Ben Gazzara Movies
Both an accomplished character actor and leading man, Ben Gazzara has made a name for himself on the stage, screen, and television. The son of an Italian immigrant, Gazzara was born in New York City on August 28, 1930. He channeled his excess energy into acting after dropping out of the engineering department at the City College of New York. After studying at the Actors Studio and with private coach Erwin Piscator, Gazzara exploded onto the Broadway scene in 1953, playing warped military academy upper-classman Jocko De Paris in End as a Man. He went on to create the role of Brick in the original 1955 production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He later starred in Michael V. Gazzo's A Hatful of Rain, only to see his role go to Don Murray in the 1957 movie version, just as Paul Newman would portray Brick in the 1958 film version of Cat.Fortunately, Gazzara was permitted top film billing in 1957, reprising his stage role in End as a Man in the heavily laundered film-version, The Strange One. Two years later, Gazzara played arrogant murder-trial defendant Lieutenant Manion -- the one with the "irresistible impulse" -- in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder, slyly stealing scenes from the film's "official" star, James Stewart. After this promising beginning in films, Gazzara had trouble finding adequate movie roles. He turned to television in 1963, first as a co-star with Chuck Connors in the experimental 90-minute crime weekly Arrest and Trial. In 1965, Gazzara starred as Paul Bryan, an ex-lawyer with only a short time to live, on the TV popular series Run for Your Life; in spite of his character's fatal illness, Gazzara was able to remain with Run for three healthy seasons.
With 1970's Husbands, Gazzara made the first of four film appearances under the direction of his old Actors Studio buddy John Cassavetes. Four years later, Gazzara starred as the Leon Uris counterpart in television's first miniseries, QB VII (1974). Since that time, Gazzara has taken roles that may not always be prestigious, but have permitted him ample creative elbow room; a fascinating example of this was his bisexual villain in the Patrick Swayze vehicle Road House (1989). In 1998, he could be seen doing some of the best work of his career portraying a series of beautifully dysfunctional characters in Buffalo '66, Happiness, and the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski. The following year, he traveled into the realm of slick international caper with a supporting role in The Thomas Crown Affair, and then returned to his New York roots to portray the leader of organized crime in the Bronx in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Gena Rowlands penned and stars opposite longtime friend and Cassavetes collaborator Ben Gazzara in this short film set in the titular section of Paris. The two play a long-separated married couple, reunited on the eve of their divorce. Directed by Gérard Depardieu and Frédéric Auburtin, Quartier Latin was included in Paris, Je T'Aime, a collection of shorts by such filmmakers as Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuarón, and the Coen Brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, (more)
One of several dramatized tributes to the late pontiff to be telecast in 2005, the two-part CBS biopic Pope John Paul II is a remake of a popular Italian miniseries, and was filmed on location in Italy and Poland. The film begins with the attempted assassination of the pope on May 13, 1981, whereupon the story of the man once known as Karol Wojtyla is unfolded in flashback. The familiar highlights of Pope John Paul II's life and work are vividly realized: his early theatrical aspirations, his staunch resistance of both the Nazis and the Communist party in his native Poland, his meteoritic rise through the church ranks (at 38, he was his country's youngest bishop), and his ultimate ascendance to the Vatican throne in 1978. Also, this is one of the few English-language films to officer a meticulous recreation of the papal election process. Throughout much of the film, the pope's career is firmly linked with that of his countryman, Polish labor leader Lech Walesa; it can be inferred that without the input of both men, Poland would never have freed itself from Communist domination, nor would the Soviet empire have ultimately fallen. Cary Elwes plays John Paul from ages 18 through 50, whereupon Elwes morphs (quite literally, thanks to a brief -- and controversial -- special-effect sequence) into Jon Voight, who takes over as the older pope. Pope John Paul II was first telecast in two parts on December 4 and 7, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Cary Elwes, (more)
- 2005
The devastating disappearance of a young girl haunts her grieving family in this fact-based tale feature debut from filmmaker Dionysius Zervos. Hungering for some quality alone time with her new boyfriend, Ray (Costas Mandylor), single mother Kaliope Harris (Izabella Miko) leaves her young daughter, Anna (Erika Shasho), in the care of loving grandmother Mrs. Harris (Lesley Ann Warren). An idyllic day at the beach turns to tragedy for the Harris family, however, when in the blink of an eye the precious young Anna seemingly disappears into the vast sand. While Mrs. Harris struggles to accept the startling disappearance, her enraged husband (Ben Gazzara) hounds the authorities to step up their search and Kaliope and Ray comb the beach in a desperate bid to retrace Anna's every step on that fateful and tragic day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
