Mike Nussbaum
{{Short description|American actor and director (1923–2023)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mike Nussbaum
| image = Mike Nussbaum 1974 publicity photo.jpg
| caption = Nussbaum in 1974
| birth_name = Myron Nussbaum
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|12|29}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|12|23|1923|12|29}}
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| occupation = Actor, director
| years_active = 1950–2023
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
- {{marriage|Annette Brenner|1949|2003|end=died}}
- {{marriage|Julie Brudlos|2004}}
}}
| children = 3, including Susan and Karen
| parents =
| website =
}}
Myron G. Nussbaum (December 29, 1923 – December 23, 2023) was an American actor and director.
Early years
Myron Nussbaum (he adopted "G." while in the Army, to avoid the "no middle initial" descriptor in roll call){{cite web|title=Mike Nussbaum, Celebrated Chicago Theater Actor, Dies at 99|url=http://nytimes.com/2023/12/29/theater/mike-nussbaum-dead.html|date=December 29, 2023|work=The New York Times|last=Green|first=Penelope|access-date=January 1, 2024}} was born in New York City to a Jewish family on December 29, 1923,[http://forward.com/culture/324001/the-oldest-working-jewish-working-actor-tells-all/ "Mike Nussbaum, the Oldest Working Jewish Actor, Tells All."] Hodes, Laura. The Jewish Daily Forward. Forward.com Published November 9, 2015. Accessed February 25, 2016.{{cite web |last1=Simon |first1=Scott |title=At 94, Mike Nussbaum Is The Oldest Working Stage Actor In Show Biz |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/09/29/652736839/the-oldest-working-stage-actor-in-show-biz |website=NPR |access-date=April 17, 2022}} and grew up in the Albany Park area of Chicago. He married soon after he returned to Chicago following military service during World War II. His Army assignments included being chief of the message center for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in which he dispatched the official notification of Germany's surrender. For 20 years, he worked with his brother-in-law in an extermination business.{{Cite web|last=Hansen|first=Stephen E.|title=Mike Nussbaum Is 90 and Can Do More Pushups than You|url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2014/Mike-Nussbaum/|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=Chicago Magazine|language=en-US}}
Career
Nussbaum's acting career started in community theatre in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he was active in a developing professional theatrical community in Chicago, meeting a young David Mamet in the process. He appeared in many of Mamet's plays both on and off Broadway, as well as in Chicago. His films include Field of Dreams, House of Games, Things Change, Fatal Attraction and Men In Black.
As a director, his work has included Where Have You Gone, Jimmy Stewart? (2002) by Art Shay.
Nussbaum also appeared in local TV commercials for Chicago's Northwest Federal Savings{{cite news |last1=Zell |first1=Fran |title=Mike Nussbaum prefers to direct his energies here |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34738665/mike_nussbaum/ |accessdate=August 10, 2019 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=December 23, 1977 |location=Illinois, Chicago |page=19wpn}} (with the jingle, "It's Northwest Federal Savings time, sixty-three hours a week").{{cite web |title=North West Federal Savings - "63 Hours a Week!" (Commercial, 1977) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F2hLT94PWQ |website=Youtube| date=May 4, 2009 }} He also did national commercials for United Airlines and Scope mouthwash.
Nussbaum continued to act through his 90s, and he was still working on theatre projects up until his death in 2023.{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Chris |title=Chicago actor Mike Nussbaum dies at 99, the oldest working actor in the country |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-mike-nussbaum-chicago-actor-dies-hold-20231223-o2gsp5hbtncujjobygpvzzdaqu-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=December 23, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Steinberg |first1=Neil |title=Not only the oldest but one of the best: Mike Nussbaum on acting at 95 |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2019/4/25/18619316/not-only-the-oldest-but-one-of-the-best-mike-nussbaum-on-acting-at-95 |accessdate=February 4, 2020 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=April 25, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204015232/https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2019/4/25/18619316/not-only-the-oldest-but-one-of-the-best-mike-nussbaum-on-acting-at-95 |archivedate=February 4, 2020}}
Personal life and death
Nussbaum was married to Annette Brenner from 1949 until her death in 2003.{{cite news|last1=Groark|first1=Virginia|date=April 7, 2003|title=Activist, fun-loving mom, grandma|page=Section 4, P 11|work=Chicago Tribune|location=Illinois, Chicago|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-04-07-0304070091-story.html|via=|accessdate=November 1, 2021}} He married Julie Brudlos in 2004.{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Nina Metz, Special to the|title=Mike Nussbaum going strong|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-09-04-0509040497-story.html|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=chicagotribune.com|date=September 4, 2005 |language=en-US}} He had three children with his first wife, Jack, Karen, and Susan.
