Myron G. Nussbaum (December 29, 1923 – December 23, 2023) was an American actor and director.

Early years

Myron Nussbaum (he adopted "G." while in the Army, to avoid the "no middle initial" descriptor in roll call) was born in New York City to a Jewish family on December 29, 1923, and grew up in the Albany Park area of Chicago. He married soon after he returned to Chicago following military service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

assignments included being chief of the message center for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in which he dispatched the official notification of Germany's surrender. For 20 years, he worked with his brother-in-law in an extermination business.

Career

Nussbaum's acting career started in community theatre in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he was active in a developing professional theatrical community in Chicago, meeting a young

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

in the process. He appeared in many of Mamet's plays both on and off Broadway, as well as in Chicago. His films include '' Field of Dreams'', ''

House of Games ''House of Games'' is a 1987 American neo-noir film about con-men and confidence scams by David Mamet, his directorial debut. He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story he co-wrote with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crou ...

'', '' Things Change'', ''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...

'' and ''

Men In Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have ...

''. As a director, his work has included ''Where Have You Gone, Jimmy Stewart?'' (2002) by

Art Shay Art Shay (March 31, 1922 – April 28, 2018) was an American photographer and writer. Biography Born in 1922, Shay grew up in the Bronx and then served as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, during which he flew 52 bomber ...

. Nussbaum also appeared in local TV commercials for Chicago's Northwest Federal Savings (with the jingle, "It's Northwest Federal Savings time, sixty-three hours a week"). He also did national commercials for United Airlines and Scope mouthwash. Nussbaum continued to act through his 90s, and he was still working on theatre projects up until his death in 2023.

Personal life and death

Nussbaum was married to Annette Brenner from 1949 until her death in 2003. He married Julie Brudlos in 2004. He had three children with his first wife, Jack, Karen, and

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

. Nussbaum died at his Chicago home on December 23, 2023, six days shy of his 100th birthday.

Recognition

Nussbaum received the following

Jeff Award The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater st ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Personal remembrancesIllinois Arts Alliance Arts Legend citationGoodman Theatre Artist BioMike Nussbaum Is 90 and Can Do More Pushups than You
*
Mike Nussbaum Papers
a
the Newberry Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nussbaum, Mike 1923 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American military personnel of World War II American people of Jewish descent Jewish American male actors Jewish American military personnel Male actors from Chicago Military personnel from Chicago Military personnel from Illinois Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Westlawn Cemetery