Curiosidades

Returned to the San Quentin state prison on the San Francisco Bay near San Rafael to view a screening of the documentary The Impossible Itself (2010), which retells the November 19, 1957 performance of "Waiting for Godot" put on in the prison by Mandell and a handful of fellow actors from the San Francisco Actors Workshop. The one-night show directed by Herbert Blau was so well received by the audience of 1,400 inmates that it inspired a group of prisoners to start the still-active San Quentin Drama Workshop, which Mandell directed for six years.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/22/DDME14SN4R.DTL#ixzz1q5SdMqrX.

A noted classical actor and foremost scholar and interpreter of the absurdist plays of Samuel Beckett, the 84-year-old actor appeared for the first time with another major Beckett player, Irish actor Barry McGovern at the Los Angeles Mark Taper Forum in a March/April 2012 production of "Waiting for Godot". Mandell, who for years played the role of Lucky, appeared as Estragon opposite McGovern, who has played the role of Vladimir more than any other living actor.

Career has thus far spanned over seven decades and is an accomplished voice-over actor.

Founding member of the famed San Francisco Actor's Workshop and co-founder of the San Quentin Drama Workshop, which began in 1957 with a performance of the Samuel Beckett play "Waiting for Godot" inside the prison.

Toured Europe with the original stage productions of Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and "Endgame" and recreated Beckett's direction for the filming of "Endgame" in which he played the role of Nagg.

Was to star as Shylock in a 1997 Southern California production of "The Merchant of Venice," when his wife died and withdrew from the show.

Has run such esteemed theater companies such as the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, and was the Consulting Director for the Los Angeles Actors' Theatre and the Los Angeles Theater Center.

Was the recipient of Los Angeles Weekly's first Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was awarded the 2012 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Lead Actor in a Play for "Waiting for Godot" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Hugo Armstrong, the cast and he were awarded the 2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Ensemble Performance for "Waiting for Godot" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

He was awarded the 2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Lead Performance for "Waiting for Godot" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Hugo Armstrong, the cast and he were awarded the 2012 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Acting Ensemble for a Play for "Waiting for Godot" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

He was awarded he 2015 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Featured Actor in a Play for "The Price" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

He was awarded the 1986 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "The Dream Coast," at the Mark Taper Forum Too Theatre in Los Angeles, California,.