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Vic Tayback

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Vic Tayback
Tayback in 1976
Born(1930-01-06)January 6, 1930
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 25, 1990(1990-05-25) (aged 60)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park
Alma materGlendale Community College
Actors Studio
OccupationActor
Years active1955–1990
Known forAlice
The Love Boat
Spouse
Sheila Maureen Barnard
​
​
(m. 1962)​
Children1

Victor Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples on the television sitcom Alice (1976–1985), as well as his multiple guest appearances on The Love Boat (1977–1987). The former earned him two consecutive Golden Globe Awards (for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series) and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Early life

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Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Syrian immigrant parents Helen (née Hanood) and Najeeb James Tayback. Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from Aleppo.[1][2] He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1947. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting.[3]

Career

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Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio,[4] he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Bonanza, Here Come the Brides, That Girl, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, All in the Family, Fantasy Island, Columbo, and The Love Boat. He also appeared in many films such as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including Twelve Angry Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He was the co-founder of the theater troupe Company of Angels. He also appeared in television commercials, notably in 1968 with Richard Dreyfuss for the AMC Javelin.

Tayback's most famous role was as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series Alice (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series.[5] For the role, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 1980 and 1981. In 1971, he made a guest appearance as Dirks in season 16, episode 19 of the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke.

Personal life

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Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had a son, Christopher (born 1963), who is a business trial lawyer and former prosecutor.[6]

Death

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Tayback died of a heart attack at age 60 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center on May 25, 1990.[7][8][9] He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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  • Alice (1976-1985) as Mel Sharples
  • Griff as Captain Barney Marcus. Series starred Lorne Greene in title role and Ben Murphy
  • Khan! as Lieutenant Gubbins
  • I Dream of Jeannie as Turhan In the episode "This Is Murder"
  • Buckskin (Episode: "The Battle of Gabe Pruitt") – Claude
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 4 Episode 7: "A Man with a Problem") (1958) – Man Talking to Cab Driver
  • 77 Sunset Strip (1960) (Episode: Trouble in the Middle East) Bearded Rebel
  • Rawhide (Episode: "The Gray Rock Hotel") (1965) – Monte
  • F Troop (Episode: "Corporal Agarn's Farewell To The Troops") (1965) – Bill Colton
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Episode: "The Re-Collectors Affair") (1965) – Sargent
  • Daniel Boone (Episode: "Onatha") (1966) – Hongas
  • Family Affair (Episode: 8 Season 1 "Who's Afraid of Nural Shpeni?") (1966) - Policeman
  • Gunsmoke (Episode: "Ladies From St. Louis") (1967) – Gaines
  • Get Smart (Episode: "Appointment in Sahara") (1967) – Jamal
  • The Monkees (Episodes: "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers") (1966–1967) - George
  • The Monkees (1966) – Rocco in S1:E16, "Son of a Gypsy"
  • The Monkees (1967) – Chuche in S2:E5, "Art, for Monkees' Sake"
  • Here Come the Brides (recurring logger) (1968-1970)
  • Star Trek: The Original Series (Episode: "A Piece of the Action") (1968) – Jojo Krako
  • That Girl (1968) (Season 3 Episode 12) - Max
  • Lancer (Episode: "Devil's Blessing") (1969) - Porter
  • The Bill Cosby Show (Episode: "The Fatal Phone Call") (1969) - Calvin
  • Bonanza (Episode 358 "Caution, Easter Bunny Crossing". Season 11 Episode 25) (1970) - Everett Gaskell
  • The Partridge Family (Episode: Danny & The Mob) 1971
  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Episode: "Second Story Story") (1971) – Officer Jackson
  • Bewitched (Episode: "The Good Fairy Strikes Again") (1971) – Officer #1
  • Columbo (Episode: "Suitable for Framing") (1971) – Sam Franklin
  • The F.B.I. (Episode: "The Natural") (1971) - Ed Larch
  • The F.B.I. (Episode: "Dark Journey") (1972) - Neil Parks
  • Gunsmoke (Episode: "The Fugitives S18E7") (1972)- Bill Hankins
  • Arnie (Episode: "Boom or Bust") (1972) – Sergeant
  • The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (Episode: "Is This Operation Necessary?") (1972) – Frank Wells
  • Emergency! (Episode: "Boot") (1973) – Truck Driver.
  • All in the Family (Episode: "Et Tu, Archie?") (1974) – Joe Tucker
  • Barney Miller (Episode: "Stakeout", "The Social Worker") (1975) – Mr. Savocheck / Master Forger
  • The Practice (Episode: "The Choice") (1976) – Frankie Nyles
  • Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Episode: 29, Season: 1) (1976)
  • Hawaii Five-O (Episode: "Bones of Contention" ; "Angel in Blue") (1975–1978) – Martin Lynch / Parmel
  • The Eddie Capra Mysteries (Episode: "How Do I Kill Thee?") (1978) – Logan
  • Getting Married (1978) – Burt Carboni
  • $weepstake$ (Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore") (1979) – Sergeant Yarbrough
  • The Love Boat (Episode: "Friends & Lovers; Sergeant Bull; Miss Mother") (1980) – Sergeant Harry Beluski
  • Flo (Episode: "What Are Friends For?") (1981) – Mel Sharples
  • Fantasy Island (1979–1983, Multiple) – George Walters / Laura Walters / Norman Atkins / Chet Nolan / Melvyn Mews
  • T. J. Hooker (Episode: "Hooker's War") (1982) – Lieutenant Pete Benedict
  • Hotel (Episode: "Relative Loss") (1983) – Wallace Egan
  • Finder of Lost Loves (Episode: "Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot") (1984) – Thomas Velasco
  • Murder, She Wrote (Episode: "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder") (1986) – Sal Domino
  • Crazy Like a Fox (1986)
  • The Love Boat (1977–1987, Multiple) – Himself / Jack Hamilton / Shelley Sommers / 'Dutch' Boden / Sergeant Harry Beluski / Harry Stewart
  • Adderly (1987) – Gregorin
  • Tales from the Darkside (Episodes: "The New Man", (as Alan Coombs) Season 1, 1984, and "Basher Malone" (as Tippy Ryan) Season 4, 1988)
  • MacGyver (1990, Episode: "Jenny's Chance") – George Henderson (final television appearance)

Awards and nominations

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Award Year Category Work Result
Golden Globe Award 1980 Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series Alice Won
1981 Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film Won
1982 Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award 1978 Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Oliver, Myrna (1990-05-26). "Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  2. ^ "TV'S 'MEL' DIES OF HEART ATTACK". Greensboro News and Record. 1990-05-25. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  3. ^ "VIC TAYBACK, WHO PLAYED MEL IN 'ALICE' TV SERIES, DIES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  4. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-0254-2650-4.
  5. ^ Diane Ladd joined Alice mid-series playing a different character and Alfred Lutter reprised his film role as Tommy for the pilot episode only.
  6. ^ Christopher Tayback
  7. ^ Oliver, Myrna (May 26, 1990). "Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Vic Tayback Dies; Actor, 60, Was Mel In the 'Alice' Series". The New York Times. May 26, 1990. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Vic Tayback, Who Played Mel In 'Alice' TV Series, Dies". The Washington Post. May 26, 1990. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

Further reading

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Putt, Jr., Barry M. (2019). Alice: Life Behind the Counter in Mel's Greasy Spoon (A Guide to the Feature Film, the TV Series, and More). Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629334264.

See also

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