Joshua Mostel (born December 21, 1946) is an American actor with numerous film and Broadway credits.[1] The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Sophie's Choice (1982), City Slickers (1991), Billy Madison (1995), and Big Daddy (1999).
Josh Mostel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mostel in 2016 | |
| Born | December 21, 1946 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouses | Peggy Rajski
(m. 1983; div. 1998)Kim Murdock
(m. 2016) |
| Parent |
|
Life and career edit
Mostel was born in New York City, the son of Kathryn Celia, née Harkin, an actress, dancer, and writer, and Zero Mostel, a comic actor.[citation needed]
Tobias Mostel, his brother, is a painter, ceramic artist and professor of art, teaching at Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Mostel started his career as a boy soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He graduated from Brandeis University. His Broadway debut was in 1971 with Unlikely Heroes. In 1973, Mostel had one of his more notable film performances as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1979, Mostel briefly starred in Delta House, the television version of the film Animal House; he played Blotto Blutarsky, the brother of the character Bluto (played by John Belushi in the original film).[citation needed]
On Broadway, he appeared in the 1989 revival of The Threepenny Opera as Money Matthew and as the frazzled head writer in the original 1992 production of My Favorite Year. He also played the part of "the best trader on the street", Ollie, one of Gordon Gekko's traders in Wall Street.[citation needed]
Mostel lives in New York, with a summer home in Monhegan, Maine.[citation needed]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Going Home | Mr. Bonelli |
| 1972 | The King of Marvin Gardens | Frank |
| 1973 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Herod Antipas |
| 1974 | Harry and Tonto | Norman Coombes |
| 1976 | The Money | Wheel-of-fortune operator |
| Deadly Hero | Victor | |
| 1981 | Dead Ringer | Russell |
| 1982 | Fighting Back | Duster |
| Sophie's Choice | Morris Fink | |
| 1983 | Star 80 | Private Detective |
| 1984 | The Brother from Another Planet | Casio Vendor |
| Windy City | Sol | |
| 1985 | Almost You | David |
| Compromising Positions | Dicky Dunck | |
| Stoogemania | Howard F. Howard | |
| 1986 | The Money Pit | Jack Schnittman |
| 1987 | Radio Days | Abe |
| Matewan | Mayor Cabell Testerman | |
| Wall Street | Ollie | |
| 1989 | Animal Behavior | Mel Gorsky |
| 1991 | City Slickers | Barry Shalowitz |
| Naked Tango | Bertoni the Jeweler | |
| Little Man Tate | Physics Professor | |
| City of Hope | Mad Anthony | |
| 1992 | Nervous Ticks | Saul Warshow |
| 1993 | Searching for Bobby Fischer | Chess Club Regular |
| 1994 | The Chase | Officer Figus |
| Bye Bye America | Abe | |
| City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Barry Shalowitz | |
| 1995 | The Maddening | Chicky Ross |
| Billy Madison | Principal Max Anderson | |
| The Basketball Diaries | Counterman | |
| Let It Be Me | Jordan | |
| 1998 | Great Expectations | Jerry Ragno |
| Rounders | Zagosh | |
| Thicker Than Blood | Kendall | |
| 1999 | The Out-of-Towners | Dr. Faber |
| Big Daddy | Arthur Brooks | |
| 2001 | Knockaround Guys | Mac McCreadle |
| 2009 | State of Play | Pete |
| 2016 | The Congressman | Bernie Gimpel |
| 2020 | Hunters | Rabbi Steckler |
Broadway productions edit
| Title | Dates of Production |
|---|---|
| Unlikely Heroes | October 26, 1971 – November 13, 1971 |
| An American Millionaire | April 20, 1974 – May 5, 1974 |
| A Texas Trilogy: Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander | September 21, 1976 – October 30, 1976 |
| A Texas Trilogy: The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia | September 22, 1976 – October 31, 1976 |
| Threepenny Opera | November 5, 1989 – December 31, 1989 |
| My Favorite Year | December 10, 1992 – January 10, 1993 |
| The Flowering Peach | March 20, 1994 – April 24, 1994 |
| Getting Away with Murder | March 17, 1996 – March 31, 1996 |
References edit
- ^ Maslin, Janet (September 21, 1984). "Windy City (1984) 'WINDY CITY'". The New York Times.
- ^ "Tobias Mostel – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDB. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Frances Winter, an Artist, Is Married to Tobias Mostel". The New York Times. May 2, 1981. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Art & Design Library". FSU Department of Art History. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Zero and Kate Mostel papers". archives.nypl.org. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Adding Up to Zero". Toronto Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "THE EXPLOSION OF A MYTH mixed media on paper, framed, signed and dedicated on verso - Tobias Mostel". Charlton Hall Galleries. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Zero Mostel". tcmdb. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Art History Department, Florida State University. With special thanks to Tobias and Aileen Mostel.
- ^ OLLI Spring 2013 Newsletter by OLLI FSU
- ^ "Mary Aileen Mostel October 8, 1950 - April 9, 2018". Abbey Funeral Home and Tallahassee Memory Gardens. Retrieved September 1, 2022.