) - Purkey *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' (1967,TV) - Andante *''Three Guns for Texas'' (1968) - Running Antelope *''

The Devil's 8 ''The Devil's 8'' is a 1969 film directed by Burt Topper and starring Christopher George, Fabian, Tom Nardini and Leslie Parrish. It was produced and distributed by American International Pictures. Plot Federal agent Ray Faulkner poses as a ro ...

'' (1969) - Bubba *'' Sweet Sugar'' (1972) - Burgos *''

Invasion of the Bee Girls ''Invasion of the Bee Girls'' (UK video title: ''Graveyard Tramps'') is a 1973 American science fiction film. The first film venture for writer Nicholas Meyer, it was directed by Denis Sanders and stars William Smith, Anitra Ford and Victori ...

'' (1973) - Captain Peters *'' Oklahoma Crude'' (1973) - Massive Man *''

'' (1974) - Jacobi *''

Sharks' Treasure ''Sharks' Treasure'' is a 1975 American adventure film written, produced and directed by Cornel Wilde and starring Cornel Wilde and Yaphet Kotto. Plot Eccentric charter skipper Jim Carnahan (Cornel Wilde) and his team of hard-luck dreamers bat ...

'' (1975) - Lobo *''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situatio ...

'' (1975) - S4Ep5 - Clide *''

Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psy ...

'' (1975) - S5Ep3 - Leonard de Paolo *''Joe Panther'' (1976) - Rance *''

Guardian of the Wilderness ''Guardian of the Wilderness'' is a 1976 theatrical narrative film (often alternatively titled ''Mountain Man'') directed by David O'Malley about the true story of Galen Clark, an explorer who successfully campaigned to have the Yosemite area se ...

'' (1976) - McCollough *''

The Mouse and His Child ''The Mouse and His Child'' is a novel by Russell Hoban first published in 1967. It has been described as "a classic of children's literature and is the book for which Hoban is best known."Awl, DaveThe Mouse and His Child (1967): a novel by Russ ...

'' (1977) - C. Serpentina (voice) *''

The Great Brain ''The Great Brain'' is a series of children's books by United States, American author John D. Fitzgerald, John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906–1988). Set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitz ...

'' (1978) - Mr. Kokovinis *''

The North Avenue Irregulars ''The North Avenue Irregulars'' is a 1979 American comedy crime film produced by Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company, and starring Edward Herrmann, Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine and Susan Clark. Don Tait ...

'' (1979) - Big Chin *''

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again ''The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again'' is a 1979 American comedy-Western film directed by Vincent McEveety. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, it is a sequel to '' The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975), starring the comedy duo of Tim Conway and Do ...

'' (1979) - Wes Hardin (Bank-robber) *''

Beggarman, Thief ''Beggarman, Thief'' is a 1977 novel written by Irwin Shaw. It was a sequel to his 1970 bestseller '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' and focuses on the surviving Jordache siblings, Gretchen and Rudolph; their deceased brother Thomas' teenage son Wesley Jor ...

'' (1979, TV) - Sagerac *'' Hangar 18'' (1980) - Sheriff Barlow *''

The Adventures of Nellie Bly ''The Adventures of Nellie Bly'' is a 1981 American made-for-television drama film starring Linda Purl as 19th century journalist Nellie Bly and human rights crusader. The film was directed by Henning Schellerup. It was filmed in 1979 and aired on ...

'' (1981, TV) - Stanfil *''Lone Star Sports Bar & Grill'' (1983) - Cal *'' In Search of a Golden Sky'' (1984) - Russ McGuire *''For Which He Stands'' (1996) - Javier Chavez (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Cliff 1937 births 2012 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey People from Union City, New Jersey Male actors from Los Angeles Dartmouth College alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Georgetown University faculty American memoirists Western (genre) television actors