Jack Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981) was an American award-winning character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his role as Grandpa Joe in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. For contributions to the television industry, Jack Albertson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6253 Hollywood Boulevard.. The actor often stated that he and fellow character actor, Arthur O'Connell, were often confused for each other.
Albertson was born in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Flora Craft and Leopold Albertson. His sister was actress Mabel Albertson. Albertson's mother, a stock actress, supported the family by working in a shoe factory. Albertson dropped out of high school and traveled to New York City in an attempt make it big in show business. He was too poor to get a room in a flophouse, so in the winter he would sleep on the IRT subway for a nickel, and hide out when the transit workers would clear out the train at the end of the line. In the summer he would sleep in Central Park. Albertson's first real job in show business was with a vaudeville road troupe, the Dancing Verselle Sisters. He was considered a complete entertainer from the old school.
Albertson worked in burlesque as a hoofer (soft shoe dancer) and straight man to Phil Silvers on the Minsky's Burlesque Circuit. Besides vaudeville and burlesque, he appeared on the stage in many Broadway plays including High Button Shoes, Top Banana, The Cradle Will Rock, Make Mine Manhattan, Show Boat, Boy Meets Girl, Girl Crazy, Meet the People, The Sunshine Boys (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor), and The Subject Was Roses (for which he won a Tony for Best Supporting Actor). He was also known for two radio programs, Just Plain Bill and The Jack Albertson Comedy Show.
Albertson appeared in over 30 films. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1968 film The Subject Was Roses. He appeared as Charlie Bucket's Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), and in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), where he was the husband who encouraged his wife, the former swimming champion (played by Shelley Winters in her Oscar-nominated role) to swim for safety. Albertson said that his one regret was that he was not asked to reprise his role in the movie version of The Sunshine Boys.
Television also saw much of Albertson's talent. He appeared in dozens of series, including Jack Sheldon's short-lived Run, Buddy, Run on CBS in 1966. He starred in Chico and the Man, for which Albertson won an Emmy, making him one of the few entertainers to win the triple crown of entertainment (a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy).
Albertson was married to Wallace (Wally) Thompson and had one daughter, Maura. He resided for years in West Hollywood, California. In 1978, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, but kept this information private so he could continue to act. He made two television movies, My Body, My Child (1982) and Grandpa, Will You Run With Me? (1982), that were released posthumously.
Albertson died on November 25, 1981, from colorectal cancer. He was cremated and as his sisters', Mabel Albertson, would be, his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Albertson"
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