Two aging single women in 1980s New Jersey enact a depressing routine of deluded barroom romance in this made-for-cable drama. At least 15 years after her father walked out on her, Debby (Uma Thurman) still has issues with men. She spends her evenings carousing with best friend, Beth (Juliette Lewis), and her hung-over days working customer service and dreaming of a proper romance. Debby's endless stream of dissatisfactions includes single mom Beth's precocious daughter, whose needs sometimes interrupt the women's search for boyfriends, and the shrewish condescension of her older co-workers. But on the very same day that high-strung Debby experiences a bout of hysterical blindness at work, she enjoys a strained encounter in the parking lot of her favorite watering hole with handsome construction worker Rick (Justin Chambers). This brief flirtation convinces Debby that she's finally found Mr. Right, but it's obvious to anyone else watching that Rick is Mr. Right Now, at best. As the relationship staggers along, Debby becomes convinced that the same is true of Nick (Ben Gazzara), the kindly widower who is courting her waitress mother, Virginia (Gena Rowlands). But even Nick's fatherly overtones and fine intentions can't shield Debby and Virginia from the vicissitudes of life. Executive-produced by star Thurman, Hysterical Blindness was directed by Mira Nair, fresh off the success of the art-house hit Monsoon Wedding. The associate producer was writer Laura Cahill, who adapted her own play for the small screen. The film premiered August 25, 2002, on HBO. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Gena Rowlands, (more)
- 2001
Japanese filmmaker Yoshifumi Hosoya, who has lived in the States since 1984, follows up on his directorial debut Sleepy Heads -- an offbeat look at Japanese ex-pats living in New York -- with this caper comedy featuring a cast of such indie luminaries as Ben Gazzara and Elizabeth Ashley. The film centers around a lonely Hoboken widow named Beth (Ashley) who lives with her two slacker grandsons, Gabe (Jayce Bartok) and Brad (Lee Holmes). The two dream of opening a pizza shop together but have a hard time even getting off the living room couch. One day, Beth has her wedding ring appraised and learns that it is worth ten million dollars. Soon, the story gets the attention of the local media, and a number of shady characters -- including an aging thief (Gazzara), his Chinese sidekick (Ken Leung), and Beth's own drool-mouth grandkids -- who hope to relieve the widow of her riches. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
John Gallagher directs this film about magic and the mystery of love. Frank and Maggie (Ben Gazzara and Rita Moreno) have been married longer than either of them can remember. In an effort to revive the spark in their relationship, Maggie persuades Frank to visit their old cabin up in the Catskills. There they find themselves in a time warp that allows them to meet their younger selves. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Rita Moreno, (more)
- 2000
A crime caper that gaily spoofs such antecedents as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and nods its head more than a few times to the work of Quentin Tarantino, Very Mean Men opens in a bar, where a bartender (Matthew Modine) finds himself serving drinks to a tough-looking guy (Martin Landau) he pegs as a cheap drinker. In order to keep the miniscule tips coming, the bartender makes up a story about warring mob families in the San Fernando Valley. In one corner there are the Minettis, who are led by Gino (Ben Gazzara), a mobster who's mellowed with age. Gino wants to make amends when Big Paddy Mulroney (Charles Durning) complains that Gino's clan is invading his side of the Valley. Gino's temperamental son Paulie (Scott Baio, sporting peroxided hair and a goatee to match) gives Mulroney money, only to then stiff Mulroney's waitress daughter on a tip after having lunch at the family's diner. Soon ethnic insults are flying like bullets, and everyone is out for revenge. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Martin Landau, (more)
- 2000
Jim (Ben Gazzara) is a has-been American clarinetist living in Wales who makes a paltry living playing gigs in third-tier seaside towns. When one of his geriatric audience keels over dead from a heart attack, Jim makes the acquaintance of Hugo (Thomas Schmauser), a young German who works for the town undertaker. Hugo wants to be his own boss, but despite the town's high mortality rate, he is having trouble striking out on his own because his ex-employer has all of the necessary contacts. With Jim's help and friendship, Hugo finally gets his opportunity, and is also aided by a lusty nurse who gives him an "in" on the fresh corpses at her hospital. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Michael Fitzgerald, (more)
