Jason Wingreen Biography
Jason Wingreen (October 9, 1920 – December 25, 2015) was an American actor. He portrayed bartender Harry Snowden on the CBS sitcom All in the Family (1977–1979), a role he reprised on the continuation series Archie Bunker's Place (1979–1983). He was also the original voice of Star Wars character Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Early years
Born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family, he grew up in Howard Beach, Queens, attended John Adams High School, and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1941. While at Brooklyn College, he participated in the Varsity Dramatic Society. Wingreen originally planned to become a newspaper reporter after writing about high school sports for the Brooklyn Eagle during his high school years.
During World War II, he served with the United States Army Air Force and was stationed in England and Germany. Following his return home, with the aid of the G.I. Bill, he studied acting at New York's New School.
He was a co-founder of the Circle in the Square Theatre company in New York's Greenwich Village, and he appeared for the first time on Broadway in two 1954 plays: The Girl on the Via Flaminia and Fragile Fox.
Career
Film
I've signed a lot of photos of Boba Fett. I was living a quiet, peaceful, unen*bered life until that news broke, and when the news came out in a Star Wars magazine, for which I'd done an interview, the letters just never stopped.
— Wingreen, on his role as Boba Fett and signing autographs (April 9, 2014)
In 1958, Wingreen had the role of Nichols in the 20th Century Fox production The Bravados.
Wingreen lent his voice to the bounty hunter Boba Fett in the 1980 sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. English actor Jeremy Bulloch physically portrayed the character. For the DVD release of the film in 2004, Wingreen's lines were re-recorded by New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison. The 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones established that Boba Fett was a clone of Jango Fett, who was also played by Morrison.
From the early 1960s Wingreen was a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Stage
Wingreen helped to found the Circle in the Square Theatre in Greenwich Village. On Broadway, he played in The Girl on the Via Flaminia and Fragile Fox, both in 1954.
Television
I'm enjoying retirement, but not when I'm not feeling well and, unfortunately, not feeling well seems to come with old age. I retired after I did my episode of Seinfeld. I was 72 and my wife wasn't well. She wanted to travel some more, so I just decided that was enough and I didn't do any more acting. My wife died in 1996 and I've been living alone. My son and his family live in Princeton, New Jersey, and he's a professor at Princeton. He's a terrific guy and he calls me twice a week, to make sure I'm still alive. And I have a grandson and a granddaughter.
— Wingreen, on his retirement (April 9, 2014)
Wingreen was known for his role as bar owner/bartender Harry Snowden on the television sitcom All in the Family and its continuation series, Archie Bunker's Place.
Prior to this, Wingreen was a regular during the 1960–61 season of The Untouchables, playing Police Captain Dorsett. He performed in "A Stop at Willoughby," "The Midnight Sun," and "The Bard," three episodes of the original Twilight Zone series. He also appeared on the original Star Trek series, making him one of the few people involved with both Star Wars and Star Trek. Wingreen also had a recurring role as Judge Arthur Beaumont in the series Matlock, and has guest-starred in numerous other series, including Mission: Impossible, Outer Limits, Bonanza, The Rockford Files, The Armstrong Circle Theatre, Alcoa Theatre, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Dr. Kildare, and The Fugitive.
In 1965, Wingreen portrayed Adolf Hitler on Blue Light.
In 1979, Wingreen was a part of the ensemble cast of the TV mini-series Roots: The Next Generations. In 1991, he guest starred on General Hospital as Judge Mattson.
After an appearance on TV's Seinfeld in the 1990s, Wingreen retired from acting. His last credited TV work was on In The Heat Of The Night in 1994.
Personal life
Wingreen married Gloria Scott Backe. Backe, known as "Scotty" died in 1996. They had one son together.
Death
Wingreen died at the age of 95 at his home in Los Angeles, California, on December 25, 2015. Jeremy Bulloch, who physically portrayed Boba Fett, paid tribute saying that "he will be sadly missed by his family, friends and all the Star Wars fans."
He was survived by his son, theoretical physicist, Ned Wingreen, two grandchildren, and his sister, Harriet, a former pianist for the New York Philharmonic.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
Portals:- :Biography
- :New York City
- :Film
- :Television
- Jason Wingreen at IMDb
- Jason Wingreen at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jason Wingreen at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
