Lee J. Cobb (December 8, 1911 – February 11, 1976) was an American actor.
Born Leo Jacoby to a Jewish family in New York City, Cobb studied at New York University before making his film debut in The Vanishing Shadow (1934). He joined the Manhattan-based left wing Group Theatre in 1935. He is probably best known for creating the role of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's 1949 play Death of a Salesman under the direction of Elia Kazan. It is widely considered to be his best performance, and one of the greatest performances ever on the American stage.
Cobb was cast as the Kralahome in the 1946 non-musical film Anna and the King of Siam. He also played the sympathetic doctor in The Song of Bernadette, and appeared as James Coburn's supervisor in the spy spoofs In Like Flint and Our Man Flint. He reprised his role of Willy Loman in the 1966 CBS television adaptation of Death of a Salesman, which included then-unknown actors Gene Wilder, Bernie Kopell, and George Segal. Cobb was nominated for an Emmy Award for the performance. Mildred Dunnock, who had co-starred in both the original stage version and the 1951 film version, again repeated her role as Linda, Willy's devoted wife.
Cobb was named as a possible Communist in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee because of his involvement in liberal causes and his support of political and charitable organizations suspected of being Communist fronts. He was called to testify before HUAC but refused to do so for two years until, with his career threatened by the blacklist, he relented in 1953 and gave testimony in which he named twenty people as former members of the Communist Party USA.
Later, Cobb explained why he "named names" saying:
When the facilities of the government of the United States are drawn on an individual it can be terrifying. The blacklist is just the opening gambit — being deprived of work. Your passport is confiscated. That's minor. But not being able to move without being tailed is something else. After a certain point it grows to implied as well as articulated threats, and people succumb. My wife did, and she was institutionalized. The HUAC did a deal with me. I was pretty much worn down. I had no money. I couldn't borrow. I had the expenses of taking care of the children. Why am I subjecting my loved ones to this? If it's worth dying for, and I am just as idealistic as the next fellow. But I decided it wasn't worth dying for, and if this gesture was the way of getting out of the penitentiary I'd do it. I had to be employable again.
— Interview with Victor Navasky for the 1982 book Naming Names
Following the hearing he resumed his career and worked with Kazan and Budd Schulberg, two other HUAC "friendly witnesses" on the 1954 film On the Waterfront which is widely seen as an allegory and apologia for testifying. Cobb also appeared as ranch owner Judge Garth in the television series The Virginian, and his 1968 performance as King Lear with Stacy Keach as Edmund, René Auberjonois as the Fool, and Philip Bosco as Kent achieved the longest run for the play in Broadway history. One of his final film roles was that of police detective Lt. Kinderman in the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist. Cobb died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in Woodland Hills, California and was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Selected Broadway credits
Cobb as Johnny Friendly with Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront (1954)
Cobb as Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront (1954)
