Great actor


Ben Gazzara was, for more than fifty years, one of the most consistently impressive actors working in American movies. From his early stand-out as the accused in Anatomy of a Murder through to his late career appearances in the likes of Happiness and Dogville, he never gave a less than impeccable performance and always commanded the screen.

His performances in the films of his friend John Cassavetes are considered noteworthy (although personally I have yet to see Husbands or The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, two of their more highly regarded collaborations. My personal favourite Gazzara performance is as the small-time pimp trying to make it big in Singapore in Peter Bogdanovich's excellent Saint Jack, which deserves to be far more widely seen than it is.

Any other favourite Gazzara roles- particularly his lesser-known ones - which I should look out for?

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Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski is his greatest role

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