RIP Eli Wallach, 1915-2014

Tuco has finally been silenced. He was hardly ever the headliner (at least in movies, it was a different story onstage), but the characters played by Eli Wallach, one of the ultimate character actors, almost always stood out in whatever movie he was in. Eli Wallach was Jewish, but onscreen he specialized in playing ethnic characters usually of latin origin (Mexican, Italian, Spanish). He grew up in an Italian neighborhood in New York City, and in interviews credited his success playing those characters to his youth experiences.

Wallach often played rough characters, but in real life he was urbane and sophisticated. A Method actor and graduate of the famed Actor's Studio, he earned many awards for acting onstage. Stage work was his preference. He once said that movies were a means to an end, "I go and get on a horse in Spain for 10 weeks, and I have enough cushion to come back and do a play." Appearing in over 150 film roles, he is perhaps most famous for his Westerns. He played the bandit in 'Magnificent Seven' opposite Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and others. He was the only good thing about 'Godfather III.' But he will be most remembered as Tuco, the "ugly" in Sergio Leone's classic 'The Good, The Bad & the Ugly.' It was Wallach who gave the film life and vitality and all of its much needed comic relief. Stoic Clint Eastwood and bad to the bone Lee Van Cleef were awesome too, but honestly the film would not be what it was without Wallach's immoral, immortal, fast talking, always scheming Tuco.

We recently lost possibly the greatest character actor of the last couple of decades, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I see a great connection between Hoffman and Wallach's work. Neither were interested in being "stars." They just wanted to perfect their craft and do their characters justice. They were both actors who served the material first, and made everyone else acting with them look better than they probably were.

RIP Eli Wallach

Check out these three scenes from 'The Good, The bad & The Ugly' to see Wallach's amazing work in that film. Lest you think Tuco was all clown, check out the last emotional clip between Tuco and his brother.


ABOVE: The famous three way duel scene from 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.' Sergio Leone's style is unmistakable, and three masters are at work with Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach. It is a ballet of tension and violence.


ABOVE: He plays this comedy perfectly with hardly any dialogue at all.