Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer of stage and screen.
Among his accomplishments was originating the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and playing Max Bialystock in The Producers.
Mostel was, like many Hollywood performers, blacklisted in the witch hunt against suspected Communists during the 1950s; he was accused of being a Communist Party member due to his left-wing politics, declining to name names when called before the HUAC and lecturing them on political matters. Though a hero for this among the blacklisted community, he could not act again in a major film until the 1960s. (In fact, he had been effectively banned even prior to this by the major studios as punishment for having protested at films which were alleged as racist). This experience would greatly inform Mostel's last film performance as Hecky Brown, a blacklisted actor, in The Front.note The date of his blacklisting appears with his name in the film's closing credits, along with those of several other formerly-blacklisted cast and crew.
Roles on this wiki:
- Panic in the Streets (1950): Raymond Fitch
- Sirocco (1951): Balukjiaan
- The Enforcer (1951): Big Babe Lazick
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966): Pseudolus
- The Producers (1968): Max Bialystock
- The Great Bank Robbery (1969): Rev. Pious Blue
- The Angel Levine (1970): Morris Mishkin
- The Hot Rock (1972): Abe Greenberg
- Rhinoceros (1974): John
- Journey into Fear (1975): Kopelkin
- The Front (1976): Hecky Brown
- Watership Down (1978): Kehaar (voice)
- Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1970): Guest Performer (2 episodes)
- The Electric Company (1972–77): Spell Binder (voice)
- The Muppet Show (1977): Himself/Guest Star (1 episode)
- Rhinoceros (1961): Jean
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962): Pseudolus
- Fiddler on the Roof (1964): Tevye
