Cliff Osmond

Cliff Osmond (born Clifford Osman Ebrahim; February 26, 1937 – December 22, 2012)[3] was an American character actor and television screenwriter. A parallel career as an acting teacher coincided with his other activities.

Cliff Osmond
Osmond in The Fortune Cookie
BornFebruary 26, 1937
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedDecember 22, 2012(2012-12-22) (aged 75)
Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
Alma materDartmouth College
University of California, Los Angeles
Years active1962–1996
SpouseGretchen Ebrahim (1962-2012) (his death) (2 children)[1]
Children2[2]

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 (Bachelor of Arts in English).[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] He received his master's degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles 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, including Irma la Douce, Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), The Fortune Cookie and The Front Page. Osmond played Pap in the 1981 television adaptation for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.[13]

Osmond appeared in over one hundred films and television series. During that period he guest-starred at least half a dozen times on Gunsmoke and in the 1965 episode "Yahoo" of NBC's Laredo. He played a vengeful blind man in the “None So Blind” episode of The Rifleman in 1962, and was cast in "The Gift", (1962) of the original The Twilight Zone. He played a hippie in Ironside (1968) and appeared as well on Here's Lucy (1974), The New Land (1974), as a plumber's apprentice on work release from prison in All in the Family (1975).[14]

As a screenwriter, Osmond was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award for writing an episode of Streets of San Francisco (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, 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 and San Francisco. In the fall of 2004, he was visiting professor in acting and Guest Resident Artist at Georgetown University, teaching two acting courses and directing Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.

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 on December 22, 2012.[14]

Filmography

References
  1. Slotnik, Daniel E. (December 27, 2012). "Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times.
  2. "Passings: Cliff Osmond". Los Angeles Times. December 31, 2012.
  3. Slotnik, Daniel E. (January 1, 2013). "Cliff Osmond, 75, Popular Actor". The New York Times. p. A 13. ProQuest 1814930958. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  4. "Clifford Osman Ebrahim '59". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  5. "An Interview With Cliff Osmond (Part One)". The Classic TV History Blog. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  6. "An Interview With Cliff Osmond (Part Two)". The Classic TV History Blog. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  7. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/12/29/cliff-osmond-and-film-actor-who-taught-thousands-students/rNGnugZ0INLmNAaaEbWEoO/story.html
  8. https://www.palipost.com/cliff-osmond-75-character-actor-in-many-movies-tv/
  9. "Cliff Osmond, 75, TV and film actor who taught thousands of students". boston.com. Legacy. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  10. "Cliff Osmond, teacher, prolific character actor with Dallas ties, dies at 75 in California". Dallas News. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  11. "PASSINGS: Cliff Osmond". Los Angeles Times. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  12. Slotnik, Daniel E. (28 December 2012). "Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  13. "Cliff Osmond". allmovie.com. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  14. "Actor Cliff Osmond dies at 75". Variety. December 27, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
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