Veteran Polish-born character actor Ned Glass grew up in New York.
After working in vaudeville he started acting in small parts on Broadway
from the early 1930s. He gained further experience in the capacity of
theatrical production supervisor before entering motion pictures in
1937 as an MGM contract player. Until the mid-1950s he was seen
primarily in tiny supporting roles as clerks, reporters, bank tellers
and small-time managers. His career was briefly put on hold after being
blacklisted during the McCarthy era, but, with help from friends like
John Houseman and
Moe Howard (of
The Three Stooges fame) he managed to
get enough film work to make ends meet.
By 1953, Ned began to find a new lease of life in television where his
roles were more varied and substantial. This afforded him the
opportunity to fully develop his screen persona: that of the balding,
weedy, perpetually nervy conman or weaselly stooge, often delivering
barbed repartee or wisecracks in a heavy Brooklyn accent. Ned was at
his best in comedy, put to good use in several episodes of
Jackie Gleason's
The Honeymooners (1955), and
adapting well to anything else with a New York theme, from
Kojak (1973) to
Barney Miller (1975). He had
many other good guest-starring roles on television, including several shifty characters in
The Untouchables (1959), and
as Freddie the Forger in
Get Smart (1965) ('Do I Hear a
Vaults?',1970). He was twice nominated for Emmy Awards, first for an
episode of
Julia (1968) (as Sol
Cooper); the second time for
Bridget Loves Bernie (1972)
(Uncle Moe Plotnick).
From the time he played Doc in
West Side Story (1961), Ned also
began to land some meatier roles on the big screen, including the
character of Popcorn in
Experiment in Terror (1962),
and as Doc Schindler, in one of the funniest 60's comedies,
The Fortune Cookie (1966),
directed by
Billy Wilder. His best
portrayal was that of the wily Leonard Gideon, sharpest of the
villainous trio (the others being
James Coburn and
George Kennedy) on the trail of a
quarter of a million dollar loot in gold, in the Hitchcockian thriller
Charade (1963).
Ned continued playing crusty reprobates in films and on television, his
last being a small-time thief in an episode of
Cagney & Lacey (1981). He died
two years later in Encino, California, at the age of 78.
Cagney & Lacey(1981)as Pickpocket
Cassie & Co.(1982)as E.G. Havemeyer
Trapper John, M.D.(1979)as Latimer, Max, Nathan Feinstein
Code Red(1981)as Papa Gruedel
Street Music(1981)as Sam
The Phil Silvers Show(1955)
The Ed Sullivan Show(1948)as MSgt. Andy Pendleton, Self
Lamp Unto My Feet(1948)as Self
The Red Skelton Hour(1951)as Self, Santa's Helper, Self - McPugg's Manager-Footwork Sketch
20/20(1978)as Self
Hey Moe, Hey Dad!(2015)as Various characters
Special Collector's Edition(2010)as Leopold W. Gideon
Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us(2005)as Wardrobe Man
