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Michael Wager (born Emanuel Weisgal, April 29, 1925 c. January 2012) was an American film and television actor.
Wager was born in New York, New York, and nicknamed "Mendy". He was the son of
Michael Wager
at the
Actors Studio audio collection
1925 births 2011 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Place of birth missing Male actors from New York City American people of Jewish descent {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub
Michael Wager (born Emanuel Weisgal, April 29, 1925 c. January 2012) was an American film and television actor.
Wager was born in New York, New York, and nicknamed "Mendy". He was the son of Meyer Weisgal
Meyer Wolf Weisgal (; November 10, 1894 – September 29, 1977) was an American journalist, publisher, playwright, fundraiser, and Zionist activist who served as the President of the Weizmann Institute of Science and as the founding President of ...
, a journalist, publisher, playwright, fundraiser, and Zionist activist, and Shirley (Hirshfeld).
He appeared in the war films, '' Hill 24 Doesn't Answer'' and '' Exodus'', and he appeared in a recurring role, as Jonas Roving, on the soap opera ''Ryan's Hope
''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...
''. One of his roles was Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle (; , meaning 'the Twin'), also known as Didymus ( 'twin'), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of ...
in ''King of Kings
King of Kings, ''Mepet mepe''; , group="n" was a ruling title employed primarily by monarchs based in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Commonly associated with History of Iran, Iran (historically known as name of Iran, Persia ...
''. He also appeared in the soap opera ''Search for Tomorrow
''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986.
Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...
'' and made TV commercials.
Personal life
Wager married Susan Blanchard on October 9, 1962. He was bisexual. Wager was a good friend of composerLeonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
and his wife Felicia. He lived above them in The Dakota
The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was constru ...
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 ...
.
In popular culture
He was hugely into opera and the opera queen Mendy inTerrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...
's play '' The Lisbon Traviata'' was based on him.
He was portrayed by Zachary Booth
Zachary Booth (born 1983) is an American actor. He appeared in several productions with the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire, before starring in The N's ''What Goes On'' and on FX's ''Damages''. Booth is a 2004 BFA graduate of ...
in Bradley Cooper
Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
's 2023 film ''Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...
''.
Filmography
References
External links
* *Michael Wager
at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
'Actors Studio audio collection
1925 births 2011 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Place of birth missing Male actors from New York City American people of Jewish descent {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub