Everything about Jack Albertson totally explained
Jonathan George “Jack” Albertson (
June 16,
1907 –
November 25,
1981) was an
American award-winning
character actor dating to
vaudeville. A
comedian,
dancer,
singer, and
musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his role as Grandpa Joe in the 1971 version of
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Career
Vaudeville
Albertson dropped out of
high school and traveled to
New York City in an attempt make it big in
show business. He was too poor to get a room in a
flophouse, so in the
winter he'd sleep on the
IRT subway for a
nickel, and hide out when the transit workers would clear out the train at the end of the line. In the
summer he'd sleep in
Central Park. His first real job in show business was with a
vaudeville road troupe, the Dancing Verselle Sisters. He was considered a complete
entertainer from the
old school.
Broadway
Albertson soon worked in
burlesque as a hoofer (soft shoe dancer) and
straight man to
Phil Silvers on the
Minsky's Burlesque Circuit. Besides vaudeville and
burlesque, he appeared on the stage in many
Broadway plays including
High Button Shoes,
Top Banana,
The Cradle Will Rock,
Make Mine Manhattan,
Show Boat,
Boy Meets Girl,
Girl Crazy,
Meet the People,
The Sunshine Boys (for which he received a
Tony Award nomination for Best Actor), and
The Subject Was Roses (for which he won a
Tony for Best Supporting Actor). He was also known for two
radio programs,
Just Plain Bill and
The Jack Albertson Comedy Show.
Film
Albertson appeared in over 30 films. He won an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1968 film
The Subject Was Roses. He appeared as Charlie Bucket's Grandpa Joe in
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), and in
The Poseidon Adventure (1972), where he was the husband who encouraged his wife, the former swimming champion (played by
Shelley Winters in her Oscar-nominated role) to swim for safety. Albertson said that his one regret was that he wasn't asked to reprise his
role in the movie version of
The Sunshine Boys.
Filmography
Television
Television also saw much of Albertson's talent. He appeared in dozens of series, including
Jack Sheldon's short-lived
Run, Buddy, Run on
CBS in 1966. He starred in
Chico and the Man, for which Albertson won an
Emmy, making him one of the few entertainers to win the triple crown of entertainment (a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy). A tragedy occurred during this production when his co-star,
Freddie Prinze, committed
suicide during a bout of
depression in what several news sources described at the time as "an accidental shooting."
Television - recurrent roles
Television - guest roles
Personal life and death
Albertson was married to Wallace (Wally) Thompson and had one daughter, Maura. He resided for years in
West Hollywood, California. In
1978, he was diagnosed with
colorectal cancer, but kept this information private so he could continue to act. He made two television movies,
My Body, My Child (1982) and
Grandpa, Will You Run With Me? (
1982), that were released
posthumously.
Jack Albertson died on
November 25,
1981, from
colorectal cancer. He was
cremated and his ashes scattered in the
Pacific Ocean.
Further Information
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