Ben Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American film, stage, and Emmy Award winning television actor and director.
Ben Gazzara had an extensive career but a lot of men remember him as Brad Wesley (the bad guy) from Roadhouse (Starring Patrick Swayze).
In the 1950s, Gazzara starred in various Broadway productions, most notably Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, directed by Elia Kazan. He was nominated three times for the Tony Award. Gazzara had a long and varied acting career, with spells as an accomplished director, mostly in television. He directed Columbo episodes “A Friend in Deed” and “Troubled Waters”.
Gazzara appeared in thirty-eight films—many for TV—in the 1990s. He worked with a number of renowned directors, such as the Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski), Spike Lee (Summer of Sam), David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner), Walter Hugo Khouri (Forever), Todd Solondz (Happiness), John Turturro (Illuminata), and John McTiernan (The Thomas Crown Affair).
Ben Gazzara cause of death
Ben Gazzara was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999. On February 3, 2012, he died of pancreatic cancer at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York.
Ben Gazzara 81 years old at the time of his death
Part 1 – Opening Night – Ben Gazzara & Gena Rowlands