Jump to content

Cliff Gorman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cliff Gorman
Gorman in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
Born
Joel Joshua Goldberg

(1936-10-13)October 13, 1936
Queens, New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 2002(2002-09-05) (aged 65)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1968–2002
Spouse
Gayle Gorman
​
(m. 1963)​

Joel Joshua Goldberg (October 13, 1936 – September 5, 2002), known professionally as Cliff Gorman, was an American actor.[1] He won an Obie Award in 1968 for the stage presentation of The Boys in the Band,[1] and went on to reprise his role in the 1970 film version.[2]

Life and career

[edit]

Gorman was born Joel Joshua Goldberg in Queens, New York, the son of Jewish parents, Ethel (née Kaplan) and Samuel Goldberg, who later changed their surname to Gorman.[3][4] He attended the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan.[1]

Gorman won a Tony Award in 1972 for playing Lenny Bruce in the play Lenny.[1] Although the film version, directed by Bob Fosse, featured Dustin Hoffman, Gorman was recruited to portray a Dustin Hoffman-like character portraying Lenny Bruce in a side-story in Fosse's autobiographical film All That Jazz (1979).[5][6]

He was originally cast as the lead in the 1978 sitcom Hello, Larry, but was replaced by McLean Stevenson after Gorman was involved in an altercation with costar Donna Wilkes. This bad blood between Gorman and Wilkes would spill over onto the production of the 1984 film Angel, where Wilkes was the lead, and Gorman had a supporting role as Lt. Andrews.

He played Joseph Goebbels in the 1981 television film The Bunker. He had roles in the films Cops and Robbers (1973), Rosebud (1975), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976), An Unmarried Woman (1978) with Jill Clayburgh, Night of the Juggler (1980), Hoffa (1992) with Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito, and Night and the City (1992).[citation needed] His TV work included performances in the series Law and Order, Murder, She Wrote, Friday the 13th: the Series, and the 1970s drama Police Story, written by former LAPD Detective Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh.[citation needed]

On the September 13, 1965 episode of To Tell The Truth, Gorman sat in seat #1 as an imposter for game #3 of the evening. He received two votes, one from Orson Bean, and one from Kitty Carlisle. When asked what he actually did for a living, he responded that he sold room air conditioners for the Republic Water Heater Company.[7]

Personal life

[edit]

Gorman was married to Gayle Stevens Gorman from May 31, 1963 until his death. He and his wife cared for his fellow The Boys in the Band cast member Robert La Tourneaux in the last few months of his battle against AIDS, until La Tourneaux's death on June 3, 1986.[8][9]

Death

[edit]

On September 5, 2002, Gorman died of leukemia at the age of 65 at his home in Manhattan.[1]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1968N.Y.P.D.HickeyS2.E1 - "Naked in the Streets"
1969Justine"Toto"
1970The Boys in the BandEmory
1970Dan AugustHarry RussellS1.E13 - "Passing Fair"
1973Cops and RobbersTom
1973Class of '63Mickey SwernerABC Movie of the Week
1974-75Police StorySgt. Billy Humm2 episodes
1975Medical StoryDr. Frank DuffyS1.E5 - "An Air Full of Death"
1975RosebudYafet HamlekhDirected by Otto Preminger
1975The SilenceStanley GreenbergTV film
1975Strike ForceDetective Joey GentryTV film
1976Hawaii Five-ORobert HustonS9.E5 - "Tour De Force, Killer Aboard"
1976Brinks: The Great RobberyDanny ConfortiTV film
1977Having Babies IIArthur MageeTV film
1977The Streets of San FranciscoSgt. Eddy Earl MackS5.E23 - "Time Out"
1978An Unmarried WomanCharlie
1979All That JazzDavis Newman
1980Night of the JugglerGus Soltic
1981The BunkerJoseph GoebbelsTV film
1982Trapper John, M.D.Brad Wylie2 episodes
1983Cocaine and Blue EyesRiki AnatoleTV film
1984AngelLieutenant Andrews
1985 Half NelsonActorS1.E2 - "Uppers and Downers"
1985DoubletakeAaronTV miniseries
1985The Paper ChaseMr. GarrettS3.E12 - "Lasting Impressions"
1986-92Murder, She WroteNYPD Lt. Parnell2 episodes
1987Friday the 13th: The SeriesDr. Vincent HowlettS1.E7 - "Doctor Jack"
1987Cagney & LaceyRobert B. RobertsS7.E7 - "Greed"
1988Spenser: For HireJoeyS3.E15 - "The Big Fight"
1989Howard Beach: Making a Case for MurderBernsteinTV film
1990Vestige of HonorSandersonTV film
1992Terror on Track 9Sgt. Aaron GreenbergTV film
1992Night and the CityPhil Nasseros
1992HoffaSoloman "Solly" Stein
1993The Return of IronsideJoe McManusTV film
1994Janek: The Forget-Me-Not MurdersAaronTV film
1995New York NewsActorS1.E13 - "The Using Game"
1995Down Came a BlackbirdNick the GreekTV film
1996Desert BreezeTV film
1998Law & OrderTrial Judge Gary Feldman3 episodes
1999Ghost Dog: The Way of the SamuraiSonny Valerio
1999The '60s: The Complete MiniseriesFather Daniel BerriganTV miniseries
2000King of the JungleJack
2003Kill the PoorYakovPosthumous release

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cliff Gorman, 65, Portrayer Of Lenny Bruce on Broadway". The New York Times. September 13, 2002.
  2. ↑ Canby, Vincent (March 18, 1970). "The Boys in the Band (1970)". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Cliff Gorman Biography (1936–2002)". Film Reference.
  4. ↑ Flatley, Guy (June 6, 1971). ". . . But Cliff Is a Cool 'Lenny'; Cliff Gorman Is a Cool 'Lenny'". The New York Times. p. D1.
  5. ↑ Canby, Vincent (December 20, 1979). "All That Jazz (1979) The Screen: Roy Scheider Stars in 'All That Jazz':Peter Pan Syndrome". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Simonson, Robert (September 13, 2002). "Cliff Gorman, Broadway's Lenny, Is Dead at 65". Playbill. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ "1956–67 Episode Guide "To Tell The Truth", CBS Nighttime series". To Tell the Truth on the Web. September 13, 1965.
  8. ↑ Anderson-Minshal, Diane (May 16, 2018). "Why the Gay and Bi Men of 'Boys in the Band' Still Matter". The Advocate. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ Connors, Joanne (October 2, 2011). "Meet the characters in 'The Boys in the Band,' the pathbreaking gay drama put on by Convergence-Continuum". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cliff_Gorman&oldid=1366331975"