Actor Ben Gazzara, 81, Loses Battle With Cancer

Ben Gazzara

Actor Ben Gazzara of Manhattan, and a longtime South Fork part-time resident, died in Manhattan on Friday, January 3. He was 81 and had been battling pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Gazzara was a method actor who was best known for his powerful performances in Tennessee Williams’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on stage and on film, as well as the his role in “The Big Lebowski” and the 1960s NBC TV show “Run for Your Life,” in which he was nominated for an Emmy twice during its run. His role as Johnny Pope in “A Hatful of Rain” also earned him his first of three Tony Award nominations.

Mr. Gazzara was most recently seen at the Hamptons Film Festival in Natalie Portman’s directorial debut short film “Eve,” where he starred opposite Lauren Bacall.

“In this role, like many of his finest performances, he married humor and pathos so beautifully,” said David Nugent, director of programming of the Hamptons Film Festival.

He also starred in the one-man show about Yogi Berra, “Nobody Don’t Like Yogi” in 2003, which debuted at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.

Mr. Gazzara’s captivating performances were a result of his training at Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio in Manhattan. It was here that he learned method acting, in which the actor takes on the thoughts and feelings of his or her character to produce a convincing performance. Mr. Gazzara was just one of many actors—such as Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters and Julie Harris—to come out of the school and succeed.

Born in August 28, 1930, Biagio Anthony Gazzara, who always went by “Ben,” grew upon the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The son of Sicilian immigrants, his first language was Italian.

As a boy, Mr. Gazzara fell in love with acting after he gave his first performance in a Boys and Girls Club play. In 1948, he entered Erwin Piscator’s Dramatic Workshop and auditioned for the Actors Studio a year and a half later.

Mr. Gazzara starred or was featured in more than 130 films and TV shows, including several Italian films. He also appeared on Broadway as part of the original “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” as well as revivals of “Awake and Sing!” Strange Interlude,” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” In the 1970s, Mr. Gazzara appeared in three John Cassavetes films, “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie,” “Opening Night,” and “Husbands.”

“From his pioneering work with John Cassavetes, up until through his fantastic Broadway career, he always proved himself to be a riveting actor. He will be missed,” Mr. Nugent said.

Mr. Gazzara is survived by his wife of 30 years, Elke Stuckmann Krivat; daughters, Elizabeth and Danja; and a brother, Anthony.