Job Actor, teacher, engineer
Years active 1934-1984
Known for Obscure foreign characterizations
Top Roles Gunga Din, High Lama, Henry Heusken, Professor Jacob Barnhardt, Gregory Simonson
Top GenresDrama, Romance, Adventure, Action, Film Noir, Comedy
Top TopicsBook-Based, Romance (Drama), New York
Top Collaborators , , (Director), (Director)
Shares birthday with Barry Fitzgerald, Gregory La Cava, Richard Haydn  see more..

Sam Jaffe Overview:

Character actor, Sam Jaffe, was born Shalom Jaffe on Mar 10, 1891 in New York City, NY. Jaffe died at the age of 93 on Mar 24, 1984 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and was laid to rest in Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.

MINI BIO:

Sam Jaffe looked wizened even in early middle age, and specialized in obscure foreign characterizations -- Tibetan, Indian, Russian, Israeli and Mexican were only a few. His film appearances were limited by his prolific stage work, but his roles have often been memorable, notably his native water-carrier in Gunga Din and his High Lama in Lost Horizon. He was married to actress Bettye Acherman (2nd of two wives) from 1955 until his death in 1984; she appeared with him during his years as Dr. Zorba in TV's Ben Casey. He was nominated for an Oscar in The Asphalt Jungle. He died from cancer.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Illustrated Dictionary of Film Character Actors).

HONORS and AWARDS:

.

Although Jaffe was nominated for one Oscar, he never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1950Best Supporting ActorThe Asphalt Jungle (1950)Dr. Erwin RiedenschneiderNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

Supporting Players:

By Amanda Garrett on Feb 25, 2015 From Old Hollywood Films

was one of old Hollywood's most sought after character actors appearing in films like Gunga Din (1939), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Ben Hur (1959), but he was also a talented composer and mathematician. Shalom Jaffe was born on March 10, 1891, in the Lower East Side of New ... Read full article


See all articles

Sam Jaffe Quotes:

Mayor Galimard: There will be reprisals!


Doc Riedenschneider: One way or another, we all work for our vice.


Dr. Francis Hunter: [In an alcoholic haze to Mike] You'll spoil the rhythm of Dr. Hunter's famous prescription for pickling the heart: one injection every 15 minutes.
[He finishes a shot of whiskey, and the bartender pours him three more]
Dr. Francis Hunter: The rhythm is very important.


read more quotes from Sam Jaffe...



Share this page:
Visit the Classic Movie Hub Blog CMH
Also a Pisces






See All Pisces >>
Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1950






See more Best Supporting Actor awards>>
Sam Jaffe Facts
His cousin Alma's grandson is NYC amateur comedian Jeremy Jacobs.

He was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist during the HUAC hearings. Although he had already been signed, 20th Century-Fox wanted to remove him from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Producer Julian Blaustein felt that Jaffe was so crucial for the role of the Albert Einstein-like Prof. Barnhardt that he appealed to studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck approved Jaffe for the role, but it was his last Hollywood film until the late 1950s.

See All Related Facts >>