Cliff Osmond (born Clifford Osman Ebrahim; February 26, 1937 – December 22, 2012) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

and television screenwriter. A parallel career as an acting teacher coincided with his other activities.

Early life

Osmond was born in the Margaret Hague Medical Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, and reared in Union City, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Thomas A. Edison grammar school, Emerson High School, and

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

(

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

). He received his master's degree in Business Administration from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

and advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. in the field of Theater History at UCLA.

Career

He starred in four films directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

, including ''

Irma la Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Al ...

'', ''

Kiss Me, Stupid ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' is a 1964 American sex comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the play ''L'ora della fantasia'' (''The D ...

'' (1964), ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative UK title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matth ...

'' and ''

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot Th ...

''. Osmond played Pap in the 1981 television adaptation for ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''. Osmond appeared in over one hundred films and television series. During that period he guest-starred at least half a dozen times on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' and in the 1965 episode "Yahoo" of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

's '' Laredo''. He played a vengeful blind man in the “None So Blind” episode of

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

in 1962, and was cast in " The Gift", (1962) of the original ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television program, television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dysto ...

''. He played a hippie in '' Ironside'' (1968) and appeared as well on ''

Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's thi ...

'' (1974), ''

The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The ...

'' (1974), as a plumber's apprentice on work release from prison in ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' (1975). As a screenwriter, Osmond was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award for writing an episode of ''

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 ...

'' (1973). He also wrote and directed the film '' The Penitent''. Osmond received a Best Actor award for his UCLA performance of Berthold Brecht's ''

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", " lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied ...

'', and the Joseph Jefferson acting award for a Chicago stage appearance in Shaw's '' You Never Can Tell''. In addition to his acting and writing careers, Osmond was an acting teacher and coach in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and San Francisco. In the fall of 2004, he was visiting professor in acting and Guest Resident Artist at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, teaching two acting courses and directing

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

''. In 2010, he wrote a book about his career and acting: ''Acting Is Living: Exploring the Ten Essential Elements in any Successful Performance''.

Death

Osmond died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...

on December 22, 2012.

Filmography

*''

'' (1962) - None So Blind *'

'' (1962) - Bartender (uncredited) *''

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 ...

'' (1962) "The John Bernard Story" - Ben Gill *''

Irma La Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Al ...

'' (1963) - Police Sergeant *'' Have Gun, Will Travel (February 22, 1963) - "Caravan" - Koro *'' The Raiders'' (1963) - Private Jean Duchamps *'' Wild and Wonderful'' (1964) - Hercule - Giselle's Uncle *''

'' (1964) - Barney *'' Laredo'' (1965, TV) - Midas Mantee / Running Antelope *''

'' (1966) - Purkey *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' (1967,TV) - Andante *''Three Guns for Texas'' (1968) - Running Antelope *''

The Devil's 8 ''The Devil's 8'' is a 1969 film directed by Burt Topper and starring Christopher George, Fabian, Tom Nardini and Leslie Parrish. It was produced and distributed by American International Pictures. Plot Federal agent Ray Faulkner poses as a roa ...

'' (1969) - Bubba *'' Sweet Sugar'' (1972) - Burgos *'' Invasion of the Bee Girls'' (1973) - Captain Peters *'' Oklahoma Crude'' (1973) - Massive Man *''

'' (1974) - Jacobi *'' Sharks' Treasure'' (1975) - Lobo *''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television) ...

'' (1975) - S4Ep5 - Clide *'' Bob Newhart Show'' (1975) - S5Ep3 - Leonard de Paolo *''Joe Panther'' (1976) - Rance *''

Guardian of the Wilderness ''Guardian of the Wilderness'' is a 1976 theatrical narrative film (often alternatively titled ''Mountain Man'') directed by David O'Malley about the true story of Galen Clark, an explorer who successfully campaigned to have the Yosemite area se ...

'' (1976) - McCollough *''

The Mouse and His Child ''The Mouse and His Child'' is a novel by Russell Hoban first published in 1967. It has been described as "a classic of children's literature and is the book for which Hoban is best known."Awl, DaveThe Mouse and His Child (1967): a novel by Russ ...

'' (1977) - C. Serpentina (voice) *''

The Great Brain ''The Great Brain'' is a series of children's books by American author John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906–1988). Set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitzgerald's childhood experiences. Ch ...

'' (1978) - Mr. Kokovinis *''

The North Avenue Irregulars ''The North Avenue Irregulars'' is a 1979 American comedy crime film produced by Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company, and starring Edward Herrmann, Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine and Susan Clark. Don Tait wro ...

'' (1979) - Big Chin *'' The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again'' (1979) - Wes Hardin (Bank-robber) *'' Beggarman, Thief'' (1979, TV) - Sagerac *'' Hangar 18'' (1980) - Sheriff Barlow *'' The Adventures of Nellie Bly'' (1981, TV) - Stanfil *''Lone Star Sports Bar & Grill'' (1983) - Cal *''

In Search of a Golden Sky ''In Search of a Golden Sky'' is a 1984 adventure- drama film released by Comworld Pictures. In the film, three orphan children find solace in their uncle's wilderness home after their mother has died. Production Shot on location in the state of ...

'' (1984) - Russ McGuire *''For Which He Stands'' (1996) - Javier Chavez (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Cliff 1937 births 2012 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey People from Union City, New Jersey Male actors from Los Angeles Dartmouth College alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Georgetown University faculty American memoirists Western (genre) television actors