Fritz Weaver 1926-2016

[Swithin]

I am deeply saddened to report that Fritz Weaver, my good friend and a great actor and lovely man, passed away today at the age of 90. His career spanned theater, film, television, the classics, new drama, and musical theater. A great actor and a great man.

 

 

 

[LawrenceA]

Ah, man, that's terrible. I was always a fan, from movies like Fail Safe, Marathon Man, and Creepshow to stand-out roles in many TV series like The Twilight Zone and the very best episode of Tales from the Darkside.

 

90 years is a good run, though.

 

 

[Dargo]

I still remember his excellent performance in the acclaimed 1978 television miniseries "Holocaust".

 

(...R.I.P. Mr. Weaver)

[jakeem]

His sister, Mary Weaver Dodson, died in February in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 83. She was an Emmy Award-nominated art director who worked for TV series ranging from "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" to "Murder, She Wrote" to "Full House." She was the widow of actor Jack Dodson (1931-1994), who played Howard Sprague on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry R.F.D." 

 

[jakeem]

One of Weaver's noteworthy final roles was his portrayal of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black (1886-1971) in the 2013 HBO movie "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight." The Emmy Award-nominated drama recounted the High Court's 1971 deliberations of the once-and-future heavyweight champion's decision to resist the military draft on religious grounds.

 

[Sepiatone]

Sorry for the loss of your friend, Swithin.

 

And sorry to learn of the passing of another of those familiar and well liked faces from many venues. 

 

So far this weekend, FIDEL CASTRO is the ONLY one who left that DIDN'T sadden me.

 

Sepiatone

[EricJ]

I mostly knew Fritz Weaver's voice from the Broadway "Baker Street" (since, being raised in the house of a Holmes fan, we'd gotten Dad the cast album, and grew up listening to it)--

It was only later that I could recognize him as a staple of 50's and 60's TV.

 

Everyone probably remembers Fritz as declaring Burgess Meredith "obsolete" in the Twilight Zone episode, or the escaping rocket scientist, but I remember him as a terrorist given the one of the IMF's more all-time ingeniously convoluted plots in the first season of "Mission: Impossible" (before Peter Graves came on):

 

[scsu1975]

 

 

Everyone probably remembers Fritz as declaring Burgess Meredith "obsolete" in the Twilight Zone episode, or the escaping rocket scientist, but I remember him as a terrorist given the one of the IMF's more all-time ingeniously convoluted plots in the first season of "Mission: Impossible" (before Peter Graves came on):

 

He was in several episodes of "Mission: Impossible," including "Illusion," in which he got to make out with Barbara Bain. Lucky stiff.

[rayban]

I loved him, I especially remember him in the Broadway production of "Child's Play".

 

His portrayal of the school teacher was just so memorable.

 

Watching classic TV series lately, I had not realized that he had done so much of what it now classic TV.

 

I got a kick out of him as an out-and-out villain in an episode of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

 

And, in one of the classic TV Westerns, he gave a superb performance as a Morman who was thought to have a wife and a daughter, but instead actually had two wives.

 

When I was studying acting at the HB Studio, I remember my acting teacher, Uta Hagen, commenting on his outstanding talent.

 

RIP, Mr. Weaver, you will be missed.

 

[wouldbestar]

I am sorry to see this.  His work was always so good.

 

That episode about the Mormons was from The Big Valley.  I've seen it many times and he makes you feel for his character even though he's wrong. 

 

While I'm saddened by his death because I'm a fan, you, Swithin, must be really hurting.  So often we forget that these people are people with family and friends who love and care about them and grieve in cases like this.  Take comfort in your memories and the great work he left all of us.

 

Rayban:  You trained with Uta Hagen?  How did you get to be so blessed?  Is there anything of yours that we can watch?

[rayban]

I am sorry to see this.  His work was always so good.

 

That episode about the Mormons was from The Big Valley.  I've seen it many times and he makes you feel for his character even though he's wrong. 

 

While I'm saddened by his death because I'm a fan, you, Swithin, must be really hurting.  So often we forget that these people are people with family and friends who love and care about them and grieve in cases like this.  Take comfort in your memories and the great work he left all of us.

 

Rayban:  You trained with Uta Hagen?  How did you get to e so blessed?  Is there anything of yours that we can watch?

I trained with Herbert Berghof, Irene Dailey and Uta Hagen.

 

However, my favorite teacher was Irene Dailey (sister of Dan Dailey).

 

I did a season of summer stock, where my favorite roles were in "The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs" and "Sunrise At Campobello".

 

Then, I played The Boy in a planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry".

 

Then, I was one of the leads in a film, "A Stone In The Pool".

 

But, because I didn't get along with the director, I wasn't written out of the film's publicity.

 

And I never found out what happened to the film.

 

However, I was never comfortable as an actor.

 

And, when I won a scholarship to the HB Studio on the strength of my performance in the planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry",  I decided that I was going to give acting up.

 

C'est la vie!

 

What can I say?

 

Would I do it differently?

 

Yes, I probably would.

[wouldbestar]

Rayban wrote: 

However, my favorite teacher was Irene Dailey (sister of Dan Dailey).

 

I remember her from her days on Another World.  She really knew her craft.

