Fritz Weaver facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fritz Weaver
Born	Fritz William Weaver (1926-01-19)January 19, 1926 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	November 26, 2016(2016-11-26) (aged 90) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Peabody High School
Occupation	Actor, voice artist
Years active	1956–2016
Spouse(s)	Sylvia Short ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1979)​ ; 2 children Rochelle Oliver ​ (m. 1997⁠–⁠2016)​
Awards	Tony Award (1970)

Fritz William Weaver (born January 19, 1926 – died November 26, 2016) was an American actor. He was famous for his work in television shows, movies, and on stage.

He played Dr. Josef Weiss in the 1978 TV drama Holocaust. For this role, he was nominated for a special TV award called a Primetime Emmy Award.

Fritz Weaver also appeared in many movies. Some of his well-known films include Fail Safe (1964), Marathon Man (1976), Creepshow (1982), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).

On television, he was in shows like The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. He also lent his voice to many educational TV programs.

Early Life and Education

Fritz Weaver was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 19, 1926. His mother was Elsa W. Weaver, and his father was John Carson Weaver. His mother had Italian family roots. His father was a social worker.

Fritz had a brother named Robert, who became an illustrator. His younger sister, Mary Dodson, became an art director.

As a child, Fritz went to the Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School. Later, he attended Peabody High School. During World War II, he served in the Civilian Public Service. This was a program for people who, for moral or religious reasons, did not want to fight in the war. They helped in other ways instead.

Acting Career Highlights

After World War II, Fritz Weaver worked different jobs. In the early 1950s, he decided to become an actor. His first TV acting job was in 1956. It was for a show called The United States Steel Hour.

Weaver continued acting on television for over forty years. In 1969, he was in an episode of The Big Valley. He also appeared in several episodes of Mission: Impossible.

He starred in TV movies like Holocaust (1978) and The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975). He played Andrew Borden in the Lizzie Borden movie. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Holocaust.

Broadway Success

Fritz Weaver was also a very successful stage actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1970. This was for his role in the Broadway play Child's Play. The Tony Award is one of the highest honors in American theater.

He also won the Drama Desk Award for his performance in the same play. Other Broadway shows he was in include The Chalk Garden and The Crucible.

Movie Roles

Weaver acted in many motion pictures, often in supporting roles. He was in the movie Fail-Safe. In Marathon Man (1976), he played a professor. He was also in Black Sunday (1977) and Creepshow (1982).

Later in his career, starting around 1995, Weaver mostly worked as a voice actor. He narrated many programs for the History Channel.

In 2010, Fritz Weaver was honored. He was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. Even after planning to retire, he took on a few more roles. He appeared in the film This Must Be the Place (2011). He also acted in Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) and The Cobbler (2014). His last movie role was in The Congressman (2016).

Personal Life and Passing

Fritz Weaver was married twice. His second marriage was to actress Rochelle Oliver in 1997.

He passed away at his home in New York City on November 26, 2016. He was 90 years old.

Select Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Fritz Weaver para niños