Joseph Wiseman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joseph Wiseman
Wiseman in 1950
Born	(1918-05-15)May 15, 1918 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	October 19, 2009(2009-10-19) (aged 91) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950–2001
Spouse(s)	Nell Kinard (m. 1943; div. 1964) Pearl Lang ​ ​ (m. 1964; died 2009)​
Children	1

Joseph Wiseman (born May 15, 1918 – died October 19, 2009) was an actor from Canada and the United States. He worked in theatre, movies, and TV shows. He is most famous for playing the bad guy, Dr. No, in the very first James Bond movie, Dr. No, in 1962.

Wiseman also played Manny Weisbord in the TV series Crime Story. He had a long and successful career on Broadway, which is famous for live plays. Some people even called him "the spookiest actor in the American theatre."

Early Life and School

Joseph Wiseman was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents were Louis and Pearl Wiseman. He grew up in New York City, United States.

When he was 16, he started acting in summer plays. He soon became a professional actor. His parents were not very happy about this choice. He went to John Adams High School in Queens, New York. He graduated in June 1935. Interestingly, his co-star from Dr. No, Jack Lord, also went to the same school and graduated at the same time.

Acting Career

Wiseman started his acting career on Broadway in 1938. He had a small part in a play called Abe Lincoln in Illinois. He acted in many live theatre shows. One of his important roles was playing the main character in In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer on Broadway in 1968. He also played Father Massieu in the original Broadway play Joan of Lorraine. This play later became the movie Joan of Arc.

Becoming Dr. No

In the 1950s, Wiseman appeared in several movies. His first big movie role was in Detective Story (1951). In this film, he played a small-time criminal. Soon after, he played the main enemy of Marlon Brando in Viva Zapata! (1952).

The producer Harry Saltzman chose Wiseman to play the famous villain Dr. No in the first James Bond film. This happened in December 1961. Wiseman's performance in Detective Story helped him get the part. Later in his life, he didn't really like the Dr. No movie. He preferred to be remembered for his work in theatre.

Other Film and TV Roles

In 1967, he was in the movie The Night They Raided Minsky's. Later, he acted alongside the famous Sir Laurence Olivier in The Betsy (1978). Wiseman also had roles in many other films. These included The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Seize the Day, and Bye Bye Braverman.

Besides being a regular on the TV series Crime Story, he also made guest appearances on many other TV shows. Some of these were The Westerner, The Streets of San Francisco, The Untouchables, and The Twilight Zone. He also appeared in Magnum, P.I., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Night Gallery.

His last movie was released in 1988. After that, he still appeared in TV shows like MacGyver, L.A. Law, and Law & Order. Wiseman's very last TV appearance was in a 1996 episode of Law & Order. He played Seymour Bergreen in that episode. His final Broadway performance was in Judgment at Nuremberg in 2001.

After Charles Gray passed away in 2000, Joseph Wiseman was the last main villain still alive from the James Bond films that Sean Connery made.

Personal Life and Death

Joseph Wiseman married Nell Kinard on August 25, 1943, in New York. They later divorced on May 15, 1964. He then married Pearl Lang, who was a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. They were married from 1964 until her death in February 2009.

Wiseman passed away on October 19, 2009, at his home in Manhattan. He was 91 years old and had been in poor health for some time. He is survived by his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, and his sister, Ruth Wiseman.

Filmography

TV (Selected)

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Wiseman para niños