Current:Home > Contact-usMike Nussbaum, prolific Chicago stage actor with film roles including ‘Field of Dreams,’ dies at 99-LoTradeCoin
Mike Nussbaum, prolific Chicago stage actor with film roles including ‘Field of Dreams,’ dies at 99
View Date:2024-12-24 09:49:42
CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Nussbaum, reputed as the oldest professional actor in America with a prolific stage career and roles in films including “Field of Dreams” and “Men in Black,” has died. He was 99.
He died of old age at his Chicago home on Saturday, just days before his 100th birthday, his daughter, Karen Nussbaum, told The Associated Press.
“He was a good father and a good man who raised us to care about other people and respect other people and care about justice,” she said.
Mike Nussbaum was acknowledged by the Actor’s Equity Association union multiple times in the past several years as the oldest professional actor in the country. When asked about his status as a working nonagenarian over the years, Nussbaum said he simply enjoyed the work.
“I am gifted and lucky to still be able to do the thing that is the most fun for me in life,” he told WBEZ Chicago in 2019 when he was 94 years old. “As long as I can do it, I will.”
Born in December 1923 in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, Nussbaum first acted in summer camps. He didn’t pursue acting full time until he was in his 40s, working for a time as an exterminator. He received his Equity card in the 1970s.
Nussbaum spent more than 50 years on stages in the Chicago area, including at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He played Shylock in a 2005 production of “The Merchant of Venice” and Gremio in “The Taming of the Shrew,” among many other roles.
In 1984, he won a Drama Desk Award for his performance in David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which won a Pulitzer Prize the same year. Nussbaum worked with Mamet often over the years.
Nussbaum performed into his 90s, including a 2017 role as Albert Einstein in the play “Relativity” at Northlight Theatre in suburban Skokie, where he also served briefly as artistic director.
“His genius was that you couldn’t tell he was acting,” said B.J. Jones, a longtime friend and colleague who is current artistic director at Northlight. “His level of truth was unparalleled. You never saw him sweat. He wasn’t trying to draw attention to himself. ”
Though he was primarily a stage actor, his film credits included a school principal in “Field of Dreams” and in “Men in Black” as Gentle Rosenberg, whose head opens during a pivotal scene to reveal a small alien creature.
A private funeral service is planned. A public memorial service will be held next year.
veryGood! (22)
Related
- Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
- Queen Camilla says King Charles III is doing 'extremely well under the circumstances'
- 4.6-magnitude earthquake shakes Southern California
- Queen Camilla says King Charles III is doing 'extremely well under the circumstances'
- Pitchfork Music Festival to find new home after ending 19-year run in Chicago
- 'The Taste of Things' is a sizzling romance and foodie feast — but don't go in hungry
- Save Up to 79% Off On Resort Styles & Accessories At Nordstrom Rack: Kate Spade, Good American & More
- Ex-Catholic priest given 22 years in prison for attempting to sexually abuse a boy in South Carolina
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
- Former St. Louis officer who shot suspect in 2018 found not guilty
Ranking
- Mike Tyson employs two trainers who 'work like a dream team' as Jake Paul fight nears
- ADHD affects a lot of us. Here's what causes it.
- Wayne Kramer, late guitarist of rock band MC5, also leaves legacy of bringing music to prisons
- Escaped North Carolina inmate recaptured after leaving work site, kidnapping woman: Police
- Oprah Winfrey Addresses Claim She Was Paid $1 Million by Kamala Harris' Campaign
- Jon Bon Jovi on singing after vocal cord surgery: 'A joy to get back to work'
- Proof The Kardashians Season 5 Is Coming Sooner Than You Think
- Mardi Gras 2024: What to know as Carnival season nears its rollicking end in New Orleans
Recommendation
-
Bull doge! Dogecoin soars as Trump announces a government efficiency group nicknamed DOGE
-
Some charges dismissed after man charged in Dallas Zoo caper is found incompetent to stand trial
-
How One of the Nation’s Fastest Growing Counties Plans to Find Water in the Desert
-
Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello Settle Divorce After 6 Months
-
'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
-
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
-
A 'Love Story' turned 'Red': Fireball releases lipstick inspired by Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce
-
Verbal gaffe or sign of trouble? Mixing up names like Biden and Trump have done is pretty common