Ben Gazzara -- RIP

Ben Gazzara (center)
with Peter Falk (left) and John Cassevetes

The actor Ben Gazzara, best known for his work with movie director John Cassavetes, has passed away at age 81, according to an Associated Press story picked up by The New York Times.

Gazzara, born in New York's Lower East Side, attended the city's renowned Stuyvesant High School. He later made his name on Broadway, where he eventually won three Tony Awards. In 1965, he shifted to the small screen, starring in the unusual drama Run For Your Life. The program's premise was that Gazzara's character is diagnosed with terminal cancer. This inspires him to cram a lifetime of adventure into two or three years. Around that time, another show featuring a man on the run, The Fugitive, was a big hit. That period was an odd one even for the strange, strange world of American television. Gazzara's running around the world was part of the mix.

In his later years, Gazzara played many parts without commanding a signature role. However, he usually found work, something that for older actors is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Gazzara's survivors include his German-born wife Elke Krivat and a daughter.