In this thriller, Judge Richard Miller (Ryan O'Neal) is put in a highly precarious position when he is assigned to preside over the trial of Gabrielle Mitchell (Madchen Amick), a high-priced call girl with an exclusive clientele. Gabrielle, who has arranged her own arrest in order to blackmail her better-known customers, presents Miller a list of her regular clients -- as well as an incriminating videotape. Miller is put in the difficult position of either making the information public and destroying the careers of trusted colleagues, or risking his own prosecution by keeping it a secret. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan O'Neal, Mädchen Amick, (more)
In this dramatic thriller, a disgruntled postal worker finds himself convicted of a murder he did not commit. He's initially grateful when a security firm arranges for his release, but he's not so happy when he discovers what they have in store for him. His brain is washed, stripping away all memories of his previous life, and he's reprogrammed to become an assassin who will kill anyone at the firm's command. Can the love of a beautiful woman bring back the life he thought he'd lost forever? Shark in a Bottle stars Danny Nucci, Ben Gazzara, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., and Heip Thi Le. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Danny Nucci, (more)
South Korean-born Wonsuk Chin, a NYC resident for eight years, made his directorial debut with this hip comedy, shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. With numerous cinematic references and allusions (Bergman, Godard, Woo, Hartley), the tale begins with a black-and-white silent sequence depicting Death chasing a young man through Old Baghdad. The setting shifts to present-day New York, where a Japanese man, Kenji (Takeshi Kaneshiro of Chungking Express) is seen abed in a sparsely furnished apartment. Kinji goes to a local cafe where he chats with several others: Italian friend Fabrizio (Michael Imperioli) who proclaims, "Lubitsch is the god!"; a literary wit, Balzac Man (Jeffrey Wright); and an enigmatic German woman, Pola (Geno Lechner), who hints at a possible sexual liaison with Kinji. Death (Mira Sorvino) drifts about, assuming various forms -- disco gal, Japanese geisha, Chinese woman, devil with a red dress on, and a French-accented figure dressed as a man. The sad and lonely Death informs Kenji that she has no choice in determining her victims, and he also learns from her that he has only 12 hours left to live. She suggests that he make the most of his remaining minutes, so he sets forth on a series of brief adventures. At the cafe, he chides famous artist John Sage (Ben Gazzara) for being involved with a decades-younger girlfriend, the beautiful Korean Anouk (Hye Soo Kim). Sage invites Kenji to dinner at their home, and Death invites herself. Kenji makes the proposal that since he's due to die, he could be allowed sex with Anouk as a final act. This request isn't well received by anyone present, leaving Kenji to his own devices as the darkness closes in. Mira Sorvino wears a virtual fashion show of colorful costumes in this movie, which also provided her with the opportunity to speak Chinese onscreen for the first time. Sorvino majored in Asian studies at Harvard and lived for eight months (1988-89) in Beijing, where she studied Chinese, taught English, and viewed a variety of Chinese films. Too Tired to Die and The Replacement Killers both brought her several steps closer to her announced goal of making a film in Mandarin and working with a Chinese director. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Mira Sorvino, (more)
- 1995
Both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are sensitively explored in the Tunisian-French drama. Richard, a French TV journalist has been assigned to do a political story in Jerusalem the night before Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat sign their peace accord. Richard is glad to go as it gives him a chance to see his girlfriend Esther, a psychologist. Esther's father Moshe is continually tormented by his Holocaust memories. Hammoudi, nicknamed "Local Radio," is Richard's taxi driver and guide. He tells Richard the story of his family which was uprooted in 1948 resulting in the disappearance of his grandmother. Mysteriously, her picture appeared in a recent Arabic newspaper. Richard, intrigued, decides to center his investigations upon "Local Radio's" story. As he delves deeper into their lives he discovers that the ancient rivalries between the Israeli's and Palestinians is far too deep and complex to be easily explained away. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
