Ben Gazzara Biography
Born: August 28, 1930
Birth name: Biagio Anthony Gazzara
Date of Birth: August 28, 1930
Born in New York's Lower East Side to Sicilian immigrant parents, Gazzara was a reluctant engineering student with an itch to act who finally quit college after receiving a scholarship to study acting. He was later invited to join the prestigious Actors Studio in New York and from there went on to Broadway success in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Hatful of Rain.
Although his early promise failed to materialize into the kind of film career critics thought he might have, the worst that can be said is that he's always remained a working actor. And as any actor will tell you, especially the thousands and thousands who are constantly out of work, to be a working actor is a feat in itself.
Gazzara won an Emmy for his work in the TV movie Hysterical Blindness (2002). He also has three Golden Globe nominations for his TV work and one Emmy Award nomination to his credit, but also two Razzie Award nominations. He has been married to his wife, Elke Krivat, since 1982, and has a daughter, Elizabeth, from his marriage (1961 to 1979) to actress Janice Rule.