Sam Jaffe

Biography

Sam Jaffe was an American actor and teacher who became known for playing intelligent but eccentric characters. Born in New York City in 1891, he appeared in Yiddish theater productions as a child alongside his mother, an actress, and taught mathematics before returning to acting. He reached Broadway in the 1920s and began film work in 1934, gaining notice as the mad Tsar Peter III in The Scarlet Empress (1934) and playing the title role in Gunga Din (1939). His performance as the criminal mastermind Doc Riedenschneider in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) won him the Volpi Cup at Venice and an Academy Award nomination. He went on to appear in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Ben-Hur (1959) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and from 1961 to 1965 played Dr. David Zorba on the television series Ben Casey, earning an Emmy nomination. He died in 1984.

93years old at death

Born March 10, 1891New York City
Died March 24, 1984Beverly Hills
Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20

Movie Career

Films: 17
Career span: 50 years1934 to 1984

Genres

Drama59%, 10 films
Adventure47%, 8 films
Thriller29%, 5 films
History18%, 3 films
Sci-Fi18%, 3 films

First and latest

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Behind the award
For his portrayal of the criminal mastermind "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider in John Huston's film noir The Asphalt Jungle, Jaffe took the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1950. An Academy Award nomination also came his way for that performance.
First role
Jaffe started working in movies in 1934. He became well known for playing the mad Tsar Peter III in The Scarlet Empress, which was his first film role.

Sam Jaffe movies on Netflix

Nothing Lasts Forever1984IMDb rating 6.2as Father Knickerbocker
Battle Beyond the Stars1980IMDb rating 5.5as Dr. Hephaestus
Bedknobs and Broomsticks1971IMDb rating 7.1as Bookman
The Dunwich Horror1970IMDb rating 5.4as Old Whateley
Night Gallery1969IMDb rating 7.5as Bleum
Guns for San Sebastian1968IMDb rating 6.6as Père Joseph
Ben-Hur1959IMDb rating 8.1as Simonides
The Barbarian and the Geisha1958IMDb rating 5.8as Henry Heusken
The Day the Earth Stood Still1951IMDb rating 7.7as Prof. Jacob Barnhardt
The Asphalt Jungle1950IMDb rating 7.8as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
Rope of Sand1949IMDb rating 6.6as Dr. Francis Kittridge Hunter
The Accused1949IMDb rating 6.8as Dr. Romley
13 Rue Madeleine1947IMDb rating 6.9as Mayor Galimard
Gentleman's Agreement1947IMDb rating 7.2as Prof. Fred Lieberman
Gunga Din1939IMDb rating 7.2as Gunga Din
Lost Horizon1937IMDb rating 7.6as High Lama
The Scarlet Empress1934IMDb rating 7.5as Grand Duke Peter

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still1951 Drama, Sci-Fi, Thrilleras Prof. Jacob Barnhardt
IMDb rating 7.789K votes
Ben-Hur1959 Adventure, Drama, Historyas Simonides
IMDb rating 8.1274K votes
Bedknobs and Broomsticks1971as Bookman
IMDb rating 7.144K votes
The Asphalt Jungle1950as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
IMDb rating 7.833K votes
Gunga Din1939as Gunga Din
IMDb rating 7.214K votes
The Scarlet Empress1934as Grand Duke Peter
IMDb rating 7.58.0K votes
Battle Beyond the Stars1980as Dr. Hephaestus
IMDb rating 5.512K votes
The Dunwich Horror1970as Old Whateley
IMDb rating 5.46.1K votes

Most often with

John Huston directed two of these films, William Dieterle two. Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Roddy McDowall

Dean Stockwell

Jane Wyatt

Eric Alden

John HustonDirector, 2 films William DieterleDirector, 2 films

Films together

Roddy McDowall2 films together, 1969 to 1971
Roddy McDowall's page
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks1971IMDb rating 7.1Jaffe as BookmanMcDowall as Mr. Jelk
- Night Gallery1969IMDb rating 7.5Jaffe as BleumMcDowall as Jeremy Evans
Dean Stockwell2 films together, 1947 to 1970
Dean Stockwell's page
- The Dunwich Horror1970IMDb rating 5.4Jaffe as Old WhateleyStockwell as Wilbur Whateley
- Gentleman's Agreement1947IMDb rating 7.2Jaffe as Prof. Fred LiebermanStockwell as Tommy Green
Jane Wyatt2 films together, 1937 to 1947
Jane Wyatt's page
- Gentleman's Agreement1947IMDb rating 7.2Jaffe as Prof. Fred LiebermanWyatt as Jane
- Lost Horizon1937IMDb rating 7.6Jaffe as High LamaWyatt as Sondra
Eric Alden2 films together, 1934 to 1949
Eric Alden's page
- The Accused1949IMDb rating 6.8Jaffe as Dr. RomleyAlden as Detective
- The Scarlet Empress1934IMDb rating 7.5Jaffe as Grand Duke Peter
John HustonDirector, 2 films, 1950 to 1958
All films by John Huston
- The Barbarian and the Geisha1958IMDb rating 5.8Jaffe as Henry Heusken
- The Asphalt Jungle1950IMDb rating 7.8Jaffe as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
William DieterleDirector, 2 films, 1949
All films by William Dieterle
- Rope of Sand1949IMDb rating 6.6Jaffe as Dr. Francis Kittridge Hunter
- The Accused1949IMDb rating 6.8Jaffe as Dr. Romley

Box office

What Sam Jaffe's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$208 million

8 of the 17 films have a worldwide figure.

8Worldwide figure
1Never in cinemas
8Figure not found

Top grosser

Ben-Hur1959Simonides$164 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Ben-Hur1959as Simonides
$164M78.9% of the total
2
Bedknobs and Broomsticks1971as Bookman
$18M8.6% of the total
3
Battle Beyond the Stars1980as Dr. Hephaestus
$11M5.3% of the total
4
Gentleman's Agreement1947as Prof. Fred Lieberman
$7.8M3.8% of the total
5
Gunga Din1939as Gunga Din
$2.8M1.3% of the total
6
The Asphalt Jungle1950as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
$2.1M1.0% of the total
7
The Day the Earth Stood Still1951as Prof. Jacob Barnhardt
$1.9M0.9% of the total
8
The Dunwich Horror1970as Old Whateley
$446K0.2% of the total