When the wife of a former political radical dies after surgery, the man goes over the edge and decides to make society pay for her passing in this Italian crime melodrama. The unhinged widower Amos leaves his job as a watchmaker and begins plotting to punish another ex-radical who sold out and became a government official. Amos enlists the aid of his young apprentice and two other old radicals and together they kidnap the minister and kill his bodyguard. They then hide out in an abandoned seaside mansion. Amos sends David, his assistant, back to the minister's residence to keep watch upon his beautiful daughter Chiara, a student of anatomy, who spends her time dissecting corpses. Eventually, these two disparate young people fall in love. Meanwhile the captured minister begins playing dangerous mind games with the other three. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Alexandra's life becomes a living hell when she discovers the undercover policeman she loves is actually a dangerous serial killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cynthia Gibb, John Stamos, (more)
- 1994
Directed by Linda Yellen, this made-for-cable movie originally aired on the Showtime network and featured a star-studded cast including Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli, and James Belushi. The plot centers around several fraternity and sorority graduates who have decided to regroup at their alma mater. Nick (Belushi), a determined but gloomy reporter, attends on the sole hope of finding some good gossip. His highest hope lies within the career ties of his ex-lover Winnie (JoBeth Williams), who now serves as publicist to rising politician Rebecca Ferguson Stone (Patricia Wetig). Fellow alumni Charlie (Ben Gazzara) is returning for equally dishonest reasons--he's hoping to convince his ex Francie (Gena Rowlands) to pay off his gambling debts. Francie, however, has found herself more interested in bonding with a single mom/housekeeper (Ally Sheedy). All of their lives take a turn for the unexpected when the big man on campus mysteriously dies. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Made for television, the two-part, four-hour Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage is the true story of "mob wife" Rosalie Profaci Bonanno, here played by Nancy McKeon. Inasmuch as the teleplay is based on Ms. Bonanno's memoirs, it is perhaps understandable that she casts herself as an innocent bystander in the ongoing saga of Mafia activity in the United States, totally ignorant (at least at first) as to how her father Joe Profaci (Tomas Milian) and his chief mob rival Joseph Bonanno (Ben Gazzara) support themselves and their families. It is further suggested that Rosalie is completely in the dark concerning the mob connections of her husband Bill (Eric Roberts), Joe Bonanno's son; after all, how could anything be amiss when the Pope Himself calls to congratulate the bride and groom? Ultimately Rosalie sees the light when her husband enters a war against opposing mob families, and is subsequently thrown in prison. The rest of the story chronicles how Rosalie struggles to escape the onus of "Mafia princess", seeking out honest, mainstream work to take care of herself and her children. Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage originally aired Mary 23 and 25, 1993 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Jeff Fahey stars as a former cop who has turned to burglary. Caught in the crossfire of a drug sting, Fahey is blinded. While recuperating in Mexico, he makes the acquaintance of beautiful but secretive Mia Sara. His subsequent romantic fling plunges him into yet another perilous situation. Made for cable TV (it debuted January 20, 1993, on the USA network), Blindsided relies completely upon its stars-including third-billed Ben Gazzara-to sustain its level of suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV thriller stars Ben Gazzara as a publishing magnate framed for murdering the call girl with whom he was having an affair. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1991
When Berenice Rondi (Eva Grimaldi) learns of her father's death from a heart attack, she also learns that the police are looking to find his last girlfriend. Before now, she had not imagined that her businessman dad Marcelo (en Gazzara) was much of a womanizer, but as she participates in the police's inquiries, she gets acquainted with how he conducted his life and is distressed to learn of and meet his many lady friends. As the mystery unfolds through a series of flashbacks, it becomes clear that she herself is at the center of it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Eva Grimaldi, (more)
- 1990
Based on a novel by Dominick Dunne (who virtually disowned the project the minute it hit the small screen), People Like Us is a 2-part, 4-hour TV movie. Ben Gazzara plays a writer whose daughter has been murdered (much like Dunne himself). Upset that the killer's sentence is all too short, Gazzara begins whiling away his time following the exploits of "new money" billionaire Dennis Farina and his ambitious ex-stewardess wife Connie Sellecca. Also falling under Gazzara's watchful eye is old-money dowager Eva Marie Saint, whose son dies of AIDS and whose daughter (Terri Polo) marries a womanizing anchorman. The lives of everyone mentioned in the above sentences converge as Gazzara renews his desire for vengeance against the person responsible for his daughter's death. People Like Us took too many liberties with its source material to satisfy either Dominick Dunne fans or soap opera addicts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
