Jack Warden dies at 85

Oscar-nominated character actor Jack Warden, best known for starring alongside Warren Beatty in "Shampoo" and "Heaven Can Wait," died Wednesday at the age of 85. His longtime business manager, Sidney Pazoff, said the veteran character actor had retired in New York several years ago and had been suffering from medical problems in recent years.


Warden appeared in dozens of films and won an Emmy award as football coach George Halas in the 1971 TV movie "Brian's Song". His characters were often tough and gruff but also had a soft heart.


He won Oscar nominations for best supporting actor in the Beatty vehicles "Shampoo" in 1975, playing the businessman Lester, and "Heaven Can Wait" in 1978, as Beatty's trainer. Warden appeared again with Beatty in "Bulworth" in 1998. His other roles included playing the president of the United States opposite an idiot savant played by Peter Sellers in 1979's "Being There" and roles in the Woody Allen movies "Mighty Aphrodite" in 1995 and "Bullets Over Broadway" in 1994. Warden also played Paul Newman 's law partner in "The Verdict" in 1982, a Washington Post news editor in "All the President's Men" in 1976 and the barracks-mate of Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra in the Oscar-winning "From Here to Eternity" in 1953.

Born John Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, Warden boxed professionally under the name Johnny Costello. Later, as a U.S. Army paratrooper who missed the Normandy invasion due to a broken leg from a training exercise, Warden turned to acting after World War Two with the help of the G.I. Bill's education benefits, and took his father's middle name as his stage name, joining the Dallas Alley Theater in 1947.


His breakthrough film role came in "Twelve Angry Men" in 1957, when he played a disinterested juror who wanted a quick conviction. That led to a prolific television career in the 1960s. Aside from his role in "Heaven Can Wait", my fondest memory or Mr.Warden is of his dual role in the 1980 comedy "Used Cars". I know that he would laugh at my hope that he isn't buried in an Edsel. Whether you just laughed or not depends on your familiarity with the aforementioned film.

Jack, I thank you for the many laughs you gave us over the span of your career. I'm sure that there is laughter throughout Heaven as I write this tribute to your time among us mortals down here.