Ned Glass: Movies & Box Office

Ned Glass (born Nusyn Glass on April 1, 1906 in Radom, then part of Congress Poland in the Russian Empire) was a Polish‑born American character actor whose career spanned more than five decades. After emigrating with his family to New York City as a child, he attended City College and entered the world of vaudeville before making his Broadway debut in 1931 in Elmer Rice’s Counsellor‑at‑Law. By 1936 he had been signed by Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer, and the following year he appeared uncredited in True Confession, launching a prolific film career in which he featured in over eighty movies and more than one hundred television episodes. Glass became a familiar face in Hollywood for portraying nervous, timid or deceitful characters; his short, bald stature, slight hunch, nasal voice and pronounced New York accent made him instantly recognizable. Notable screen credits include the drugstore owner Doc in West Side Story (1961), the scheming Leopold W. Gideon in Charade (1963), a ticket seller in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), and a variety of supporting roles in Three Stooges shorts such as Nutty But Nice (1940) and I'll Never Heil Again (1941). On television he was a regular on series like The Honeymooners sketches, The Phil Silvers Show, and later earned an Emmy nomination for his guest spot on Julia (1968‑1971). Despite a brief period of blacklisting during the 1950s, during which he worked as a carpenter, he continued to work steadily until his final film appearance in Street Music (1981) and his last TV role on Cagney & Lacey (1982). Glass died on June 15 1984 in Encino, California, after a long illness, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most dependable character actors of classic American cinema.