Lee J. Cobb
Biography
Lee J. Cobb was an American actor who worked on Broadway, in films and on television, known for arrogant and intimidating characters as well as for judges and police officers. Born in New York City and raised in the Bronx, he joined the Group Theatre in 1935 and later created the part of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which later earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. His first Academy Award nomination came for playing Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront (1954); a second followed for The Brothers Karamazov (1958). Among his other films were 12 Angry Men (1957), Man of the West (1958), Exodus (1960), How the West Was Won (1962), Our Man Flint (1966), In Like Flint (1967) and The Exorcist (1973). On television he starred in The Virginian and The Young Lawyers and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. He died in 1976.
64years old at death
- Born New York City
- Died Woodland Hills
- Star sign: SagittariusThe sign runs November 22 to December 21
- Leo Jacoby (birth name)Also credited as Lee Cobb
Movie Career
- Films
- 40
- Career span
- 36 years1939 to 1975
First and latest
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Getting ready for a role
Cobb won wide recognition for his Willy Loman in the original staging of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which Elia Kazan directed. Once Cobb was cast, Miller altered a line about the title character's looks, swapping "shrimp" for "walrus".
About the name
Cobb's first credited film role was in the 1937 Hopalong Cassidy western Rustlers' Valley, where he was billed as Lee Colt, a name he soon dropped.
A role that slipped away
Miller later came to Cobb with the role of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge, yet Cobb declined the offer.
A first
Cobb's 1968 King Lear, with Stacy Keach as Edmund, ran 72 performances, the longest run of the play in Broadway history.
Early training
Cobb studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse after studying accounting at New York University, and made his film debut at 23 in the serial The Vanishing Shadow.
Beyond film
In 1959, Cobb starred on CBS' DuPont Show of the Month in the play I, Don Quixote, playing both Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote. The play eventually became the musical Man of La Mancha.
Lee J. Cobb movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Elia Kazan directed two of these films, Henry Hathaway two and Nunnally Johnson two. Leon Alton appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Leon Alton's page
Gregory Peck's page
Karl Malden's page
Robert Adler's page
Jane Wyatt's page
David Opatoshu's page
All films by Elia Kazan
Henry HathawayDirector, 2 films, 1948 to 1962
All films by Henry Hathaway
Nunnally JohnsonDirector, 2 films, 1956 to 1957
All films by Nunnally Johnson
Box office
What Lee J. Cobb's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$503 million
15 of the 40 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 40 films: 15 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 24 figure not found.
- 15Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 24Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 97% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$431M85.7% of the total
- 2$20M4.0% of the total
- 3$11M2.2% of the total
- 4$9.6M1.9% of the total
- 5$5.4M1.1% of the total
- 6$4.4M0.9% of the total
- 7$4.3M0.9% of the total
- 8$4.0M0.8% of the total
$13.1 millionfrom the other 7 films with a worldwide figure, 3% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1960 | Golden Plate Award | Won | |
| Donaldson Awards | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.