The Jewish Chronicle
On this day: Zero Mostel is born
February 28 1915: An award-winning actor and artist
February 28, 2011 08:30
By, Jennifer Lipman
1 min read
February 28 1915: An award-winning actor and artist
February 28, 2011 08:30By, Jennifer Lipman
The Broadway comedian was born Sam Joel in Brooklyn to Orthodox parents and spent his childhood learning at a yeshiva school, but chose to enter showbiz and change his name to Zero rather than follow in the family footsteps.
By the time he died, at the age of 62, he had worked with stars including Elia Kazan, won three Tony awards and, of course, captivated audiences as the original Tevye in the stage version of Fiddler on the Roof.
His start in the entertainment industry came when he was working as an art teacher for the Public Works of Art Project during the late 1930s. His students became accustomed to his comedic teaching style, and in 1941, when he was 27, he was given a comedy slot at a New York nightclub.
He soon gained work on the radio and on Broadway, but his rise was interrupted two years later when he was drafted into the US army during the Second World War. Still, after the war he returned to the stage and screen, in his own live television comedy series.
