William B. "Willy" Switkes (November 12, 1929 – March 7, 2013) was an American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films throughout his career. He appeared in a notable scene as a passenger in a taxi cab with

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

in the 1982 comedic film, ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...

''. In the scene, Switkes was thrown from the taxi when his character attempted to cut in front of Hoffman's. He was born in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

in 1929. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1955, where he resided for most of his life, to pursue acting. Switkes film credits also included roles in '' The Arrangement'' in 1969, ''

Bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

'' in 1971, '' The French Connection'' in 1971, ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...

'' in 1976, ''

An Unmarried Woman ''An Unmarried Woman'' is a 1978 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates and Michael Murphy. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original ...

'' in 1978, '' Dressed to Kill'' in 1980, '' Playing for Keeps'' in 1986, and '' Ghostbusters II'' in 1989. Switkes also enjoyed a long career in

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. He was the

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...

of Buster Keaton in ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

'' in 1960, in which he also played the Wizard 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 ...

. he co-starred as Smee in the touring production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' opposite Cathy Rigby, who played

. His other Broadway productions included ''A Country Scandal'', '' A Thousand Clowns'', ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'', ''

Saint Joan of the Stockyards ''Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' (german: Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe, links=no) is a play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht between 1929 and 1931, after the success of his musical ''The Threepenny Opera'' and d ...

'', ''

Sly Fox ''Sly Fox'' is a comedic play by Larry Gelbart, based on Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' (''The Fox''), updating the setting from Renaissance Venice to 19th century San Francisco, and changing the tone from satire to farce. The play revolves around the ...

'', and '' What the Butler Saw''. Willy Switkes died from colon cancer at Montgomery Hospice Casey House in Rockville, Maryland, on March 7, 2013, at the age 83.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Switkes, Willy 1929 births 2013 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Male actors from New York City