[rayban]

Rayban wrote: 

However, my favorite teacher was Irene Dailey (sister of Dan Dailey).

 

I remember her from her days on Another World.  She really knew her craft.

I also saw her twice as the mother in the Broadway production of "The Subject Was Roses".

[Swithin]

In addition to being a great teacher, Uta Hagen was a highly acclaimed actress. She won Tony Awards for her performances in The Country Girl and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, creating the roles of Georgie and Martha, respectively, in those plays. She also played Desdemona in a famous production of Othello, with Paul Robeson in the lead role.

 

 

 

Uta Hagen and Fritz Weaver were professional colleagues and great friends.

[NipkowDisc]

A great prolific TV performer.

 

I think tcm oughta give us a Fritz Weaver double header tribute, The Demon Seed (1977) and Creepshow (1982)

[NipkowDisc]

I still remember his excellent performance in the acclaimed 1978 television miniseries "Holocaust".

 

(...R.I.P. Mr. Weaver)

he was a great, great prolific actor. always like him and he was always a dependable episodic TV villain.

[rosebette]

I mostly knew Fritz Weaver's voice from the Broadway "Baker Street" (since, being raised in the house of a Holmes fan, we'd gotten Dad the cast album, and grew up listening to it)--

It was only later that I could recognize him as a staple of 50's and 60's TV.

 

Everyone probably remembers Fritz as declaring Burgess Meredith "obsolete" in the Twilight Zone episode, or the escaping rocket scientist, but I remember him as a terrorist given the one of the IMF's more all-time ingeniously convoluted plots in the first season of "Mission: Impossible" (before Peter Graves came on):

 

My dad bought us the Baker Street album in the late 60s and my sister and I played it until it wore out.  What a delightful show.  It would be fun to revive it, especially as Sherlock Holmes is somewhat in vogue now.  

[Guest TCMModerator1]

Merged the 'Actor Fritz Weaver dies at 90' with this thread.

[laffite]

I trained with Herbert Berghof, Irene Dailey and Uta Hagen.

 

However, my favorite teacher was Irene Dailey (sister of Dan Dailey).

 

I did a season of summer stock, where my favorite roles were in "The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs" and "Sunrise At Campobello".

 

Then, I played The Boy in a planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry".

 

Then, I was one of the leads in a film, "A Stone In The Pool".

 

But, because I didn't get along with the director, I wasn't written out of the film's publicity.

 

And I never found out what happened to the film.

 

However, I was never comfortable as an actor.

 

And, when I won a scholarship to the HB Studio on the strength of my performance in the planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry",  I decided that I was going to give acting up.

 

C'est la vie!

 

What can I say?

 

Would I do it differently?

 

Yes, I probably would.

 

This is OT so I'm asking to PM me if you have a comment:

 

I took a class at that Banks Street studio. I don't remember the name of the teacher but she was very encouraging and very nice to me. I have a last name the same as a traditional, long-standing product on the market still today. One day she asked me if I were associated with that company with that family and I dutifully told her no (I'm not). Then she went cold, her attitude seemed to change towards me. There's an unseemly assumption there which I won't affirm as true because I could be wrong about it. She was a wonderful teacher, not Uta Hagen though. One of her favorite terms and that she used often is "slice of life." We are talking about the slice of life in this scene. Could that have been Irene? This was in about '84-'85.

[NipkowDisc]

Merged the 'Actor Fritz Weaver dies at 90' with this thread.

thanks TCMModerator1, I had posted that before seeing this thread.

[laffite]

Merged the 'Actor Fritz Weaver dies at 90' with this thread.

 

A post of mine got lost in the merge. Please say a word of condolences for me while I pout. Someone even LIKED it. I don't remember what is about.

 

La vie est dure, which is French for c'est la vie.

 

Waaaahhh

 

[Princess of Tap]

I trained with Herbert Berghof, Irene Dailey and Uta Hagen.

 

However, my favorite teacher was Irene Dailey (sister of Dan Dailey).

 

I did a season of summer stock, where my favorite roles were in "The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs" and "Sunrise At Campobello".

 

Then, I played The Boy in a planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry".

 

Then, I was one of the leads in a film, "A Stone In The Pool".

 

But, because I didn't get along with the director, I wasn't written out of the film's publicity.

 

And I never found out what happened to the film.

 

However, I was never comfortable as an actor.

 

And, when I won a scholarship to the HB Studio on the strength of my performance in the planned revival of "Teach Me How To Cry", I decided that I was going to give acting up.

 

C'est la vie!

 

What can I say?

 

Would I do it differently?

 

Yes, I probably would.

 

Rayban-- did you play the Jewish boy in Inge's the Dark at the Top of the Stairs?

[darkblue]

Hmm - so Fritz dies this week.

 

And Robert Vaughn died week before last.

 

Not sure how comfortable Julie Christie may be feeling right now.

[rayban]

Rayban-- did you play the Jewish boy in Inge's the Dark at the Top of the Stairs?

No, I didn't play Sammy Goldenbaum; I played Punky Givens.

[NipkowDisc]

No, I didn't play Sammy Goldenbaum; I played Punky Givens.

you're dennis whitcomb?