Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 â€" September 9, 1997) was
an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Active for more
than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and
"one of the most accomplished actors of the century". A lifetime
member of the Actors Studio by invitation, he won several Emmys, was
the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
twice, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.He established himself
as a leading man in Hollywood with critically acclaimed performances
as George Milton in Of Mice and Men (1939), Ernie Pyle in The Story of
G.I. Joe (1945), and the narrator of A Walk in the Sun (1945).Meredith
was known later in his career for his appearances on The Twilight Zone
and for portraying arch-villain The Penguin on the 1960s TV series
Batman and boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series.
For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976),
he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor. He later starred in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy
film Clash of the Titans (1981). He narrated numerous films and
documentaries during his long career, including Twilight Zone: The
Movie (1983)."Although those performances renewed his popularity,"
observed Mel Gussow in The New York Times, "they represented only a
small part of a richly varied career in which he played many of the
more demanding roles in classical and contemporary theaterâ€"in plays
by Shakespeare, O'Neill, Beckett and others."
an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Active for more
than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and
"one of the most accomplished actors of the century". A lifetime
member of the Actors Studio by invitation, he won several Emmys, was
the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
twice, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.He established himself
as a leading man in Hollywood with critically acclaimed performances
as George Milton in Of Mice and Men (1939), Ernie Pyle in The Story of
G.I. Joe (1945), and the narrator of A Walk in the Sun (1945).Meredith
was known later in his career for his appearances on The Twilight Zone
and for portraying arch-villain The Penguin on the 1960s TV series
Batman and boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series.
For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976),
he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor. He later starred in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy
film Clash of the Titans (1981). He narrated numerous films and
documentaries during his long career, including Twilight Zone: The
Movie (1983)."Although those performances renewed his popularity,"
observed Mel Gussow in The New York Times, "they represented only a
small part of a richly varied career in which he played many of the
more demanding roles in classical and contemporary theaterâ€"in plays
by Shakespeare, O'Neill, Beckett and others."
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