Vic Tayback


Biography

Burly, likable actor Vic Tayback was born in Brooklyn but his family moved to Burbank, California, when he was a teenager. There, Tayback would spend the rest of his life and career as an actor. For almost the first 20 years of his career Tayback managed to land only one-off appearances on TV shows like "Mission: Impossible" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and a few roles in feature films....

Biography

Burly, likable actor Vic Tayback was born in Brooklyn but his family moved to Burbank, California, when he was a teenager. There, Tayback would spend the rest of his life and career as an actor. For almost the first 20 years of his career Tayback managed to land only one-off appearances on TV shows like "Mission: Impossible" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and a few roles in feature films. In 1974 Martin Scorsese cast him as restaurant owner Mel Sharples in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." The hit movie led to a similarly popular TV show of the same name, starring Linda Lavin as hard-working waitress Alice, while Tayback reprised his role as Sharples. The series ran for 200 episodes from 1976 through 1985, and became what Tayback is most remembered for in his career. After the show ended he had a number of roles on television and in films, mostly notably in a famous Aqua Velva commercial with baseball star Pete Rose. Tayback died of a sudden heart attack in 1990.

Life Events

Videos

Movie Clip

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) -- (Movie Clip) The Bride Screamed Murder First appearance of Jodie Foster (as "Audrey"), after school in Tucson with Tommy (Albert Lutter), who then joins mom Alice (Ellen Burstyn), at the diner where David (Kris Kristofferson) is making his first offer, in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, 1974.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) -- (Movie Clip) The Hogs Ate Her! Rough day at the diner, Flo (Diane Ladd) with Mel (Vic Tayback) and Vera (Valerie Curtin), David (Kris Krisotfferson) at the counter, as Alice (Ellen Burstyn) finally warms to her colleagues, in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, 1974.
Cheap Detective, The (1978) -- (Movie Clip) We Couldn't Bend Her Writer Neil Simon opens the follow-up to the parody Murder By Death, with schtick for San Francisco cops Vic Tayback and Abe Vigoda, with loose Maltese Falcon elements, setting the stage for Peter Falk, leading man in the Bogart tribute mash-up The Cheap Detective, 1978.
Lepke (1975) -- (Movie Clip) Good Education Rising gangster Tony Curtis (title character) emerges from court with Lucky Luciano (Vic Tayback), then meets lawyer Kane (Michael Callan) and girlfriend to-be Bernice (Anjanette Comer) in Lepke, 1975.
Lepke (1975) -- (Movie Clip) Bad For Business Tony Curtis (title character) chairs a meeting of "The Syndicate" with Lucky Luciano (Vic Tayback), Albert Anastasia (Gianni Russo) and Dutch Schultz (John Durren), in Lepke, 1975.
Five Minutes To Live -- (Movie Clip) Who Fingered Johnny Country legend Merle Travis plays the flunky who introduces crook Dorella (Vic Tayback) to thug Johnny (Johnny Cash) and his suspicious girlfriend Doris (Midge Ware) in Five Minutes To Live, 1960.
Five Minutes To Live -- (Movie Clip) So Much Of Nothin' Crooks Johnny (Johnny Cash) and Dorella (Vic Tayback) begin their stake-out of the house where unsuspecting Nancy (Cay Forester) and Bobbie (Ron Howard) are doing breakfast, in Five Minutes To Live, 1960.
Five Minutes To Live -- (Movie Clip) Johnny Cabot And I Vic Tayback (as Fred Dorella) opening with his recollections of the mad criminal Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash), who does a song under the credits, in Five Minutes To Live, 1960.
Five Minutes To Live -- (Movie Clip) Fine New Product Johnny (Johnny Cash) and Fred (Vic Tayback) launch their hostage-bank robbery operation, Nancy Wilson (Cay Forester, the credited screenwriter) their first victim, in Five Minutes To Live, 1960.
Shaggy D.A., The -- (Movie Clip) Lightweight Wilby Daniels (Dean Jones) and wife (Suzanne Pleshette) suffer a campaign mishap, leading to the introduction of his opponent Slade (Keenan Wynn) and gangster Roschak (Vic Tayback) in Disney's The Shaggy D.A., 1976.

Bibliography