Jack Weston

Biography

Jack Weston (August 21, 1924 – May 3, 1996) was an American actor of stage, film and television, best known for comic roles. His career, which spanned about twenty-five years, made him a familiar face in supporting parts across Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s.

After serving in the Army during the Second World War, he moved to New York to train as an actor. His first marriage, to actress Marge Redmond, brought the couple to New York as well. On screen he was at his best in comic parts, as in Cactus Flower and Please Don't Eat the Daisies, though he also took darker roles, such as the scheming stalker who tries to rob a blind woman in Wait Until Dark.

In the 1980s he appeared in Dirty Dancing and in The Four Seasons alongside Alan Alda. On television he was a frequent guest on series such as Perry Mason and The Fugitive, and he starred in the short-lived sitcom The Hathaways. On Broadway, his role in Woody Allen's The Floating Light Bulb earned him a Tony nomination. He died of lymphoma in 1996, after a six-year struggle, and his legacy rests on a dependable and recognizable supporting career.

Key films

• Wait Until Dark (1967): a scheming crook and stalker who tries to rob a blind woman, a departure from his usual comic register.
• Cactus Flower (1969): one of his best-remembered comedies, opposite Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman.
• The Cincinnati Kid (1965): a supporting role in this poker drama starring Steve McQueen.
• Dirty Dancing (1987): a supporting part in the decade's major hit.