Nussbaum died at his Chicago home on December 23, 2023, six days shy of his 100th birthday.
Recognition
Nussbaum received the following Jeff Awards:{{cite web |title=Archives |url=https://www.jeffawards.org/archives?combine=Nussbaum&field_nomination_category_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id=All&field_division_target_id=All&field_recipient_value=All |website=The Joseph Jefferson Awards |accessdate=September 28, 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928012936/https://www.jeffawards.org/archives?combine=Nussbaum&field_nomination_category_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id=All&field_division_target_id=All&field_recipient_value=All |archivedate=September 28, 2018}}
| class="wikitable" | ||
| Year | Award | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Director - Play | Lunching |
| 1997 | Actor in a Principal Role - Play | Racing Demon |
| 2001 | Special Award | --- |
| 2011 | Actor in a Supporting Role - Play | Broadway Bound |
| 2014 | Actor in a Supporting Role - Play | Smokefall |
| 2015 | Actor in a Supporting Role - Play | The Price |
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{Screen reader-only| Mike Nussbaum film credits}} > |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 1997
| Yuri Rosanov |
| 1969
| Exercise Chief |
| 1971
| Office Manager |
| 1974
| Old Age Home Clerk |
| 1978
| Towing | Phil |
| 1987
| Joey |
| 1987
| Bob Drimmer |
| 1988
| Mr. Green |
| 1989
| Principal |
| 1990
| Mr. Nelson |
| 1992
| Doctor |
| 1995
| Dr. Jamison |
| 1995
| Sam Barlow, Clifford Downey's Attorney |
| 1997
| Gentle Rosenberg |
| 2005
| Johnny Abruzzo |
| 2006
| Dirty Work | Gaga |
| 2008
| Osso Bucco | Uncle Sil |
| 2020
| Father McMurphy |
=Television=
{{incomplete list|date=April 2025}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{Screen reader-only| Mike Nussbaum television credits}} |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1987
| Harry Dawson | Episode: "First Light" |
| 1992–1996
| Ben Metzger | 3 episodes |
| 1993
| Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage | TV movie |
| 1993
| Gypsy | Weber, Los Angeles Theatre Manager | TV movie[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107065/fullcredits/] imdb.com. Accessed January 8, 2023. |
| 1997
| Dr. Charles Goldstein | 1 episode |
| 1997
| Yuri Rosanov | TV movie |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.actorsequity.org/join/HIGMEC/MikeNussbaum/ Personal remembrances]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503153823/http://www.artsalliance.org/ala_past.shtml Illinois Arts Alliance Arts Legend citation]
- [http://www.goodmantheatre.org/Artists-Archive/creative-partners/actors/Mike-Nussbaum Goodman Theatre Artist Bio]
- [http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2014/Mike-Nussbaum Mike Nussbaum Is 90 and Can Do More Pushups than You]
- {{IMDb name|0638276}}
- [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/1109 Mike Nussbaum Papers] at [https://www.newberry.org the Newberry Library]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nussbaum, Mike}}
Category:20th-century American Jews
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American Jews
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American military personnel of World War II
Category:American people of Jewish descent
Category:Jewish American male actors
Category:Jewish American military personnel
Category:Male actors from Chicago
Category:Military personnel from Chicago
Category:Military personnel from Illinois
Category:Military personnel from New York City
Category:Military personnel from New York (state)