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Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75
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Diner
Dec 28, 2012, 1:27:43 PM12/28/12
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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/arts/television/cliff-osmond-prolific-character-actor-dies-at-75.html
December 27, 2012
Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75
By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
Cliff Osmond, a prolific character actor on film and television and an instructor who estimated that he had taught more than 10,000 actors, died on Saturday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 75.
The cause was pancreatic cancer, his daughter, Margaret Ebrahim, said.
Mr. Osmond appeared in many films, most notably four Billy Wilder comedies. Mr. Osmond played the private investigator Purkey in “The Fortune Cookie,” the first film starring both Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau; the amateur songwriter Barney in “Kiss Me, Stupid,” alongside Dean Martin, Kim Novak and Ray Walston; a police officer in Mr. Wilder’s version of “The Front Page,” which also starred Mr. Lemmon and Mr. Matthau; and another police officer in “Irma La Douce.”
Mr. Osmond wrote on his Web site that during the making of “Kiss Me, Stupid,” while he struggled to carry a tune, Mr. Wilder remarked, “Cliff has the musical ear of van Gogh.”
He appeared on television more than 100 times over four decades on shows including “Gunsmoke,” “All in the Family” and a 1962 episode of “The Twilight Zone” titled “The Gift.”
Mr. Osmond drew on his wealth of experience to become a well-regarded acting teacher to entertainers like Armand Assante and Carlos Alazraqui.
Clifford Osman Ebrahim was born on Feb. 26, 1937, in Jersey City. (He took the professional name Osmond, a variation of Osman, early in his career.) He grew up in Union City, N.J., and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1959.
He later received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Gretchen Ebrahim; a son, Eric; and a granddaughter.
© 2012 The New York Times Company
December 27, 2012
Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75
By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
Cliff Osmond, a prolific character actor on film and television and an instructor who estimated that he had taught more than 10,000 actors, died on Saturday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 75.
The cause was pancreatic cancer, his daughter, Margaret Ebrahim, said.
Mr. Osmond appeared in many films, most notably four Billy Wilder comedies. Mr. Osmond played the private investigator Purkey in “The Fortune Cookie,” the first film starring both Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau; the amateur songwriter Barney in “Kiss Me, Stupid,” alongside Dean Martin, Kim Novak and Ray Walston; a police officer in Mr. Wilder’s version of “The Front Page,” which also starred Mr. Lemmon and Mr. Matthau; and another police officer in “Irma La Douce.”
Mr. Osmond wrote on his Web site that during the making of “Kiss Me, Stupid,” while he struggled to carry a tune, Mr. Wilder remarked, “Cliff has the musical ear of van Gogh.”
He appeared on television more than 100 times over four decades on shows including “Gunsmoke,” “All in the Family” and a 1962 episode of “The Twilight Zone” titled “The Gift.”
Mr. Osmond drew on his wealth of experience to become a well-regarded acting teacher to entertainers like Armand Assante and Carlos Alazraqui.
Clifford Osman Ebrahim was born on Feb. 26, 1937, in Jersey City. (He took the professional name Osmond, a variation of Osman, early in his career.) He grew up in Union City, N.J., and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1959.
He later received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Gretchen Ebrahim; a son, Eric; and a granddaughter.
© 2012 The New York Times Company
Brad Ferguson
Dec 28, 2012, 2:31:51 PM12/28/12
to
In article <57de4f5d-bd26-42df...@googlegroups.com>,
Diner <bway...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/arts/television/cliff-osmond-prolific-charac
Good-bye, dear friends, it was fun!
Cliff
----------
A Message from Jon McPhalen* on Behalf of Cliff's Family
It saddens me to share that Cliff passed away on the afternoon of
December 22nd, 2012 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He
was at home, surrounded by his loving family: wife Gretchen, daughter
Mishi, her husband Jorge and their daughter, Sophia, and Cliff's son,
Eric. Gretchen told me that he was at peace, quoting Walt Whitman as he
departed.
Cliff's funeral will be a private affair for the family. In the coming
weeks there will be a public memorial and celebration of Cliff's life
and career. Announcements about the memorial will be made here and on
Cliff's Facebook page.
Cliff's family asks that instead of sending flowers you kindly consider
making a donation to a charity that provides funding to those seeking a
cure for pancreatic cancer.
<http://www.cliffosmond.com/index.html>
*Jon McPhalen is an actor and writer who was a student of Cliff
Osmond's.
<http://www.jonmcphalen.com/>
Diner <bway...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/arts/television/cliff-osmond-prolific-charac
> ter-actor-dies-at-75.html
> December 27, 2012
> Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75
> By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>
> Cliff Osmond, a prolific character actor on film and television and an
> instructor who estimated that he had taught more than 10,000 actors, died on
> Saturday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 75.
There's a Clif Osmond website. This is on the home page:
> December 27, 2012
> Cliff Osmond, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 75
> By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>
> Cliff Osmond, a prolific character actor on film and television and an
> instructor who estimated that he had taught more than 10,000 actors, died on
> Saturday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 75.
Good-bye, dear friends, it was fun!
Cliff
----------
A Message from Jon McPhalen* on Behalf of Cliff's Family
It saddens me to share that Cliff passed away on the afternoon of
December 22nd, 2012 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He
was at home, surrounded by his loving family: wife Gretchen, daughter
Mishi, her husband Jorge and their daughter, Sophia, and Cliff's son,
Eric. Gretchen told me that he was at peace, quoting Walt Whitman as he
departed.
Cliff's funeral will be a private affair for the family. In the coming
weeks there will be a public memorial and celebration of Cliff's life
and career. Announcements about the memorial will be made here and on
Cliff's Facebook page.
Cliff's family asks that instead of sending flowers you kindly consider
making a donation to a charity that provides funding to those seeking a
cure for pancreatic cancer.
<http://www.cliffosmond.com/index.html>
*Jon McPhalen is an actor and writer who was a student of Cliff
Osmond's.
<http://www.jonmcphalen.com/>
tr...@iwvisp.com
Dec 28, 2012, 4:02:00 PM12/28/12
to
On Dec 28, 11:31 am, Brad Ferguson <thirt...@frXOXed.net> wrote:
> In article <57de4f5d-bd26-42df...@googlegroups.com>,
>
> Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <57de4f5d-bd26-42df...@googlegroups.com>,
>
>
> >http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/arts/television/cliff-osmond-prolif...
"Googe Imaged" him their are dozens of earlier photos. He seemed to
play the second bad guy or sercond comic relief character in almost
everrything!
Ray Arthur
BobF
Dec 28, 2012, 6:24:46 PM12/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:02:00 -0800 (PST), "tr...@iwvisp.com"
<tr...@iwvisp.com> shouted from the highest rooftop:
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R H Draney
Dec 28, 2012, 6:31:29 PM12/28/12
to
tr...@iwvisp.com filted:
Girls"....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
>
>I didn't quite recognize him from the website photyos but when I
>"Googe Imaged" him their are dozens of earlier photos. He seemed to
>play the second bad guy or sercond comic relief character in almost
>everrything!
Ah, that pins him down!...the one that stuck in my mind was "Invasion of the Bee
>I didn't quite recognize him from the website photyos but when I
>"Googe Imaged" him their are dozens of earlier photos. He seemed to
>play the second bad guy or sercond comic relief character in almost
>everrything!
Girls"....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
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