Louis Zorich
| Louis Zorich | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 12, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor/Musician |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Spouse(s) | Olympia Dukakis (1962–present) |
Louis Zorich (born February 12, 1924) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known to television audiences for his portrayal of Paul Reiser's father, Burt Buchman, on the NBC series Mad About You. He played the role from 1993 to 1999.
Life and career
Zorich was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Croatian immigrants Anna (née Gledi) and Christ Zorich.[1] He attended Earle Elementary School[2] before going on to attend Roosevelt College and Goodman Theater School of Drama in his hometown of Chicago.[3] Zorich has been married to Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis since 1962. They have three children together. Louis' nephew, Chris Zorich,[4] is a former defensive tackle who played in college for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.
In 1965, Zorich recorded and released an album on Folkways Records, entitled Moby Dick: Selections Read by Louis Zorich. One of Zorich's first major film roles was the Russian Constable in the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof. He was featured in Popi and For Pete's Sake and played the role of Pete in the 1984 film The Muppets Take Manhattan. In 1986 he played a Swiss businessman in Club Paradise with Robin Williams, and in 1988 appeared as Nikos, the Greek millionaire, part of a group arriving in a yacht party, in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Michael Caine. He also had a co-starring role in the critically acclaimed, albeit short-lived, TV comedy Brooklyn Bridge playing family patriarch Jules Berger.
He also starred in the 1976 Broadway play Herzl.
He also edited the anthology What Have You Done: The Inside Stories of Auditioning from the Ridiculous to the Sublime
Zorich currently is on the faculty of HB Studio in New York City.