Ron Leibman
Ron Leibman
The son of a Manhattan clothing manufacturer, Ron Leibman defied his family's wishes by dropping out of Wesleyan University to study at the Actor's Studio. Appearing in off-Broadway productions from 1959, Leibman made his Broadway debut in 1963's Dear Me, the Sky is Falling. He won an Obie Award for his work in Transfers, and a New York Drama Desk Award for We Bombed in New Haven. An undeniably major talent, Leibman's explosive temper and entrenched insistence upon integrity at all costs has lost him more jobs than he'd probably care to count (There are some who say that much of Leibman's fabled contentiousness was incorporated into Dustin Hoffman's character in Tootsie). After resisting series TV for many years, Leibman accepted the role of Martin Kazinksi, ex-con turned lawyer, in the 1978 weekly Kaz; the show died after a single season, but not before he won an Emmy Award (At the time, he insisted he'd never do another series; in 1991, however, he could be seen as Detective Al Burkhardt on the weekly Pacific Station, and earlier had been one of the candidates for the starring role in the TV sitcom Coach). In films, Leibman seems to relish wildly extroverted roles: The relentless stalker of Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five (1971), gonzo NYPD troubleshooter "Batman" in The Super Cops (1973), the out-of-town union organizer in Norma Rae (1979), the lithping Cathtillian heavy in Zorro the Gay Blade (1981), abrasive racing promoter Dave Davis in Phar Lap (1984), and Dolly Parton's greasy agent in Rhinestone (1985) (he was starred in Mad Presents Up the Academy, but had a falling out with the producers and insisted that his name be removed from the credits). Returning to Broadway in 1993, Leibman won a Tony Award for Angels in America. Once married to actress Linda Lavin, Ron Leibman is currently wed to actress Jessica Walter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmography of Ron Leibman:
- Norma Rae with Sally Field , Beau Bridges , Pat Hingle , Barbara Baxley , Gail Strickland , Bert Freed , James Luisi , Noble Willingham
- Auto Focus with Greg Kinnear , Willem Dafoe , Rita Wilson , Maria Bello , Ed Jr. Begley , Michael McKean
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood with Bruce Dern , Madeline Kahn , Art Carney , Phil Silvers , Teri Garr , Edward Ashley , Billy Barty , William Benedict , Edgar Bergen , Janet Blair , Joan Blondell , John Carradine , Jack Carter , Cyd Charisse , Jackie Coogan , Broderick Crawford , Yvonne DeCarlo , Gloria DeHaven , William Demarest , Andy Devine , Alice Faye , Fritz Feld , Stepin Fetchit , Rhonda Fleming , Eddie Jr. Foy , Shecky Greene , Huntz Hall , Dick Haymes , Sterling Holloway , Dorothy Lamour , Peter Lawford , Keye Luke , Guy Madison , Victor Mature , Virginia Mayo , Mike Mazurki , Ethel Merman , Ann Miller , Ricardo Montalban , Dennis Morgan , Patricia Morison , Louis Nye , Walter Pidgeon , Aldo Ray , Ann Rutherford , Dean Stockwell , Regis Toomey , Rudy Vallee , Doodles Weaver , Jesse White , Henny Youngman , Milton Berle , Rory Calhoun , Tab Hunter , George Jessel , Fernando Lamas , Ken Murray , Henry Wilcoxon
- Garden State with Natalie Portman , Peter Sarsgaard , Ian Holm , Jean Smart
- Dummy with Adrien Brody , Illeana Douglas , Jessica Walter , Jared Harris
Ron Leibman Trivia
