Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith; February 17, 1909 – November 28, 2005) was an American actor and director, known for his character roles as gangsters and other underworld types. He appeared in over 200 film, television, and stage productions between 1932 and 2002.
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Early life and education
Lawrence was born Max Goldsmith in New York City, the son of a Polish Jewish mother, Minerva Norma (née Sugarman), and a Russian Jewish father, Israel Simon Goldsmith. He participated in plays in school, then attended the City College of New York. In 1930, he received a two-year scholarship to the repertory theater operated by Eva Le Gallienne. While there, he befriended John Garfield, and appeared with him in Group Theatre productions.
Career
Lawrence's film debut came in 1933. His pock-marked complexion, brooding appearance, and New York street-guy accent made him a natural for heavies, and he would portray scores of gangsters and mob bosses over the next six decades. He was once informed by studio executive Harry Cohn that infamous mobster Johnny Roselli called Lawrence "the best hood in films". Lawrence himself added that many Italian hoods told him he played them better than anyone else. While living in Italy, Lawrence befriended Lucky Luciano, who said that his "exaggerated" New York accent helped ease the mobster's homesickness.
In 1951, Lawrence found himself under scrutiny for his political past. After being visited at his L.A. home by two government agents who accused him of being a Communist Party USA (CPUSA) member, Lawrence was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). On April 24, 1951, he appeared before the HUAC and admitted he had belonged to the CPUSA in the late 1930s. He named fourteen of his film industry associates as Communists, including fellow actors J. Edward Bromberg, Morris Carnovsky, Jeff Corey, Howard da Silva, Lloyd Gough, Sterling Hayden, Larry Parks, Anne Revere, and Lionel Stander.
Despite being a cooperative witness, Lawrence did not fully escape the blacklist, and so he and his wife, screenwriter Fanya Foss, and their two children departed for Italy in 1951. They lived abroad for six years. During that time, he appeared in numerous Italian films and also landed the role of Diomedes in Robert Wise's Helen of Troy (1956). In 1957, he went to England to star in a production of A View from the Bridge, directed by Sam Wanamaker.
Once the blacklist eased for Lawrence in the late 1950s, he and his family moved back to the U.S. He initially obtained guest spots on TV series such as The Detectives and The Untouchables. He later resumed his position in films as a familiar and talented purveyor of gangland types. He played gangsters in two James Bond movies: 1971's Diamonds Are Forever opposite Sean Connery, and 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun opposite Roger Moore. He also portrayed a henchman opposite Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man (1976) and a stereotypical Miami mob boss alongside Jerry Reed and Dom DeLuise in the comedy Hot Stuff (1979).
Lawrence also had occasional directing credits, including on Nightmare in the Sun (1965) and Pigs (1973), as well as on episodes of TV series such as Lawman, The Roaring 20's, 77 Sunset Strip, and Maverick. Among his later acting jobs, he played Volnoth, a member of the Gatherers, in the 1989 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Vengeance Factor". He was the elderly motel owner in From Dusk till Dawn (1996). He returned to the Star Trek franchise when he portrayed Mr. Zeemo in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang", which aired in February 1999. His final film acting performance was in Looney Tunes Back in Action (2003), appearing as an Acme Corporation vice president.
Lawrence was also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence.
Books
Lawrence's autobiography, Long Time No See: Confessions of a Hollywood Gangster (ISBN 0-9636700-0-X), was published in 1991. He was also the subject of a novel, The Beautiful and the Profane (ISBN 978-1-4107-0292-0) (published in 2002).
Personal life
In 1942, he married screenwriter Fanya Foss. They had two children. Foss died in 1995. His daughter Toni was married to Billy Bob Thornton from 1986 to 1988. In 2003, at the age of 93, Lawrence married a Mexican woman named Alicia, who had a daughter from a prior marriage.
Death
On November 28, 2005, Marc Lawrence died of heart failure at his Palm Springs home. He was 95. Lawrence and his first wife, Fanya, are buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Partial stage credits
Romeo and Juliet (1930, Civic Repertory Theatre, New York) - Watchman
The Tree (1932, Park Lane Theatre, New York) - Judd
The Survivors (1948, Playhouse Theatre, New York) - Rutson Hedge
A View from the Bridge (1957, New Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool) - Eddie Carbone