Mostel, Zero

Mostel, Zero (mŏs'tĕl`), 1915–77, American actor, b. New York City as Samuel Joel Mostel. Mostel made his Broadway debut in Keep 'Em Laughing (1942). A comic actor with an expressive face, he combined a large paunch with acrobatic grace. His major stage appearances include Ulysses in Nighttown (1958 and 1974), Rhinoceros (1961; film, 1973), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962; film, 1966), and Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Mostel's other films include The Producers (1968).

Bibliography

See his Zero by Mostel (1965).

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Mostel, Zero

 orig. Samuel Joel Mostel

(born Feb. 28, 1915, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Sept. 8, 1977, Philadelphia, Pa.) U.S. actor. He initially worked both on Broadway and in film, but after being blacklisted in Hollywood after 1955, he worked principally in theatre in New York City. He gave acclaimed performances in Ulysses in Nighttown (1958) and Rhinoceros (1961), and he had lead roles in the musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) and Fiddler on the Roof (1964). His later films included Mel Brooks's The Producers (1968) and The Front (1976), a film about the blacklisting era. Mostel was also a serious painter throughout his life.