JACK WARDEN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Jack Warden was born on September 18th, 1920 in Newark, New Jersey with the birth name John H. Lebzelter, to parents Jack Warden Lebzelter and his mother was Laura M. Lebzelter. He was raised in Louisville, Kentucky at went to high school at Dupont Manual High School until at the age of seventeen he was expelled for fighting.
He decided to get involved in boxing and took on the stage name Johnny Costello, however, even though he was a professional the prizes for winning matches was so low he could not afford to support himself. He therefore turned to working as a lifeguard and also a bouncer at a nightclub.
In 1938 he signed up with the United States Navy and served in China for three years and then joined the Merchant Marines. The pay was better with the Merchant Marines but he did not enjoy the lifestyle so again he quit and this time enlisted in the United States Army. During serving in the war, a comrade lent him a play to read by Clifford Odets and after reading it, he decided that upon his completion of service to his country he was going to see what a life for an actor was all about.
Using his GI Bill he moved to New York City and took up acting classes and then joined a Dallas Alley Theater in 1947 working as an actor. He was gaining a decent amount of experience in a variety of different plays and was working consistently for five years between New York and Texas.
In 1948 while still working on the stage production, Warden made his television debut in, "Death of a Salesman" a stage production that aired on television. He also worked in film making his first debut in, "You're in the Navy Now' (1951) starring with Gary Cooper, Jane Greer, Ray Collins, Millard Mitchell, Jack Webb, Eddie Albert, John McIntire, Ed Begley, Richard Erdman, Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson. In 1952 he followed with his Broadway debut in, "Golden Boy".
Due to his strong athletic physical build he was often cast to portray soldiers such as in the film, "From Here to Eternity" (1953) starring alongside Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Montgomery Clift, Mickey Shaughnessy, George Reeves, Claude Akins, Robert J. Wilke and Carleton Young, which won an Oscar for Best Picture. His best known role was in 1957 in, "Edge of the City" also starring John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Robert F. Simon, which was a big break in his acting career.
Most of the 1960's he dedicated to television work such as in, "The Asphalt Jungle" (1961), "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" (1965) , "N.Y.P.D." (1967), "The Bus Stop" (1961) and "The Fugitive" (1967) starring David Janssen.
In 1970 he worked with Warren Beatty on two films that really peaked his career, "Shampoo" (1975) which also starred Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Carrie Fisher and Tony Bill and "Heaven Can Wait" (1978) with Julie Christie, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Buck Henry, Charles Grodin, Vincent Gardenia and John Randolph in which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Jack was even given the chance to portray the President of the United States in, "Being There" (1979) starring with Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Richard A. Dysart and Richard Basehart.
After his film role on, "So Fine" (1981) with Ryan O'Neal and Fred Gwynne, the quality of roles offered to him began to decline with the exception of "The Verdict" (1982) starring Paul Newman. He took another go at television working on, "Crazy Like a Fox" (1984). Warden worked one more time with Warren Beatty on, "Bulworth" (1998) co-starring Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino and Isaiah Washington and ended his career with one final film role in, "The Replacements" (2000) starring Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton, Jon Favreau, Orlando Jones and Brett Cullen before moving to New York City to retire.
Jack Warden married only one time during his lifetime to Vanda Dupre on October 10th, 1958 through July 19th, 2006 when he passed away. The couple did separate during the 1970's, however never finalized any type of divorce. They had one child together, Christopher.
Throughout his total career he appeared in over 100 movies. During his final years, his health suffered and on July 16th, 2006 he passed away from kidney and heart failure at the age of eighty five in a New York hospital.
