Myron G. Nussbaum (born December 29, 1923) is an American actor and director.
Early years
Nussbaum was born to a Jewish family and grew up in the
Albany Park area of Chicago. He married soon after he returned to Chicago following military service during World War II. His Army assignments included being chief of the message centre for
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in which role he dispatched the official notification of Germany's surrender. For 20 years, he worked with his brother-in-law in an extermination business.
Career
Nussbaum's acting career started in community theater in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he was active in a developing professional theatrical community in Chicago, meeting a young
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...
in the process.
He appeared in many of Mamet's plays both on and off Broadway, as well as in Chicago. His films include ''
Field of Dreams
''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel '' Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...
'', ''
House of Games
''House of Games'' is a 1987 American neo-noir heist thriller film directed by David Mamet, his directorial debut. He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story he co-wrote with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crouse, Joe Man ...
'', ''
Things Change'', ''
Fatal Attraction
''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film centers ...
'' and ''
Men In Black
In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi-government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses t ...
''.
As a director, his work has included ''Where Have You Gone, Jimmy Stewart?'' (2002) by
Art Shay
Art Shay (March 31, 1922 – April 28, 2018) was an American photographer and writer.
Biography
Born in 1922, Shay grew up in the Bronx and then served as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, during which he flew 52 bomber ...
.
Nussbaum also appeared in local TV commercials for Chicago's Northwest Federal Savings
(with the jingle, "It's Northwest Federal Savings time, sixty-three hours a week"). He also did national commercials for United Airlines and Scope mouthwash.
[
As of April 2019, Nussbaum was still acting at the age of 95.
]
Personal life
Nussbaum was married to Annette Brenner from 1949 until her death in 2003. He married Julie Brudlos in 2004. He has 3 children with his first wife, Jack, Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
, and Susan.
Recognition
Nussbaum received the folliwing Jeff Award
The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater star ...
s:
Filmography
*'' The Monitors'' (1969) as Exercise Chief
*''T.R. Baskin
''T.R. Baskin'' (known as ''A Date with a Lonely Girl'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1971 American drama film directed by Herbert Ross. It stars Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd and James Caan.
The screenplay by Peter Hyams focuses on a ...
'' (1971) as Office Manager
*''Harry and Tonto
''Harry and Tonto'' is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky. It features Art Carney as Harry in an Oscar-winning performance. Tonto is his pet cat.
Plot
Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is an elderly ...
'' (1974) as Old Age Home Clerk
*''Towing
Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...
'' (1978) as Phil
*''House of Games
''House of Games'' is a 1987 American neo-noir heist thriller film directed by David Mamet, his directorial debut. He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story he co-wrote with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crouse, Joe Man ...
'' (1987) as Joey
*''Fatal Attraction
''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film centers ...
'' (1987) as Bob Drimmer
*'' Things Change'' (1988) as Mr. Green
*''Field of Dreams
''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel '' Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...
'' (1989) as Principal
*''Desperate Hours
''Desperate Hours'' is a 1990 American neo-noir action thriller film, and a remake of the 1955 William Wyler crime drama of the same title. Both films are based on the 1954 novel by Joseph Hayes, who also co-wrote the script for this film wi ...
'' (1990) as Mr. Nelson
*''Gladiator
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' (1992) as Doctor
*''Losing Isaiah
''Losing Isaiah'' is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. It is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Margolis. The screenplay is written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The original ...
'' (1995) as Dr. Jamison
*''Steal Big Steal Little
''Steal Big Steal Little'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Andy García in dual roles. It also features Alan Arkin and Joe Pantoliano.
Plot
Mild-mannered, unassuming Ruben Martinez has a slick, unscrupulous t ...
'' (1995) as Sam Barlow, Clifford Downey's Attorney
*''Men In Black
In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi-government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses t ...
'' (1997) as Gentle Rosenberg
*''Early Edition
''Early Edition'' is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each ''Chicago Sun-Times'' ...
'' (1997) - Yuri Rosanov
*'' The Game of Their Lives'' (2005) as Johnny Abruzzo
*''Dirty Work'' (2006) as Gaga
*''Osso Bucco'' (2008) as Uncle Sil
*''Tom of Your Life
''Tom of Your Life'' is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Jeremy Sklar, starring Jeremy Sklar, Baize Buzan, Dominic Rescigno, Joshua Paul and Judah Abner Paul.
Cast
* Baize Buzan as Jess
* Levi Emerson Paul as Tom (4)
* Judah Abner ...
'' (2020) as Father McMurphy
References
External links
Personal remembrances
Illinois Arts Alliance Arts Legend citation
Goodman Theatre Artist Bio
Mike Nussbaum Is 90 and Can Do More Pushups than You
*
Mike Nussbaum Papers
a
the Newberry Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nussbaum, Mike
1923 births
Living people
Jewish American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Chicago
American military personnel of World War II
21st-century American Jews