The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) as Professor Jacob Barnhardt
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) as Bookman
Short Info
Died
March 24, 1984, Beverly Hills, California, United States
Spouse
Bettye Ackerman, Lillian Taiz
Mark
Often played very smart but eccentric characters
Fact
His cousin Alma's grandson is NYC amateur comedian Jeremy Jacobs.
Sam Jaffe was born in New York City on March 10, 1891. His parents were both immigrants from Russia. His father was a tailor and his mother was a homemaker. He had two brothers and two sisters. He attended public schools in New York City and graduated from high school in 1909. He then attended the City College of New York, where he studied engineering. He graduated from CCNY in 1913 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
After graduation, Jaffe worked for a few years as an engineer for the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. He then began working in the film industry as an assistant director and editor. He eventually began directing films himself. Some of the films he directed include The Jazz Singer (1927), The Three Musketeers (1933), and Gunga Din (1939).
During his career, Jaffe won two Academy Awards. The first was for Best Director for The Jazz Singer (1927). The second was for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Jaffe retired from filmmaking in the early 1940s. He then became a successful real estate investor. At the time of his death in 1984, he was worth an estimated $20 million.
Jaffe never married or had any children.
General Info
Full Name
Sam Jaffe
Died
March 24, 1984, Beverly Hills, California, United States
Profession
Musician, Actor, Teacher, Engineer
Education
Columbia University, City College of New York
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Bettye Ackerman, Lillian Taiz
Parents
Ada Jaffe, Barnett Jaffe
Siblings
Sophie Jaffe, Abraham Jaffe, Annie Jaffe
Accomplishments
Awards
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance In A Supporting Role By An Actor
Movies
Ben-Hur, The Asphalt Jungle, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Gunga Din, Lost Horizon, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Scarlet Empress, Gentleman's Agreement, The Barbarian and the Geisha, Battle Beyond the Stars, Nothing Lasts Forever, Guns for San Sebastian, The Dunwich Horror, 13 Rue Madeleine, I Can...
His nephew by his older brother Abraham Jaffe, was named after him. Both Sam Jaffes worked for ABC in the 1960's. The elder actor on Ben Casey and the younger nephew as ABC News Bureau Chief in Moscow and then Hong Kong. ABC put out a press release about the two Sam Jaffes'. There is an extensive & fascinating biography, Sam Jaffe, An Actor of Character written by his friend Arlene Lorrance. 2013 LP Publications His great niece is the photographer Deborah Jaffe.
2
He was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist during the HUAC hearings. Although he had already been signed, 20th Century-Fox wanted to remove him from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Producer Julian Blaustein felt that Jaffe was so crucial for the role of the Albert Einstein-like Prof. Barnhardt that he appealed to studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck approved Jaffe for the role, but it was his last Hollywood film until the late 1950s.
3
His cousin Alma's grandson is NYC amateur comedian Jeremy Jacobs.