Sam Levene
About
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Birth Place
New York City, New York, USA
Born
August 28, 1905
Died
December 26, 1980
Biography
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Sam Levene became an actor because he wanted to prove that he had enough poise to be a salesman. To hone his skills, the dress-cutter auditioned at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts--and got a scholarship. He made his Broadway debut in 1927 and, within a decade, was recreating his roles on the silver screen. Building his reputation as a screen heavy, Levene landed the part of Lieuten...
Biography
Sam Levene became an actor because he wanted to prove that he had enough poise to be a salesman. To hone his skills, the dress-cutter auditioned at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts--and got a scholarship. He made his Broadway debut in 1927 and, within a decade, was recreating his roles on the silver screen. Building his reputation as a screen heavy, Levene landed the part of Lieutenant Abrams in "After the Thin Man," the second outing of Dashiell Hammett's investigatory lovebirds, and reappeared in their fourth film, "Shadow of the Thin Man." He proved to be a mainstay of crime dramas, and appeared frequently with Burt Lancaster. They worked together in such classics as "The Killers," the stunning expansion of a story by Ernest Hemingway; the prison thriller "Brute Force"; and "Sweet Smell of Success," which probed yellow journalism's seedy underbelly. But Levene continued to work on stage, where he created the legendary role of Nathan Detroit, the gambler-hero of "Guys and Dolls." Despite having a singing voice so poor that his big number was written in a single octave, his performance was so well-regarded that, when Frank Sinatra nabbed the role in the movie version, there were doubts that he'd live up to Levene. The would-be salesman also played a washed-up vaudevillian in Neil Simon's Broadway hit "The Sunshine Boys," and made his final screen appearance in "...And Justice for All," a courtroom drama starring Al Pacino.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Last Embrace
(1979)
...And Justice For All
(1979)
God Told Me To
(1976)
The Money
(1975)
Lou
Such Good Friends
(1971)
Uncle Eddie
A Dream of Kings
(1969)
Cicero
Act One
(1963)
Richard Maxwell
Kathy O'
(1958)
Ben Melnick
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
(1957)
Howard Rysdale
Sweet Smell of Success
(1957)
Frank D'Angelo
Designing Woman
(1957)
Ned Hammerstein
The Opposite Sex
(1956)
Mike Pearl
Three Sailors and a Girl
(1953)
Joe Woods
Dial 1119
(1950)
Dr. John Faron
With These Hands
(1950)
Alexander Brody
Guilty Bystander
(1950)
Capt. Tonetti
The Babe Ruth Story
(1948)
Phil Conrad
Leather Gloves
(1948)
Bernie
Brute Force
(1947)
Louie
Crossfire
(1947)
[Joseph] Samuels
Killer McCoy
(1947)
Happy
Boomerang!
(1947)
Dave Woods
A Likely Story
(1947)
Louie
The Killers
(1946)
Sam Lubinsky
The Purple Heart
(1944)
Lt. Wayne Greenbaum
I Dood It
(1943)
Editor Jackson
Whistling in Brooklyn
(1943)
Creeper
Action in the North Atlantic
(1943)
"Chips" Abrahams
Gung Ho!
(1943)
Transport, Leo Andreof
Sunday Punch
(1942)
Roscoe
Grand Central Murder
(1942)
Inspector Gunther
The Big Street
(1942)
Horsethief
Sing Your Worries Away
(1942)
Smiley Clark
Destination Unknown
(1942)
Victor
Shadow of the Thin Man
(1941)
Lieutenant Abrams
Married Bachelor
(1941)
Cookie Farrar
Golden Boy
(1939)
Siggie
Yellow Jack
(1938)
Busch
The Shopworn Angel
(1938)
"Leer"
The Mad Miss Manton
(1938)
Lieutenant Mike Brent
After the Thin Man
(1936)
[Lieutenant] Abrams
Three Men on a Horse
(1936)
Patsy
Misc. Crew (Special)
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
(1998)
Researcher
Cast (Short)
Shoe Shine Boy
(1943)
Life Events
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
