Michael Ansara Dies at 91

[landtuna]

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/star-trek-stalwart-michael-ansara-dies-91-050000104.html

 

[FredLeonard]

Lived a long time, had a successful career and got to home base with Jeannie. Can't beat that.

 

[landtuna]

Lived a long time, had a successful career and got to home base with Jeannie. Can't beat that.

I agree but do you realize they divorced in 1974? I thought they were still married.

 

[FredLeonard]

Lived a long time, had a successful career and got to home base with Jeannie. Can't beat that.

I agree but do you realize they divorced in 1974? I thought they were still married.

Yes. Even so...

His first wife was Patty Duke's TV mom (and Kathy's TV aunt).

I first became aware of Michael Ansara in the TV version of "Broken Arrow," in which he played Cochise (the role played by Jeff Chandler in the movie). It's one of those shows that hasn't been seen in a long time, which is too bad. Now with Encore Westerns and several "Oldies" sub-channels (Cozi, ME, Antenna, RTV, This...) maybe somebody will pick it up for showing again. The TV version was faithful to an even expanded on and serialized the events shown in the film. It was a long time before I realized Ansara was not Apache (he was Syrian). He was such a commanding presence in that show when usually he played bad guys.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I remember watching an interview with Barbara Eden a few years ago. She seemed very cheerful until it came to a question about her marriage to Michael Ansara. Suddenly the smile on her face disappeared and the tone of her voice changed. If one were to judge her reaction she apparently didn't have very fond memories of her ex husband. Not that it has anything to do with Ansara's passing, but the news of his death reminded me of Eden's TV interview.

Speaking of that interview Barbara mentioned the time she appeared on "I Love Lucy" back in the mid 1950s. She told the interviewer that she had to hide from Desi Arnaz on the set because he was hitting on her all the time.

 

[LKellerIII]

Lived a long time, had a successful career and got to home base with Jeannie. Can't beat that.

was a long time before I realized Ansara was not Apache (he was Syrian).

It was typical for non-Native Americans to play Indians in those days - it was generally just actors with darker complexions. What was a bit more offensive (to me, anyway) were white actors playing Asians with fake eye-make-up - examples: Warner Oland (Swedish) as Charlie Chan, and Peter Lorre (Hungarian) as Mr. Moto

 

[dmargalotti]

What was a bit more offensive (to me, anyway) were white actors playing Asians with fake eye-make-up - examples: Warner Oland (Swedish) as Charlie Chan, and Peter Lorre (Hungarian) as Mr. Moto

Any even more ridiculous and some might say offensive example was Ricardo Montalban playing a Japanese guy in an episode of Hawaii 5-0!

Back to Michael Ansara, he was great in an episode of The Rockford Files called "Joey Blue Eyes".

 

[FredLeonard]

Not to mention Al Jolson.

 

[BD Sullivan]

What was a bit more offensive (to me, anyway) were white actors playing Asians with fake eye-make-up - examples: Warner Oland (Swedish) as Charlie Chan, and Peter Lorre (Hungarian) as Mr. Moto

Any even more ridiculous and some might say offensive example was Ricardo Montalban playing a Japanese guy in an episode of Hawaii 5-0!

It wouldn't be offensive, except to Civil War buffs, but Ricardo was also cast as a disabled Confederate general in the Wild Wild West. :

 

[FredLeonard]

Speaking of Hawaii Five-O: Wo-Fat was actually Moroccan but he played Chinese villains in this show and in The Manchurian Candidate. Actors play people they are not. It's called "acting." Who decided it was "offensive" for people to play members of other ethnic groups? Maybe minority actors who don't like losing out on work.

 

[desertv]

Modern day equivalent of Ansara is Lou Diamond Phillips

 

[Frank Ferreri]

Funny..no one mentioned the classic with Johnny Carson

 

[LKellerIII]

Funny..no one mentioned the classic with Johnny Carson

if you're referring to the famous hatchet throwing scene - that was Ed Ames, not Ansara.

 

[ajmcwhorter]

I remember Ansara mostly from BUCK ROGERS as he would stand behind the gorgeous Pamela Hensley in most episodes. He was also on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as well.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Speaking of Hawaii Five-O: Wo-Fat was actually Moroccan but he played Chinese villains in this show and in The Manchurian Candidate. Actors play people they are not. It's called "acting." Who decided it was "offensive" for people to play members of other ethnic groups? Maybe minority actors who don't like losing out on work.

Marlon Brando played a Mexican and a Japanese. I don't remember many people getting upset over that.

 

[FredLeonard]

Speaking of Hawaii Five-O: Wo-Fat was actually Moroccan but he played Chinese villains in this show and in The Manchurian Candidate. Actors play people they are not. It's called "acting." Who decided it was "offensive" for people to play members of other ethnic groups? Maybe minority actors who don't like losing out on work.

Marlon Brando played a Mexican and a Japanese. I don't remember many people getting upset over that.

Anthony Quinn who played....
A Ukrainian Pope
Greeks (Zorba, Onasis...)
Arabs
Polynesians
Italians (usually Mafiosi).
Jews (Biblical and modern)
Native Americans (American Indians)
And even Mexicans (which is what he actually was)

 

[LKellerIII]

Speaking of Hawaii Five-O: Wo-Fat was actually Moroccan but he played Chinese villains in this show and in The Manchurian Candidate. Actors play people they are not. It's called "acting." Who decided it was "offensive" for people to play members of other ethnic groups? Maybe minority actors who don't like losing out on work.

Marlon Brando played a Mexican and a Japanese. I don't remember many people getting upset over that.

Anthony Quinn who played....
A Ukrainian Pope
Greeks (Zorba, Onasis...)
Arabs
Polynesians
Italians (usually Mafiosi).
Jews (Biblical and modern)
Native Americans (American Indians)
And even Mexicans (which is what he actually was)

Nobody's arguing with any of that - it's called "acting," as somebody pointed out. My only point in mentioning it in the first place - was that a LONG time ago (1920s through 50s), many ethnic actors, particulary Asians and Native Americans for some reason - couldn't get work because Caucasians were playing them in movies and on TV- sometimes with ridiculously fake looking eye make-up for those playing Asians, and silly looking shoe-polish type make up for the fake Indians.

And the reverse was true - many ethnic actors Anglicized their names so they wouldn't be typecast and limited by their ethnicity, as in Ramon Estevez (Martin Sheen) and the fore-mentioned Antonio Oaxaca (Anthony Quinn).

But since those days, working actors have been much more diverse, and you're right - there's no reason there can't cross over to play any ethnicity they want.

 

[BD Sullivan]

Speaking of Hawaii Five-O: Wo-Fat was actually Moroccan but he played Chinese villains in this show and in The Manchurian Candidate. Actors play people they are not. It's called "acting." Who decided it was "offensive" for people to play members of other ethnic groups? Maybe minority actors who don't like losing out on work.

Marlon Brando played a Mexican and a Japanese. I don't remember many people getting upset over that.

They did get upset about Mickey Rooney playing a Japanese person in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Here's one list of what's considered the most offensive Asian performances (by non-Asians):

http://www.asianweek.com/top-25-yellow-face-performance-5to2/

 

[Frank Ferreri]

Funny..no one mentioned the classic with Johnny Carson

if you're referring to the famous hatchet throwing scene - that was Ed Ames, not Ansara.

OOPS...right you are....

 

[rnigma1]

Another who specialized in ethnic roles was J. Carrol Naish - playing Native Americans, Asians (the Charlie Chan TV series), and Italians (in "Life with Luigi") among others.

Michael Ansara provided an appropriately icy voice for Mr. Freeze in several episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series."