Filmography
2000 The Replacements
1999 A Dog of Flanders
1999 Norm
1998 Dirty Work
1998 Bulworth
1998 Chairman of the Board
1997 The Island on Bird Street
1997 Ink
1997 The Volunteers
1996 Ed
1995 Mighty Aphrodite
1995 Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
1995 Problem Child 3: Junior in Love
1995 While You Were Sleeping
1994 Bullets Over Broadway
1993 Guilty as Sin
1992 Toys
1992 Night and the City
1992 Passed Away
1991 Problem Child 2
1990 Judgment
1990 Problem Child
1990 Everybody Wins
1989 Knight & Daye
1988 Dead Solid Perfect
1988 Police Story: The Watch Commander
1988 The Presidio
1987 September
1987 The Three Kings
1987 Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War
1987 Still Crazy Like a Fox
1987 Three Wishes for Jamie
1986 The Cosmic Eye
1984-1986 Crazy Like a Fox
1985 Alice in Wonderland
1985 A.D.
1985 The Aviator
1985 Robert Kennedy & His Times
1985 Gifts of Greatness
1984 Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues
1984 Crackers
1983 Hobson's Choice
1982 The Verdict
1981 So Fine
1981 Chu Chu and the Philly Flash
1981 Carbon Copy
1981 The Great Muppet Caper
1980 A Private Battle
1979-1980 The Bad News Bears
1980 Used Cars
1979 Being There
1979 Topper
1979 ...And Justice for All.
1979 Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979 Dreamer
1979 The Champ
1978 Death on the Nile
1978 Heaven Can Wait
1977 The White Buffalo
1976 Raid on Entebbe
1976 Jigsaw John
1976 All the President's Men
1975 They Only Come Out at Night
1975 Shampoo
1975 Journey from Darkness
1974 The Godchild
1974 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
1974 Remember When
1974 Billy Two Hats
1973 The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
1973 Wheeler and Murdoch
1972 Lieutenant Schuster's Wife
1972 Man on a String
1972 Dig
1971 What's a Nice Girl Like You...?
1971 Brian's Song
1971 The Face of Fear
1971 Welcome to the Club
1971 Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
1971 Summertree
1971 Robert Young and the Family
1971 The Sporting Club
1971 Great Performances
1967-1969 N.Y.P.D.
1967 The Invaders
1967 The Fugitive
1965-1966 The Wackiest Ship in the Army
1965 Blindfold
1962-1965 Wagon Train
1962-1965 The Virginian
1965 Dr. Kildare
1965 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1964 Slattery's People
1964 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1964 Bewitched
1964 Kraft Suspense Theatre
1964 The Thin Red Line
1964 The Great Adventure
1964 Breaking Point
1961-1963 Route 66
1963 Donovan's Reef
1963 77 Sunset Strip
1962 Naked City
1962 Ben Casey
1962 Going My Way
1962 Alcoa Premiere
1962 Target: The Corruptors
1962 Escape from Zahrain
1962 Tales of Wells Fargo
1961 The Lawbreakers
1961 Bus Stop
1961 The Asphalt Jungle
1961 Checkmate
1959-1960 The Untouchables
1960 Outlaws
1960 Stagecoach West
1959-1960 Twilight Zone
1960 Wake Me When It's Over
1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1959 Five Fingers
1959 Bonanza
1959 That Kind of Woman
1958-1959 Playhouse 90
1959 The Sound and the Fury
1958 Run Silent Run Deep
1958 Darby's Rangers
1957 Suspicion
1956-1957 The United States Steel Hour
1957 12 Angry Men
1957 The Bachelor Party
1957 Hallmark Hall of Fame
1957 Edge of the City
1957 The Kaiser Aluminum Hour
1956 Climax!
1956 The Alcoa Hour
1950-1955 The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1955 Justice
1955 Producers' Showcase
1951-1955 Danger
1955 Ponds Theater
1954-1955 Studio One in Hollywood
1955 Norby
1954 Center Stage
1954 Kraft Theatre
1954 Inner Sanctum
1953 Man Against Crime
1953 The Man Behind the Badge
1953 Campbell Summer Soundstage
1953 From Here to Eternity
1953 The Gulf Playhouse
1951-1953 Lux Video Theatre
1952 Mister Peepers
1952 Broadway Television Theatre
1952 Tales of Tomorrow
1952 Red Ball Express
1951 The Man with My Face
1951 The Frogmen
1951 You're in the Navy Now
1950 The Asphalt Jungle
