Vic Tayback
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Victor Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples in the comedy-drama film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television sitcom Alice (1976–1985), for which he won two consecutive Golden Globes. Early life Tayback was born on January 6, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to Syrian Catholic immigrant parents Helen (née Hanood; Arabic: هيلين هنود تايباك) and Najeeb James Tayback (Arabic: نجيب جيمس طيبك) . Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from Aleppo. He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1948. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting. Career Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Bonanza, Here Come the Brides, That Girl, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, All in the Family, Fantasy Island, Columbo, Bewitched and The Love Boat. He also appeared in many films such as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including Twelve Angry Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He was the co-founder of the theatre troupe Company of Angels. He also appeared in television commercials, notably in 1968 with Richard Dreyfuss for the AMC Javelin. Tayback's most famous role was as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series Alice (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series. For the role, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 1980 and 1981. In 1971, he made a guest appearance as Dirks in season 16, episode 19 of the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke. Personal life Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had one son. Death Tayback died of a heart attack at age 60 on May 25, 1990. Tayback was pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m. at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he was taken after his wife called paramedics. She said he had climbed out of bed, taken a few steps and collapsed. Tayback was a lifelong smoker and had a history of heart problems. He underwent a triple bypass in 1983. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). CLR
Born: 06 January 1930 • Died: 25 May 1990
Played In
Horseplayer
George Samsa
All Dogs Go to Heaven
Carface (voice)
Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers
Lou
Criminal Act
The Exterminator (Greengrass)
Loverboy
Harry Bruckner
The Underachievers
Coach
The Three Kings
Harold
Weekend Warriors
Sgt. Burdge
George Carlin: Playin' with Your Head
The Bad Guys
Treasure Island
Silver
Reel Horror
Smedke (archive footage)
MacGyver
George Henderson
Crazy like a Fox
Mo Scmidt
Murder, She Wrote
Sal Domino
Tales from the Darkside
Tippy Ryan
Tales from the Darkside
Alan Coombs
Finder of Lost Loves
Thomas Velasco
The Jesse Owens Story
Abe Saperstein
Matt Houston
Hotel
Wallace Egan
Mysterious Two
Ted Randall
T. J. Hooker
Pete Benedict
Through the Magic Pyramid
Horembeb
The Night the City Screamed
Morris Brustein
Gridlock
Floyd 'Snake' Kraslowski
Rage!
Tommy
This Year's Blonde
Harry Cohn
Portrait of a Stripper
Harry Parkins
Time Express
Supertrain
Frank Tuttle
$weepstake$
Sir Yarbrough
Vega$
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
The Cheap Detective
Lieutenant DiMaggio
Getting Married
Burt Carboni
The Case of the Baltimore Girls
Capt. Barney Marcus
The Choirboys
Zoony
The Love Boat
Harry Stewart
The Love Boat
Harry Beluski
CHiPs
CHiPs
Vic Tayback (uncredited)
Little Ladies of the Night
Finch
The Shaggy D.A.
Eddie Roschak
Mansion of the Doomed
Detective Simon
Alice
Mel Sharples
Special Delivery
Wyatt
The Big Bus
Goldie
No Deposit, No Return
Big Joe Adamo
Dark Victory
Archie
The Practice
The Black Bird
Warren Finley, Police Lieutenant
On the Rocks
Switch
Ralph Kabelka
Lepke
Charles 'Lucky' Luciano
Bronk
Khan!
Lt. Gubbins
Report to the Commissioner
Lt. Seidensticker
Barney Miller
Mr. Stavochek
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Mel
The Gambler
One
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Mario Pinski
Papillon
Sergeant
The Don Is Dead
Ralph Negri
The Blue Knight
Neil Grogan
The Blue Knight
Neil Grogan
The Alpha Caper
Policeman
Griff
Emperor of the North
Yardman
Partners in Crime
Police Story
Honor Thy Father
Don A. Tirello
Maxie
Smedke
The Streets of San Francisco
The Rookies
Emergency!
Driver
Death Follows a Psycho
They Call It Murder
Jeff Poland
Columbo
Sam Franklin
Cannon
Blood and Lace
Calvin Carruthers
All in the Family
Joe Tucker
The Partridge Family
Ingram
The Partridge Family
Rocco
The Partridge Family
Harlan Laws
The Silent Force
Capt. Al Grant
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
McCloud
Medical Center
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Bernie
My World and Welcome to It
The Bill Cosby Show
Calvin
Bullitt
Pete Ross
The Mod Squad
Lancer
Land of the Giants
Hood
Hawaii Five-O
Parmel
Hawaii Five-O
Martin Lynch
The Outsider
Mannix
Cimarron Strip
Ironside
Captain Nice
Gambit
Plainclothes Officer at TWA Counter (uncredited)
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round
Detective Merchant (uncredited)
Mission: Impossible
Egan's Goon
Mission: Impossible
Sgt. Gorte
Occasional Wife
Family Affair
The Monkees
George
Felony Squad
The Monkees
Rocco
The Monkees
Chuche
Star Trek
Jojo Krako
That Girl
Love on a Rooftop
The F.B.I.
Ed Larch
The F.B.I.
Neil Parks
I Dream of Jeannie
Turhan
Get Smart
Jamal
Get Smart
Popov
F Troop
Daniel Boone
American Soldier
Daniel Boone
Hongas Hongas - Huron Indian Chief
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Sergeant
Bewitched
Mayor's Chauffeur
Love with the Proper Stranger
Cye (uncredited)
The Lieutenant
Cpl. Peter Garth
Five Weeks in a Balloon
European Agent (uncredited)
Surftide 77
Arms Cooper
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
Five Minutes to Live
Fred Dorella
Gangster Story
Norm (uncredited)
T-Bird Gang
Policeman
Rawhide
Monte
The Power of the Resurrection
Simon the Canaanite
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Man Talking to Cab Driver
Gunsmoke
Gaines
Gunsmoke
Rawlins
Gunsmoke
Dirks
Gunsmoke
Bill Hankins