Charles Lewis Low (July 21, 1928 – September 18, 2017) was an American businessman and actor, known for his appearances in films starring his longtime friend and associate

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

Biography

Low was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Jewish immigrant parents. His mother was Russian, and his father was Austrian-Polish. He served in the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

and U.S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Major. Low worked as a real estate developer in the

Tribeca Tribeca ( ), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Str ...

neighborhood of

. He first met

in 1980, when the actor was a tenant in a building he owned. At the age of 44, he made his film debut opposite De Niro in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

’s '' The King of Comedy'', playing a bit part as a Chinese restaurant customer. He went on to play other small and supporting roles in films starring De Niro. He played young Deborah Gelly's (

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After a few more years of modeling, she began t ...

) father in ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' () is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone, and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produced by The Ladd Company, Emb ...

'' (1984), Don Cabeza in ''The Mission'' (1986), Morris "Morrie" Kessler in '' Goodfellas'' (1990), Freddy DiMario in ''

Night and the City ''Night and the City'' is a 1950 British film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepp ...

'' (1992), Bernie in ''

Mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

'' (1992), and the dance judge in '' Sleepers'' (1996). His portrayal of Morrie Kessler, a fictionalized version of

Lufthansa heist The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to US$28.32 million in 2024) was stolen, with $5 million i ...

participant

Martin Krugman The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to US$28.32 million in 2024) was stolen, with $5 million in ...

, gained him the most acclaim. The character of Morrie was famous for his "Morrie's Wig Shop" commercial which is seen as comical, and that coupled with his penchant for pestering Jimmy Conway about money leads most of the characters to see him as a nuisance, setting up his eventual murder by Tommy DeVito. Low also guest starred in a first-season episode of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', as Shlomo Teittleman. He can also be seen in Alan Taylor's 2003 film, ''

Kill the Poor "Kill the Poor" is a song by Dead Kennedys, released in October 1980 on Cherry Red Records as the band's third single, with "In-sight" as its B-side. The song is a satire of the elite, saying how if given the chance, they would use neutron bombs ...

''. Aside from his acting work, Lowe continued to work mainly in real estate. For many years, he was De Niro's real estate broker.

Death

Low died at a nursing home in

Allendale, New Jersey Allendale is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,848, the highest recorded in any United States Census, ...

on September 18, 2017. His remains are interred at

Beth David Cemetery Beth David Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 300 Elmont Road in Elmont, New York, United States. The cemetery was established in 1917. As of 2012, there were approximately 245,000 burials in the cemetery. Notable interments * Iris Apfel (1 ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Chuck 1928 births 2017 deaths American male film actors American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Polish descent American people of Russian descent Burials at Beth David Cemetery Jewish American male actors Male actors from New York City American landlords 21st-century American Jews