- Born
- Died
- Height1.84 m
- Joseph Wiseman was born on May 15, 1918 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He came to Broadway in the 1930s, where he was critically hailed for performances in Shakespeare's "King Lear", Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy" and Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". Motion pictures in which Wiseman has been seen include Histoire de détective (1951), starring Kirk Douglas, Viva Zapata ! (1952) with Marlon Brando, Racket dans la couture (1957), Strip-tease chez Minsky (1968), Cosa Nostra - L'Affaire Valachi (1972) and L'apprentissage de Duddy Kravitz (1974) which brought him back to his native Canada for a co-starring role with Richard Dreyfuss.- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous
- SpousesPearl Lang(1964 - February 24, 2009) (her death)Nell Kinard(August 28, 1943 - ?) (divorced, 1 child)
- Deep dramatic voice
- In his early career, often portrayed men much older than himself
- He had mixed feelings about his role as the title character in James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962). He preferred to be remembered for his theater career. However, he was proud to be the first of the many actors who have played a main James Bond villain.
- The first actor to play the main villain in an EON Production James Bond film.
- Started his acting career in summer stock as a teenager and made his Broadway debut in 1938 playing a bit part in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois".
- He was awarded the 1968-1969 New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance for the play, "In The Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer" on Broadway in New York City.
- Due to their similar dramatic voices, it's sometimes stated in sources that Wiseman (albeit uncredited) did the voice of Blofeld in Opération Tonnerre (1965). However, production notes confirm that it was Eric Pohlmann reprising his voice role from Bons Baisers de Russie (1963).
- [on his most famous role and film, James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962)] I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I had no idea it would achieve the success it did. I know nothing about mysteries. I don't take to them. As far as I was concerned, I thought it might be just another Grade-B Charlie Chan mystery.
- A life being enacted onstage is a thing of utter fascination for me. And acting, it may begin out of vanity but you hope that it's taken over by something else. I hope I've climbed over the vanity hurdle.
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