Sidney Armus (December 19, 1924 – June 21, 2002[1]) was an American actor.

Sidney Armus
Born(1924-12-19)December 19, 1924
DiedJune 21, 2002(2002-06-21) (aged 77)
OccupationActor

Born in the Bronx, New York, he made his Broadway debut in the original production of the musical South Pacific in 1949.[1] Prior to that he spent six months in England playing the role of "Stefanowski" in the London company of Mister Roberts, which starred Tyrone Power. Armus appeared in many off-Broadway productions in New York before his debut.[citation needed]

While studying with Erwin Piscator at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School for Social Research, he was seen in 'The Flies,' 'There is No End,' and 'Crew 55' (sourced from the original theatre program for 'South Pacific', 1949.)

Sidney played the character of "Itchy" Flexner, the social director, in the Broadway production of the musical comedy Wish You Were Here[2] which opened at the Imperial Theatre on June 25, 1952, and closed on November 28, 1953, after 598 performances. Wish You Were Here is a musical with a book by Arthur Kober and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. The musical was adapted from Kober's 1937 play, Having Wonderful Time, and revolves around a summer camp for adults.

Other Broadway productions Sidney appeared in on Broadway were "The Flowering Peach" (1954), "The Cold Wind And The Warm" (1958) with Suzanne Pleshette and Maureen Stapleton, and "Harold" (1962).

In films, Armus had roles in Sleepless in Seattle, One Fine Day, Postcards from the Edge, and The Thomas Crown Affair. In television he appeared on Columbo, Kojak, and The Defenders, as well as many 1950s early television dramas such as Goodyear Playhouse and The United States Steel Hour.

In the early 90s, Armus appeared in several Law & Order episodes playing various judges.

In his later career he owned and operated Theatre 22, an Off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City, where he directed plays.[2]

He died in New York City[1] of cancer.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 The Thomas Crown Affair Arnie
1971 Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Marvin
1976 Nickelodeon Judge
1986 Heartburn Jeweler
1987 Making Mr. Right Jeweler
1987 The Pick-up Artist Sidney
1990 Postcards from the Edge Sid Roth
1992 This Is My Life Morris Chesler
1993 Sleepless in Seattle Information Booth Man
1994 Mixed Nuts Chris' Father
1996 Night Falls on Manhattan Judge
1996 One Fine Day Mayor Aikens
1996 I'm Not Rappaport Grocery Customer
1999 Gloria Pharmacist

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Sidney Armus". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Peter Filichia, "Side by Side by Sidney Armus: Filichia re-encounters Sidney Armus, who no longer lives over a pretzel factory", TheaterMania, January 16, 2002.
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