Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor who starred as the

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

Julius No Dr. Julius No is a Character (arts), fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1958 ''James Bond'' Dr. No (novel), novel and its 1962 film adaptation ''Dr. No (film), Dr. No'', the first of the series, in which he was portrayed by Joseph ...

in the first

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film, '' Dr. No'' in 1962. Wiseman was also known for his role as Manny Weisbord on the TV series '' Crime Story'', and his career on Broadway. He was once called "the spookiest actor in the American theatre."

Early life

Wiseman was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada, to parents, Louis and Pearl Wiseman and was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. At age 16, he began performing in summer stock and became professional, which displeased his parents. He was an alumnus of John Adams High School,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York, (graduated June 1935), as was his ''Dr. No'' co-star, Jack Lord.

Career

Wiseman made his Broadway debut in 1938, playing a small part in Robert E. Sherwood's '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois''. Among the many productions he appeared in live theatre, were the title role in ''In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' on Broadway in 1968, and the role of Father Massieu in the original Broadway production of '' Joan of Lorraine'', the Maxwell Anderson play which eventually became the film ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

''. Wiseman appeared in several films in the 1950s. He made his first major film appearance in 1951's '' Detective Story'', where he recreated his performance from Broadway as an unstable small-time hood. Soon after, he played

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

's archenemy in '' Viva Zapata!'' (1952). Wiseman's role as the titular Dr. No in the first James Bond film by Eon Productions was a decision of producer Harry Saltzman, who cast Wiseman in the role in December 1961. It was Wiseman's performance in '' Detective Story'' that gained him the part. (Later in his life, he viewed the film with disdain, and preferred to be remembered for his theater career.) In 1967, he was cast as Billy Minsky's father in '' The Night They Raided Minsky's''; later he appeared opposite

Sir Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage o ...

in '' The Betsy'' (1978). Wiseman had roles in a wide variety of other films: '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'', '' Seize the Day'', ''

Bye Bye Braverman ''Bye Bye Braverman'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Herbert Sargent was adapted from the 1964 novel ''To an Early Grave'' by Wallace Markfield. Plot When minor writer Leslie Braverman dies suddenly ...

''. He had guest-starring and cameo roles in TV series including '' The Westerner'', ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'', '' The Untouchables'', '' Crime Story'', ''

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, sup ...

'' ("

One More Pallbearer " One More Pallbearer" is episode 82 of the American television anthology series '' The Twilight Zone'', and was the 17th episode of the third season. The episode originally aired on January 12, 1962, was written by series creator/showrunner Rod ...

"), '' Magnum, P.I.'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', and '' Night Gallery''. His last film was released in 1988, though he appeared in TV shows such as '' MacGyver'', '' L.A. Law'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' after that time. Wiseman's last appearance on television was the supporting role of Seymour Bergreen on a 1996 episode of ''

'' titled
Family Business
. His last Broadway appearance was in '' Judgment at Nuremberg'' in 2001. Following the death of Charles Gray in 2000, Wiseman was the last surviving main

of the James Bond films which

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

made for

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

Personal life and death

Wiseman married Nell Kinard on August 25, 1943, in New York, but they eventually divorced May 15, 1964, in Durham, NC. He was married to dancer, teacher, and choreographer Pearl Lang from 1964 until her death in February 2009. Wiseman died on October 19, 2009, at his home in Manhattan aged 91, having been in declining health for some time. He is survived by his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, and his sister, Ruth Wiseman.

Filmography

* '' With These Hands'' (1950) as Mike Deleo * '' Detective Story'' (1951) as Charley Gennini * '' Viva Zapata!'' (1952) as Fernando Aguirre * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (1952) as Genflou * '' Champ for a Day'' (1953) as Dominic Guido * '' The Silver Chalice'' (1954) as Mijamin * '' The Prodigal'' (1955) as Carmish * ''

Three Brave Men ''Three Brave Men'' is a 1956 drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Ray Milland and Ernest Borgnine. The film was based on real-life events arising in Greenbelt, Maryland,Knepper, Cathy D. ''Greenbelt, Maryland: A Living Legacy of the ...

'' (1956) as Jim Barron * '' The Garment Jungle'' (1957) as George Kovan * '' The Unforgiven'' (1960) as Abe Kelsey * ''

The Happy Thieves ''The Happy Thieves'' is a 1961 American crime/ comedy-drama film starring Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth, and directed by George Marshall. The film is based on the novel '' The Oldest Confession'' by Richard Condon. The film was poorly received ...

'' (1961) as Jean Marie Calbert * '' Dr. No'' (1962) as Dr. Julius No * ''

'' (1968) as Felix Ottensteen * '' The Counterfeit Killer'' (1968) as Rajeski * '' The Night They Raided Minsky's'' (1968) as Louis Minsky * '' Stiletto'' (1969) as Emilio Matteo * '' The Mask of Sheba'' (1970) as Bondelok * '' Lawman'' (1971) as Lucas * '' The Valachi Papers'' (1972) as Salvatore Maranzano * '' Pursuit'' (1972) as Dr. Nordmann * '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1974) as Benjy Kravitz * '' Journey into Fear'' (1975) as Col. Haki * ''

Murder at the World Series ''Murder at the World Series'' is a 1977 American TV movie starring Lynda Day George, Murray Hamilton, and Karen Valentine and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Plot A psychopath, once rejected for membership of the Houston Astros, plans revenge ...

'' (1977) as Sam Druckman * '' The Betsy'' (1978) as Jake Weinstein * '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1979) as Draco * ''

Jaguar Lives! ''Jaguar Lives!'' is a 1979 American action film directed by Ernest Pintoff and starring Joe Lewis, Christopher Lee, Donald Pleasence and Barbara Bach. Its plot follows a secret agent who battles an international drugs ring. Plot Cast * J ...

'' (1979) as Ben Ashir * '' Masada'' (1981) as Jerahmeel * '' Seize the Day'' (1986) as Dr. Adler

TV (Selected)

* '' The Untouchables'': Episode: "The Antidote" (1961) as Russell Shield * '' The Untouchables'': Episode: "The Tommy Karpeles Story" (1961) as Albert Maris * ''

'': Episode: "

" (1962) as Paul Radin * ''

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 ...

'': Episode: "The Santiago Quesada Story" (1964) as Jim Case * ''Men of the Dragon'' (1974 ABC Movie of the Week) as Balashev * ''

QB VII ''QB VII'' by Leon Uris is a dramatic courtroom novel published in 1970. The four-part novel highlights the events leading to a libel trial in the United Kingdom. The novel was Uris's second consecutive #1 ''New York Times'' Best Seller and thi ...

'' (1974, Mini-series) as Morris Cady * '' Greatest American Hero'': Episode: "Don't Mess Around with Jim" (1981) as James J. Beck * '' Magnum, P.I.'': Episode: "Birdman of Budapest" (1983) as Dr. Albert Tessa * '' A-Team: Episode: "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1984) as Zeke Westerland * '' The Equalizer'': Episode: "The Confirmation Day" (1985) as Eddie Vanessi * '' Crime Story'' (1988) as Manny Weisbord * '' MacGyver'': Episode: "The Battle of Tommy Giordano" (1989) as Joe Catano * '' L.A. Law'': Season 8, Episode 22, "Finish Line" (1994) as Isidore Schoen * ''

'': Season 7, Episode 8, "Family Business" (1996) as Seymour Bergreen (final appearance)

References

External links

* * * *
The O'Neill Theater Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Joseph 1918 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian male film actors Actors from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Quebec Male actors from Montreal Male actors from New York City Université de Montréal alumni John Adams High School (Queens) alumni Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors