1930-01-06 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Victor Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples in the comedy-drama film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television sitcom Alice (1976–1985), for which he won two consecutive Golden Globes. Early life Tayback was born on January 6, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to Syrian Catholic immigrant parents Helen (née Hanood; Arabic: هيلين هنود تايباك) and Najeeb James Tayback (Arabic: نجيب جيمس طيبك) . Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from Aleppo. He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1948. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting. Career Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Bonanza, Here Come the Brides, That Girl, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, All in the Family, Fantasy Island, Columbo, Bewitched and The Love Boat. He also appeared in many films such as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including Twelve Angry Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He was the co-founder of the theatre troupe Company of Angels. He also appeared in television commercials, notably in 1968 with Richard Dreyfuss for the AMC Javelin. Tayback's most famous role was as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series Alice (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series. For the role, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 1980 and 1981. In 1971, he made a guest appearance as Dirks in season 16, episode 19 of the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke. Personal life Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had one son. Death Tayback died of a heart attack at age 60 on May 25, 1990. Tayback was pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m. at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he was taken after his wife called paramedics. She said he had climbed out of bed, taken a few steps and collapsed. Tayback was a lifelong smoker and had a history of heart problems. He underwent a triple bypass in 1983. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). CLR
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Horseplayer | George Samsa | 1990-01-20 |
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Criminal Act | The Exterminator (Greengrass) | 1989-09-27 |
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Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers | Lou | 1989-10-11 |
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All Dogs Go to Heaven | Carface (voice) | 1989-11-17 |
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Loverboy | Harry Bruckner | 1989-04-28 |
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The Underachievers | Coach | 1988-06-01 |
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The Three Kings | Harold | 1987-12-17 |
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Weekend Warriors | Sgt. Burdge | 1986-10-01 |
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George Carlin: Playin' with Your Head | The Bad Guys | 1986-06-14 |
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L'Île au trésor | Silver | 1986-01-01 |
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Reel Horror | Smedke (archive footage) | 1985-10-01 |
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The Jesse Owens Story | Abe Saperstein | 1984-07-09 |
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Mysterious Two | Ted Randall | 1982-05-31 |
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Through the Magic Pyramid | Horembeb | 1981-12-06 |
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Gridlock | Floyd 'Snake' Kraslowski | 1980-10-02 |
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Rage! | Tommy | 1980-09-25 |
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This Year's Blonde | Harry Cohn | 1980-05-18 |
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The Night the City Screamed | Morris Brustein | 1980-12-14 |
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Portrait of a Stripper | Harry Parkins | 1979-10-02 |
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The Cheap Detective | Lieutenant DiMaggio | 1978-06-23 |
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The Case of the Baltimore Girls | Capt. Barney Marcus | 1978-01-23 |
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Getting Married | Burt Carboni | 1978-05-17 |
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The Choirboys | Zoony | 1977-12-23 |
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Little Ladies of the Night | Finch | 1977-01-16 |
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Dark Victory | Archie | 1976-02-05 |
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Mansion of the Doomed | Detective Simon | 1976-10-01 |
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Special Delivery | Wyatt | 1976-07-16 |
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The Shaggy D.A. | Eddie Roschak | 1976-12-17 |
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No Deposit, No Return | Big Joe Adamo | 1976-02-05 |
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The Big Bus | Goldie | 1976-06-23 |
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Lepke | Charles 'Lucky' Luciano | 1975-05-23 |
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The Black Bird | Warren Finley, Police Lieutenant | 1975-12-25 |
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Report to the Commissioner | Lt. Seidensticker | 1975-02-05 |
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The Gambler | One | 1974-10-02 |
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Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Mel | 1974-12-09 |
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Thunderbolt and Lightfoot | Mario Pinski | 1974-05-23 |
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Partners in Crime | 1973-03-24 | |
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The Alpha Caper | Policeman | 1973-10-06 |
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Papillon | Sergeant | 1973-12-16 |
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Emperor of the North | Yardman | 1973-05-23 |
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Maxie | Smedke | 1973-01-01 |
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The Blue Knight | Neil Grogan | 1973-11-11 |
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The Don Is Dead | Ralph Negri | 1973-11-14 |
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Honor Thy Father | Don A. Tirello | 1973-03-01 |
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Death Follows a Psycho | 1972-01-01 | |
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Blood and Lace | Calvin Carruthers | 1971-03-17 |
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They Call It Murder | Jeff Poland | 1971-12-17 |
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Bullitt | Pete Ross | 1968-10-17 |
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Gambit | Plainclothes Officer at TWA Counter (uncredited) | 1966-12-16 |
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Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round | Detective Merchant (uncredited) | 1966-10-12 |
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Love with the Proper Stranger | Cye (uncredited) | 1963-12-25 |
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Surftide 77 | Arms Cooper | 1962-07-17 |
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Five Weeks in a Balloon | European Agent (uncredited) | 1962-08-22 |
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Five Minutes to Live | Fred Dorella | 1961-12-07 |
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Gangster Story | Norm (uncredited) | 1959-12-01 |
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T-Bird Gang | Policeman | 1959-10-16 |
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The Power of the Resurrection | Simon the Canaanite | 1958-01-01 |
