Josh Mostel

{{Infobox person

|image = Josh Mostel (25728427514).jpg

|caption = Mostel in 2016

| name = Josh Mostel

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|12|21|mf=y}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| occupation = Actor

| yearsactive = 1971–present

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Peggy Rajski
|1983|1998|end=div}}
{{marriage|Kim Murdock
|2016}}

}}

| father = Zero Mostel

}}

Joshua Mostel (born December 21, 1946) is an American actor with numerous film and Broadway credits.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950CEFDA143AF932A1575AC0A962948260|title=Windy City (1984) 'WINDY CITY'|authorlink=Janet Maslin|author=Maslin, Janet|date=September 21, 1984}} The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Sophie's Choice (1982), City Slickers (1991), Billy Madison (1995), and Big Daddy (1999).

Life and career

Mostel was born in New York City, the son of Kathryn Celia, née Harkin, an actress, dancer, and writer, and Zero Mostel, a comic actor.{{Cite news |date=1983-06-25 |title=Peggy Rajski, a Producer, Is Wed to Joshua Mostel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/25/style/peggy-rajski-a-producer-is-wed-to-joshua-mostel.html |access-date=2024-05-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

{{anchor|Tobias Mostel}}Tobias Mostel, his brother, is a painter, ceramic artist and professor of art, teaching at Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College.{{cite web |title=Tobias Mostel – Broadway Cast & Staff |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/tobias-mostel-78653 |website=IBDB |access-date=1 September 2022}}{{cite news |title=Frances Winter, an Artist, Is Married to Tobias Mostel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/02/style/frances-winter-an-artist-is-married-to-tobias-mostel.html |access-date=1 September 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=2 May 1981}}{{cite web |title=Art & Design Library |url=https://arthistory.fsu.edu/resources/facilities-technology/art-design-library/ |website=FSU Department of Art History |access-date=1 September 2022 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Zero and Kate Mostel papers |url=https://archives.nypl.org/the/21459 |website=archives.nypl.org |access-date=1 September 2022}}{{cite web |title=Adding Up to Zero |url=https://tjff.com/films/adding-up-to-zero/ |website=Toronto Jewish Film Festival |access-date=1 September 2022}}{{cite web |title=THE EXPLOSION OF A MYTH mixed media on paper, framed, signed and dedicated on verso - Tobias Mostel |url=https://www.charltonhallauctions.com/auction-lot/tobias-mostel_2624444A6E |website=Charlton Hall Galleries |access-date=1 September 2022}}{{cite web |title=Zero Mostel |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/136549%7C159177/Zero-Mostel/ |website=tcmdb |access-date=1 September 2022 |language=en}}[https://arthistory.fsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2016/03/MusObj-Spg16-Invitation-1.pdf Art History Department, Florida State University. With special thanks to Tobias and Aileen Mostel.][https://issuu.com/ollifsu/docs/spring_2013_newsletter OLLI Spring 2013 Newsletter] by OLLI FSU{{cite web |title=Mary Aileen Mostel October 8, 1950 - April 9, 2018 |url=https://www.abbeyfh.com/obituaries/Mary-Mostel/ |website=Abbey Funeral Home and Tallahassee Memory Gardens |access-date=1 September 2022 |language=en}}

Mostel started his career as a boy soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He graduated from Brandeis University. His Broadway debut was in 1971 with Unlikely Heroes. In 1973, Mostel had one of his more notable film performances as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1979, Mostel briefly starred in Delta House, the television version of the film Animal House; he played Blotto Blutarsky, the brother of the character Bluto (played by John Belushi in the original film).{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

On Broadway, he appeared in the 1989 revival of The Threepenny Opera as Money Matthew and as the frazzled head writer in the original 1992 production of My Favorite Year.

He also played the part of "the best trader on the street", Ollie, one of Gordon Gekko's traders in Wall Street.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Mostel lives in New York, with a summer home in Monhegan, Maine.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Filmography

=Film=

Year	Title	Role
class="wikitable sortable" \|+ {{Screen reader-only\| Josh Mostel film credits}}
1971	Going Home	Mr. Bonelli
1972	The King of Marvin Gardens	Frank
1973	Jesus Christ Superstar	Herod Antipas
1974	Harry and Tonto	Norman Coombes
rowspan="2"\| 1976	The Money (Atlantic City Jackpot)	Wheel-of-fortune operator
Deadly Hero	Victor
1981	Dead Ringer	Russell
rowspan="2"\| 1982	Fighting Back	Duster
Sophie's Choice	Morris Fink
1983	Star 80	Private Detective
rowspan="2"\| 1984	The Brother from Another Planet	Casio Vendor
Windy City	Sol
rowspan="3"\| 1985	Almost You	David
Compromising Positions	Dicky Dunck
Stoogemania	Howard F. Howard
1986	The Money Pit	Jack Schnittman
rowspan="3"\| 1987	Radio Days	Abe
Matewan	Mayor Cabell Testerman
Wall Street	Ollie
1989	Animal Behavior	Mel Gorsky
rowspan="4"\| 1991	City Slickers	Barry Shalowitz
Naked Tango	Bertoni the Jeweler
Little Man Tate	Physics Professor
City of Hope	Mad Anthony
1992	Nervous Ticks	Saul Warshow
1993	Searching for Bobby Fischer	Chess Club Regular
rowspan="3"\| 1994	The Chase	Officer Figus
{{ill\|Bye Bye America\|de\|Auf Wiedersehen Amerika}}	Abe
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold	Barry Shalowitz
rowspan="4"\| 1995	The Maddening	Chicky Ross
Billy Madison	Principal Max Anderson
The Basketball Diaries	Counterman
Let It Be Me	Jordan
rowspan="2"\| 1998	Great Expectations	Jerry Ragno
Rounders	Zagosh
rowspan="2"\| 1999	The Out-of-Towners	Dr. Faber
Big Daddy	Arthur Brooks
2001	Knockaround Guys	Mac McCreadle
2009	State of Play	Pete
2016	The Congressman	Bernie Gimpel

=Television=

Year	Title	Role	Notes
class="wikitable sortable" \|+ {{Screen reader-only\| Josh Mostel television credits}}
1987 \| The Equalizer \| Winston Erdlow \| Episode: "Beyond Control"
1998	Thicker Than Blood	Kendall	TV movie
2003 \| Law & Order \| Harvey Anchin \| Episode: "Kid Pro Quo"
2012 \| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit \| Mr. Roth \| Episode: "Hunting Ground"
2015 \| Blue Bloods \| Victor Flores \| 1 episode
2020 \| Hunters \| Rabbi Steckler \| 3 episodes

Broadway productions

Title	Dates of Production
class="wikitable"
Unlikely Heroes	October 26, 1971 – November 13, 1971
An American Millionaire	April 20, 1974 – May 5, 1974
A Texas Trilogy: Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander	September 21, 1976 – October 30, 1976
A Texas Trilogy: The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia	September 22, 1976 – October 31, 1976
Threepenny Opera	November 5, 1989 – December 31, 1989
My Favorite Year	December 10, 1992 – January 10, 1993
The Flowering Peach	March 20, 1994 – April 24, 1994
Getting Away with Murder	March 17, 1996 – March 31, 1996