Lewis J. Stadlen (born March 7, 1947) is an American stage and screen character actor. He is best known for playing Ira Fried in '' The Sopranos''.

Career

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, to voice actor

Allen Swift Ira Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American voice actor, best known for voicing cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the ''Underdog'' cartoon show. He took his pro ...

, Stadlen studied acting with Sanford Meisner and

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut as Groucho Marx in the

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

Minnie's Boys ''Minnie's Boys'' is a musical with a book by Arthur Marx (Groucho Marx's son) and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of the Marx Brothers and their relati ...

'' in 1970. Other noted Broadway roles include Senex in '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', Banjo in a revival of ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'', Milt in '' Laughter on the 23rd Floor,'' and Dr. Pangloss in the 1973 production of '' Candide''. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards during his career. '' The Time of Your Life'' was revived on March 17, 1972, at the Huntington Hartford Theater in Los Angeles where Stadlen,

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Thompson,

Strother Martin Strother Douglas Martin Jr. (March 26, 1919 – August 1, 1980) was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable pe ...

Gloria Grahame Gloria Grahame Hallward (November 28, 1923 – October 5, 1981) was an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. She began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in ''It's a Wond ...

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 19 ...

Richard X. Slattery Richard Xavier Slattery (June 26, 1925 – January 27, 1997) was an American character actor in film, theater and television. Slattery appeared in such films as '' A Distant Trumpet'', '' The Boston Strangler'', '' Walking Tall'', '' The No Merc ...

and

Pepper Martin Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive baserunning ab ...

were among the cast with

Edwin Sherin Edwin Sherin (January 15, 1930 – May 4, 2017) was an American director and producer. He is best known as the director and executive producer of the NBC drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1991–2005). Early life Sherin was ...

directing. His autobiography, ''Acting Foolish'', was published by Bear Manor in 2009.

Film and television credits

Stadlen's film credits include '' Portnoy's Complaint'' (1972), ''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...

'' (1973), ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...

'' (1982), ''

To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to: * ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''. Films and TV, theatre and books * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...

'' (1983), '' Windy City'' (1984), and '' In & Out'' (1997). On television, Stadlen had a regular role in the first season of '' Benson'' as John Taylor, Governor Gatling's chief of staff, before being replaced in the second season by René Auberjonois, who assumed the role of Clayton Endicott, Taylor's replacement as chief of staff, on the series. He also has appeared in '' Law & Order'' and '' The Sopranos''.

Film credits

Theatre credits

*''

'' (1970) *'' The Time of Your Life'' (1972) *''

The Sunshine Boys ''The Sunshine Boys'' is an original two-act play written by Neil Simon that premiered December 20, 1972 on Broadway starring Jack Albertson as Willie Clark and Sam Levene as Al Lewis and later adapted for film and television. Plot The pla ...

'' (1972) *'' Candide'' (1974 revival) *'' The Odd Couple'' (1985 revival) *'' Guys and Dolls'' (1992 national tour) *'' Laughter on the 23rd Floor'' (1993) *'' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (1996 revival) *''

Epic Proportions ''Epic Proportions'' is a play by Larry Coen and David Crane. Set in the 1930s, it tells the story of brothers Benny and Phil, who go to the Arizona desert to work as extras in the Biblical epic film ''Exeunt Omnes'', directed by the mysteriou ...

'' (1999) *''

'' (2000 revival) *'' 45 Seconds from Broadway'' (2001) *'' The Producers'' (2003) *'' The People in the Picture'' (2011) *'' The Nance'' (2013) *'' Fish in the Dark'' (2015) *'' The Front Page'' (2016 revival) *'' Hello, Dolly!'' (2018 national tour) *''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...

'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

*1970 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance (''Minnie's Boys'', winner) *1970

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

(''Minnie's Boys'', winner) *1974

Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did n ...

(''Candide'', nominee) *1996 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', nominee) *2001

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 19 ...

(''The Man Who Came to Dinner'', nominee)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stadlen, Lewis J. American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male film actors People from Brooklyn 1947 births Living people Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors