Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (November 30, 1918 â€" May 2, 2014) was a Golden Globe-winning American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series and associated spin-offs. He also voiced Doctor Octopus from the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, and Justin Hammer from the second season of 1994 Iron Man animated series.

Early years

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. was born in New York, New York, the son of Jewish parentsâ€"Russian-born violinist Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. and Romanian-born operatic soprano Alma Gluck. His stepmother was Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist, the founder of the Curtis Institute of Music. He attended Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts.

Zimbalist attended Yale University in the late 1930s, worked as a page for NBC radio in New York, and served in the United States Army for five years during World War II, where he became friends with Garson Kanin. He was awarded the Purple Heart for a leg wound received during the battle of Hürtgen Forest.

Early career

Following the war, Zimbalist returned to New York and made his Broadway acting debut in The Rugged Path, starring Spencer Tracy. This led to a stage career as both an actor and producer. His producing successes included bringing three Gian Carlo Menotti operas to Broadway, one of which, The Consul, won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1950.

In 1954â€"1955 he co-starred in his first television series, Concerning Miss Marlowe.

Warner Bros. star

In 1956, Zimbalist was put under contract by Warner Bros. and moved to Hollywood.

Zimbalist's first recurring role in a Warner Bros. Television series was as roguish gambler "Dandy Jim Buckley" on Maverick opposite James Garner in 1957; making five appearances as the character. In 1958 Zimbalist played the co-lead, Stuart "Stu" Bailey, in 77 Sunset Strip, a popular detective series running until 1964. During this period he not only made several concurrent appearances in other Warner Bros. television shows such as Hawaiian Eye, The Alaskans and Bronco, but starred as the lead in several feature films for Warners such as Bombers B-52, The Deep Six, A Fever in the Blood and The Chapman Report. Zimbalist was in such demand that he was given leave by Jack Warner due to exhaustion from his busy schedule.

Jack Warner lent him to Columbia Pictures for By Love Possessed in exchange for adding several years to his Warners' contract, but refused to let him make BUtterfield 8 for MGM.

In 1959 he was awarded the Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer â€" Male".

The F.B.I. television series

Zimbalist was arguably most widely known for his starring role as Inspector Lewis Erskine in the Quinn Martin television production, The F.B.I., which premiered on September 19, 1965 and ended with its final episode on September 8, 1974. Zimbalist was generous in his praise of producer Martin and of his own experience starring in the show. Those who worked with Zimbalist on the show were equally admiring of the star's professionalism and likable personality.

Zimbalist maintained a strong personal relationship with J. Edgar Hoover, who requested technical accuracy for the show, and that agents be portrayed in the best possible light. Actors who played F.B.I. employees were required by Hoover to undergo a background check. Zimbalist passed his background check with ease. He subsequently spent a week in Washington, D.C., where he was interviewed by Hoover, and at the F.B.I. academy in Quantico, Virginia. Hoover and Zimbalist remained mutual admirers for the rest of Hoover's life. Hoover would later hold Zimbalist up as an image role model for F.B.I. employees to emulate in their personal appearance.

The Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation honored the character of Lewis Erskine in 1985 with a set of retired credentials. On June 8, 2009 FBI Director Robert Mueller presented Zimbalist with a plaque of an honorary special agent for his work on the television series The F.B.I., on which he worked in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and his friend J. Edgar Hoover. The run of the show on ABC was followed in the 1980s by a revival show, Today's FBI with Zimbalist returning as Erskine.

Other television work

After 77 Sunset Strip, he appeared in other series, including CBS's short-lived The Reporter starring Harry Guardino as a journalist, Danny Taylor of the fictitious New York Globe. He also appeared in leading and supporting roles in several feature films, including Harlow, A Fever in the Blood (a film about a ruthless politician), Wait Until Dark and Airport 1975.

Zimbalist had a recurring role as Daniel Chalmers, a white-collar con man, on his daughter Stephanie Zimbalist's 1980s television detective series, Remington Steele and in the television dramatic series, Hotel.

In 1990, he played the father of Zorro in the Christian Broadcasting Network's remake, The New Zorro. Zimbalist relinquished the role after the program's first season due to the filming at studios outside Madrid, Spain, and the role subsequently went to Henry Darrow. He had a small recurring role in the 1990s hit science fiction television series Babylon 5 as William Edgars.

Also in the 1990s, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. played Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series as well as in Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, Static Shock, and the animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman and villain Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and as himself in the 1998 Smithsonian Institution production of Gemstones of America. He performed as the narrator in "Good Morning, America," by Elinor Remick Warrenâ€"Cambria CD #1042 (1993).

Zimbalist penned an autobiography, My Dinner of Herbs, published by Limelight Editions, New York.

In 2008, he appeared in the short film The Delivery, where he played a professor who helps a young girl in her struggles for literacy. The film won first place in fantasy at the Dragon*Con Film Festival and was an official selection at the Los Angeles International Children's Festival and the Reel Women International Film Festival in 2009.

Personal life and religion

Efrem Zimbalist married his first wife, Emily Munroe McNair, in 1945 and she died of cancer five years later, in 1950. Zimbalist's second marriage was to Loranda Stephanie Spaulding, in 1956. She died of lung cancer on February 5, 2007, at the age of 73. Zimbalist was the father of Efrem Zimbalist III and Nancy Zimbalist (by Emily McNair) and actress Stephanie Zimbalist (by Stephanie Spaulding).

Zimbalist considered himself to be a man of abiding faith and was involved in a number of Christian media productions. His parents, Alma Gluck and Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., were assimilated non-practicing Jews who rejected their Jewish heritage. Efrem Sr. was raised in a non-practicing household and would later state, "As far as I am concerned, there has been no Jew in the family for sixty-five years." Alma and Efrem Sr. had their children baptized Christians in the Episcopal Church and raised them in that church. Efrem Jr. stated that he was taken to church every Sunday and attended St. Paul's School, an Episcopal boarding school in New Hampshire. He also attended church every Sunday with his first wife, and it was his faith which allowed him peace when she succumbed to cancer. A spiritual pilgrim, Zimbalist was an early practitioner and proponent of Transcendental Meditation, as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He described the Maharishi Yogi as a "fascinating character", but found that his nine-year association with the meditation method "... was a total waste of energy for me." He returned to the Episcopal Church for a time. In the late 1970s, Zimbalist was drawn to the Charismatic Christianity he found on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Efrem's face and voice has appeared on scores of TBN announcements, including the station identification at the top of every hour. In a five-minute segment called "The Word", which aired on TBN at 25 after the hour, Zimbalist read through the entire Bible, verse by verse; later these segments appeared in interludes and station breaks on TBN. He once told a reporter in 1989 "for a while I did go overboard in my association with a fundamentalist group", but never made a verbal association with any ministry. As of July 2014, his voice is still used as a TBN network identification. Eventually, he resumed active participation in the Episcopal Church, feeling comfortable with that denominational style.

In 1963 and 1964, Zimbalist joined fellow actors William Lundigan, Chill Wills, and Walter Brennan, in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate in his election campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Death

Zimbalist died on May 2, 2014 from natural causes at the age of 95. His daughter Stephanie announced the news, saying, "He was 95 years old, a devout Christian. He actively enjoyed his life to the last day, showering love on his extended family, playing golf and visiting with close friends." His interment was at Town Hill Cemetery in New Hartford, Connecticut, near his parents.

Acting credits

Stage

Film and television

Television appearances as self

Citations

References

• Abbott, Jon (2009). Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 9780786454013. 
• Coursen, Herbert R. (2010). Contemporary Shakespeare Production (Studies in Shakespeare). Peter Lang International Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-1433109249. 
• Garcia, Frank; Phillips, Mark (2012). Science Fiction Television Series, 1990â€"2004: Histories, Casts and Credits for 58 Shows. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786469178. 
• Marill, Alvin H. (2011). Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810881327. 
• Monush, Barry (2003). Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors, Vol. 1: From the Silent Era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation (Applause). ISBN 978-1557835512. 
• Neibaur, James L. (2004). The Bob Hope Films. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786410507. 
• Roberts, Jerry (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810861381. 
• Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings since 1949. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810892491. 
• Terrace, Vincent (2013a). Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 1937â€"2012. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786474455. 
• Terrace, Vincent (2013b). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936â€"2012. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786474448. 
• Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 0786464771. 
• Zimbalist Jr., Efrem (2004). My Dinner of Herbs. Limelight Editions. ISBN 978-0-87910-988-2. 

External links

• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. at Find a Grave
• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database