Josip Elic

Did you know?!

1. Getting ready for a role

   While Elic was on the bench watching a basketball game, someone put their legs over his shoulders and head. It was Jack Nicholson, so Elic got up and said he would play the game with him.

2. A change of course

   Before acting, Elic worked in a Montana copper mine at 16, then served in the U.S. Navy, and after a brief stint on Wall Street moved to New York City in 1945 to pursue acting.

3. First role

   Elic entered show business by building sets for a summer stock company in Upstate Connecticut before moving into off-Broadway productions, including Threepenny Opera in 1954 with Bea Arthur and John Astin.

4. About the name

   At the age of 30, Elic made his name change official, choosing a new name as a tribute to his Croatian roots.

5. A first

   Elic took on many small parts in films and on television, but he also stood out in commercials, being among the earliest character actors to front television ads, a spot usually kept for Hollywood's leading men.