Cliff Gorman

About Cliff Gorman

Who is it?: Actor
Birth Day: October 13, 1936
Birth Place:  Queens, New York City, New York, United States
Education: High School of Music & Art
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1968–2002
Spouse(s): Gayle Gorman (1963-2002)

Cliff Gorman

Cliff Gorman was born on October 13, 1936 in  Queens, New York City, New York, United States, is Actor. Queens-born actor Cliff Gorman, who peaked on stage and in film in the 1970s, was of solid New York stock and well-represented his city throughout his acting career. Short statured, with a set chin, eyes slightly askew, and dark, ethnic looks, his working-class characters reeked of New York realism. Career-wise, it gave Gorman an unsympathetic veneer, taking keen advantage of it especially on the award-winning stage and in a handful of strong film/TV roles. His versatility was obvious -- he was often cast to strut about as a smug and smarmy ladies' man; or berate club patrons as a lewd, below-the-belt entertainer; or portray corrupt cops known for playing by their own rules. Gorman blended easily into the seamy atmosphere of New York's underbelly anywhere and anytime. Known for adding an exciting, dangerous quality to the characters he imbued, it made him fascinating, at the very least, even when the storyline itself wasn't. Even his unflinching anti-heroes were hard to take at times due to their open callousness.Born on October 13, 1936, Gorman attended both the University of Mexico and UCLA during the mid-1950s, but received his B.S. in education in 1959 from New York University. The acting bug caught up with him early into the next decade. The first production that merited any critical attention was the 1965 off-Broadway drama "Hogan's Goat" with the also up-and-coming Faye Dunaway. A one-time member of Jerome Robbins American Theatre Laboratory, Gorman really turned heads in a decidedly atypical role -- that of the arrogant, sharp-tongued, super flamboyant Emory in the 1968 gay counterculture dramedy "The Boys in the Band". Along with this attention came a well-deserved Obie Award. The ensemble play, which was the first to focus exclusively on gay characters, maintained a superlative mixture of pathos, bathos, caustic humor and witty double entendres. The show also was ground-breaking in that it presented homosexuals as realistic, three-dimensional characters and not merely sideshow objects of humor and/or ridicule. Author Mart Crowley smartly transitioned his play to film and kept his talented theater ensemble intact, some having never appeared in films before. In turn, director William Friedkin's The Boys in the Band (1970) became a milestone in movie-making, an instant cult classic that is today viewed as the fore-daddy of gay cinema.In 1972, Gorman became the toast of Broadway when he dissolved into the depressing world of comedy. His stark, searing, no-holds-barred portrayal of manic blue comedian Lenny Bruce, whose life and career disintegrated into one huge heroin habit, brought the house down and earned him both the Tony and Drama Desk awards. Although having made his film debut in Justine (1969) and despite receiving top billing in the well-received comedy crime yarn Cops and Robbers (1973), Gorman was not a name star by the time "Lenny" was made into a film. As such, superstar Dustin Hoffman was given the incredible opportunity of playing Lenny (1974). Unarguably, the Oscar-nominated Hoffman was amazing in his resurrection of the irreverent, ill-fated entertainer, but it could have been THE film role for Gorman -- one that might have changed the momentum and destiny of his film career forever. A few years later Bob Fosse, in tribute, would cast Gorman in a very Lenny Bruce-like cameo role in his autobiographical film All That Jazz (1979).Gorman ventured on but at a much more sporadic pace. He did make TV infamy with the mini-movie Class of '63 (1973), in which he played the insanely obsessive husband of Joan Hackett who terrorizes his wife's former beau (James Brolin) at a school reunion. He backed this up as the zealous Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels alongside Anthony Hopkins' Adolph Hitler in the acclaimed mini-movie The Bunker (1981). On a more compassionate note, Gorman came to the aid of ostracized West Point cadet Richard Thomas in The Silence (1975) as a writer and publisher who helps abolish an inhumane academy tradition. Gorman also displayed a proper toughness and edge-of-the-seat intensity in various good guy/bad guy crimers, notably several "Police Story" episodes and a spate of mini-movies co-starring Richard Crenna.The bad guy was in top form when Gorman led a Palestinian terrorist group in Otto Preminger's rather abysmal Rosebud (1975); played a slick and sleazy cad who mistreats poor, vulnerable Jill Clayburgh in the popular feminist weeper An Unmarried Woman (1978); and then portrayed another psycho nemesis for James Brolin in the lurid thriller Night of the Juggler (1980).Gorman made a noticeable return to Broadway with a Tony nomination for his role in Neil Simon's comedy "Chapter Two" in 1977, then prodded his more amusing instincts a decade later in both "Doubletake" (replacing Ron Leibman in 1985) and "Social Security" (replacing Ron Silver in 1986). Into the 1990s Gorman was seen here and there on film, including a supporting mobster part in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) and as the estranged father of John Leguizamo in King of the Jungle (2000).Diagnosed with leukemia, Gorman died at age 65 on September 5, 2002, in his beloved New York City and was survived by his long-time wife of almost 40 years, Gayle. His last film Kill the Poor (2003), made in 2002, was released posthumously.
Cliff Gorman is a member of Actor

Does Cliff Gorman Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Cliff Gorman has been died on September 5, 2002(2002-09-05) (aged 65)\nManhattan, New York City, U.S..

🎂 Cliff Gorman - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Cliff Gorman die, Cliff Gorman was 65 years old.

Popular As Cliff Gorman
Occupation Actor
Age 65 years old
Zodiac Sign Scorpio
Born October 13, 1936 ( Queens, New York City, New York, United States)
Birthday October 13
Town/City  Queens, New York City, New York, United States
Nationality United States

🌙 Zodiac

Cliff Gorman’s zodiac sign is Scorpio. According to astrologers, Scorpio-born are passionate and assertive people. They are determined and decisive, and will research until they find out the truth. Scorpio is a great leader, always aware of the situation and also features prominently in resourcefulness. Scorpio is a Water sign and lives to experience and express emotions. Although emotions are very important for Scorpio, they manifest them differently than other water signs. In any case, you can be sure that the Scorpio will keep your secrets, whatever they may be.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Cliff Gorman was born in the Year of the Rat. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rat are quick-witted, clever, charming, sharp and funny. They have excellent taste, are a good friend and are generous and loyal to others considered part of its pack. Motivated by money, can be greedy, is ever curious, seeks knowledge and welcomes challenges. Compatible with Dragon or Monkey.

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Biography/Timeline

1972

Gorman won a Tony Award in 1972 for playing Lenny Bruce in the play Lenny. Although the film version, directed by Bob Fosse, featured Dustin Hoffman, Gorman was recruited to portray a Dustin Hoffman-like character portraying Lenny Bruce, in a side-story in Fosse's autobiographical film All That Jazz (1979).

1981

He played Joseph Goebbels in the 1981 TV movie The Bunker, and co-starred as Lt. Andrews in the film Angel (1984). He had roles in movies like Cops and Robbers (1973), Rosebud (1975), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976), An Unmarried Woman (1978) with Jill Clayburgh, Night of the Juggler (1980), Hoffa (1992) with Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito, and Night and the City (1992). His TV work included performances in series like Law and Order, Murder, She Wrote and the 1970s drama Police Story, written by former LAPD Detective Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh.

1986

Gorman and his wife cared for his fellow The Boys in the Band performer Robert La Tourneaux in the last few months of his battle against AIDS, until La Tourneaux's death on June 3, 1986.

2002

Gorman died of leukemia in 2002, aged 65, although his final film, Kill the Poor, was not released until 2006. He was survived by his wife, Gayle Gorman.

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