Norman Lloyd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norman Lloyd
Lloyd in 1937
Born	Norman Nathan Perlmutter (1914-11-08)November 8, 1914 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	May 11, 2021(2021-05-11) (aged 106) Brentwood, California, U.S.
Education	New York University (dropped out)
Occupation	Actor director producer
Years active	1923–2021
Spouse(s)	Peggy Craven ​ ​ (m. 1936; died 2011)​
Children	2, including Josie Lloyd

Norman Lloyd (born Norman Nathan Perlmutter; November 8, 1914 – May 11, 2021) was an American actor, producer, and director. He had an incredibly long career in entertainment, lasting almost 100 years!

Norman Lloyd worked in many parts of the entertainment world, including plays, radio, TV shows, and movies. His career began way back in 1923. His last movie, Trainwreck, came out in 2015, after he had already turned 100 years old.

In the 1930s, he learned acting at the Civic Repertory Theatre. He also worked with important groups like the Federal Theatre Project and the Mercury Theatre. Norman Lloyd became good friends with famous director Alfred Hitchcock. He played a Nazi agent in Hitchcock's film Saboteur (1942). He also appeared in Spellbound (1945). Later, he produced Hitchcock's TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Norman Lloyd directed and produced many TV episodes in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. As an actor, he was in over 60 films and TV shows. Some of his famous roles include:

• Bodalink in Charlie Chaplin's Limelight (1952)
• Mr. Nolan in Dead Poets Society (1989)
• Mr. Letterblair in The Age of Innocence (1993)

In the 1980s, he became popular with new fans for playing Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the medical drama St. Elsewhere.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Lloyd with the Federal Theatre Project in 1937

The Man Who Knows All (Robert Noack) explains the kilowatt-hour to the Consumer (Lloyd) in Power, a Living Newspaper play for the Federal Theater Project (1937)

Lloyd, Katherine Emery and Dean Jagger in the Broadway production Everywhere I Roam (1938)

Norman Lloyd was born Norman Nathan Perlmutter on November 8, 1914, in Jersey City, New Jersey. His family was Jewish and lived in Brooklyn, New York. His dad, Max Perlmutter, was an accountant who later sold furniture. His mom, Sadie Horowitz Perlmutter, loved the theater. She took young Norman to singing and dancing lessons. He became a child performer and was working professionally by age nine.

Norman finished high school when he was 15. He started studying at New York University but left after his second year. He saw how the Great Depression was affecting everyone. He didn't want to keep paying for college when lawyers were becoming taxi drivers.

In 1932, at age 17, Norman joined Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City. He was the youngest student there. He continued his acting studies and performed in plays. Members of the Harvard Dramatic Club saw him and offered him a lead role in a play.

Norman then joined the Federal Theatre Project. This group created "Living Newspapers," which were plays about current events. He performed in plays like Triple-A Plowed Under (1936) and Power (1937).

When Orson Welles and John Houseman started their own theater company, the Mercury Theatre, Norman Lloyd was invited to join. He had a memorable role in their first play, Caesar (1937). This was a modern version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar that spoke out against fascism. Norman played Cinna the Poet, and his death scene was very powerful.

Becoming a Film Star

Lloyd in Saboteur (1942)

In 1939, Norman Lloyd was asked to go to Hollywood. He was supposed to join Orson Welles and other Mercury Theatre members for a new film called Heart of Darkness. However, the movie never got made because of budget problems. Norman decided to go back to New York. He later regretted this, as the actors who stayed went on to make the famous film Citizen Kane.

J. Carrol Naish, Zachary Scott and Lloyd in The Southerner (1945)

Norman later returned to Hollywood. He played a Nazi spy in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). This started a long friendship and working relationship with Hitchcock. Three years later, he was in The Southerner (1945), directed by Jean Renoir.

After playing a few more bad guys on screen, Norman worked behind the camera. He was an assistant on Arch of Triumph (1948). He also acted with his friend John Garfield in the 1951 crime drama He Ran All the Way. This was Garfield's last film before the Hollywood blacklist stopped his career.

TV Roles and Later Career

Norman Lloyd was helped by Alfred Hitchcock during a difficult time in Hollywood. Hitchcock hired Norman as a producer and director for his TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958. Before that, Norman directed a film called A Word to the Wives (1955). He continued directing and producing TV shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

In the 1980s, Norman Lloyd became well-known for playing Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the TV drama St. Elsewhere. He was supposed to be in only four episodes, but he became a regular cast member for all six seasons (1982–88). The show also featured actors who later became famous, like Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel.

Norman's first movie role in almost ten years was in Dead Poets Society (1989). He played Mr. Nolan, the strict headmaster of Welton Academy, opposite Robin Williams. Norman was unsure about auditioning at first. But he agreed after winning his daily tennis match.

From 1998 to 2001, he played Dr. Isaac Mentnor in the science fiction show Seven Days. He also made many guest appearances on TV shows like Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Modern Family.

His last film role was in Trainwreck (2015). He was 99 years old when he acted in it. A documentary about him, Who Is Norman Lloyd?, came out in 2007.

A Long and Active Life

Lloyd in 2007

On June 29, 1936, Norman Lloyd married stage actress Peggy Craven. They had two children, Michael and Josie. Josie, who was also an actress, passed away the year before her father. Norman and Peggy were married for an amazing 75 years until her death in 2011.

Norman loved playing tennis his whole life, starting at age 8. He played twice a week until he had a fall in 2015. He even played against famous actors like Charlie Chaplin and Spencer Tracy. He stopped driving in 2014 when his son asked him to.

Norman Lloyd turned 100 on November 8, 2014. His friends and co-stars from St. Elsewhere, Ed Begley Jr. and Howie Mandel, celebrated with him. They said he was a constant inspiration and a legend.

On October 25, 2017, just before his 103rd birthday, Norman went to Game 2 of the 2017 World Series in Los Angeles. He had also attended Game 1 of the 1926 World Series at Yankee Stadium when he was only 11 years old!

Norman Lloyd passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, California, on May 11, 2021. He was 106 years old.

Select Theatre Credits

As Actor

As Director

Select Film and Television Credits

As Actor

Film

Television

As Director, Producer

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Norman Lloyd para niños