The Silver Screen Oasis

"You wouldn't be referring to me, would you, pardner?"

MissGoddess, you are the winner. It was indeed Ward Bond. It's all yours.

Might it be the gruff, crude, and always lovable lug, Broderick Crawford?

Whoopee!

While on tour with a theater group, I committed an act that others, 30 or so years later, would do to great acclaim. But they were dancers, and nobody ever confused me for a dancer. With my looks and voice, I usually played non-Northern European ethnic characters, often with a sinister turn, in my over-150 movie and TV screen appearances. And yet I received two Academy Award nominations. My first movie screen credit was in 1934, in a film with a major star, and directed by a man associated with the movies of perhaps an even bigger star. My last screen credit was in 1992, twenty years after I died...but that may be the least strange thing associated with that movie.

Who am I?

J. Carrol Naish?

No to Naish.

I was inspired as a young man as I studied theater under a the man many would call the Master (in a Method of speaking), and as an older man appearing in four films directed by a man many would call the greatest film director. But I was an inspiration, too...for a cartoonish bad guy...based on a character I played in a movie written and directed by the Screwballiest director-writer of them all.

My two Academy Award nominations came relatively early in my movie career. Interestingly, both films had the same leading man.

Before cancelling for lack of interest...

A SSO moderator mentioned me favorably just a couple of days ago. Another SSO member has one of my movies as a screen name. And one of my movies came thisclose to being the sole winner of one of SSO's movie polls.

Now...who am I?

Can't figure it out!! Sorry...

John Galt Wild Guess

To recap:

While on tour with a theater group, I committed an act that others, 30 or so years later, would do to great acclaim. But they were dancers,

I toured with a Russian theater group and, while in the U.S.in 1923, I decided to stay behind.

and nobody ever confused me for a dancer. With my looks and voice, I usually played non-Northern European ethnic characters, often with a sinister turn, in my over-150 movie and TV screen appearances.

5'5" and not particularly svelte, with a thick Russian accent, that I could convert to playing Mexican and Spanish characters, among others.

And yet I received two Academy Award nominations.

For Best Supporting Actor, I would note.

My first movie screen credit was in 1934, in a film with a major star, and directed by a man associated with the movies of perhaps an even bigger star.

If one considers Joan Crawford a major star in 1934, and if one considers Greta Garbo to be bigger.

My last screen credit was in 1992, twenty years after I died...but that may be the least strange thing associated with that movie.

Yes, I died in 1972, but a movie I'd been working in for several years (the director kept having financing issues) was allegedly completed (some might say butchered or maimed) by the assistant director and released in 1992.

I was inspired as a young man as I studied theater under a the man many would call the Master (in a Method of speaking),

I studied under Konstantin Stanislavski while in Russia.

and as an older man appearing in four films directed by a man many would call the greatest film director.

I suppose some would disagree, but when one directs the most critically acclaimed movie over the past 50 years, one should be considered a great director. Right? And I was in four of his movies, including that thing released in 1992.

But I was an inspiration, too...for a cartoonish bad guy...based on a character I played in a movie written and directed by the Screwballiest director-writer of them all.

That ol' Preston created a character that I portrayed and, then, years later, it wasn't Godunov for Rocky, but it was Badenov.

Surely Mr. Ark could guess me now.

Peter Lorre?