Victor Tayback

On Get Smart[]

Actor who portrays two KAOS agents on Get Smart:

Popov in Episode #35: "Maxwell Smart, Alias Jimmy Ballantine"
Jamal in Episode #56: "Appointment in Sahara"

Bio[]

Tayback was born on January 6, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to Syrian Catholic immigrant parents Helen and Najeeb James Tayback. Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from Aleppo. He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1947. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting.

Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including T.J. Hooker, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Bonanza, Here Come the Brides, That Girl, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, All in the Family, Fantasy Island, Columbo, and The Love Boat. He also appeared in many films such as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including Twelve Angry Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He was the co-founder of the theatre troupe Company of Angels. He also appeared in television commercials, notably in 1968 with Richard Dreyfuss for the AMC Javelin.

Tayback's most famous role was as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series Alice (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series. For the role, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 1980 and 1981. In 1971, he made a guest appearance as "Dirks" in season 16, episode 19 of the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke.

Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had a son, Christopher (born 1963), who is a business trial lawyer and former prosecutor. Tayback died of a heart attack at age 60 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center on May 25, 1990. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

Vic Tayback later played diner owner Mel in the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and it's TV series spin-off Alice. ^[1]

Links[]

↑ Vic Tayback - Wikipedia

[1] Vic Tayback - Wikipedia

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