Mike Mazurki
| Mike Mazurki | |
|---|---|
 Dick Tracy (1945 film) |
|
| Born | Mikhail Mazurkevych December 25, 1907 Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | December 9, 1990 (aged 82) Glendale, California, United States |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–90 |
| Spouse | Jeanette Briggs (1943-50) (divorced) 2 children Sylvia Weinblatt (1968-90) (his death) |
Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907[1] – December 9, 1990) was an Austrian-born American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and gangsters.
Mazurki was born as Mikhail Mazurkevych in Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Ternopil, Ukraine). He migrated with his family to the United States at the age of six, living in Cohoes, New York, a city just outside of Albany, in old mill housing on Olmstead Street with his mother. He attended La Salle Institute in Troy, New York, for high school. He later graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[1] He became a professional athlete in three sports, primarily wrestling but also football and basketball.[1][2]
He was discovered by Josef von Sternberg and given a bit part in his film The Shanghai Gesture (1941).[2] This led to a long film and television career. Possibly his most memorable role was that of slow-witted thug Moose Malloy in the 1944 film noir Murder, My Sweet, opposite Dick Powell. He portrayed the psychotic, knife wielding murderer, Splitface, in the original Dick Tracy (1945 film). He also played a wrestler called "The Strangler" in Night and the City (1950). In fact, he continued to wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly due to a wrestling injury to his Adam's apple.[1]
Mazurki made guest appearances on many well-known television shows, among them My Friend Flicka (as a wrestler facing Gene Evans's character of Rob McLaughlin), Daniel Boone, Gilligan's Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza and Gunsmoke, to name just a few. He played a yacht hand in an episode of Perry Mason titled "The Case of the Missing Button," in which he threatened Mason and Paul Drake with a set of brass knuckles. He was also a regular on a short-lived sitcom, The Chicago Teddy Bears.[1]
In 1965, he co-founded and became the first president of the Cauliflower Alley Club, an association of professional wrestlers. A photograph of his cauliflower ear forms the logo of the organization. In 2005, he was posthumously awarded the New York State Award by the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum for founding the club.
[edit] Partial filmography
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Social Security Death Index (search by name)". http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
- ^ a b "Mike Mazurki Biography". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800028900/bio.
[edit] External links
- 1907 births
- 1990 deaths
- American film actors
- American professional wrestlers
- American television actors
- American people of Austrian descent
- Manhattan College alumni
- People from New York City
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- American people of Ukrainian descent
