Joe Mantell

Joe Mantell (born Joseph Mantel, December 21, 1915) was an American film and television actor whose career spanned more than four decades, from the post‑World War II era into the early 1990s. Born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Jewish immigrant parents from the Kingdom of Galicia, Mantell grew up in a household where his father worked as a butcher and the family name was originally spelled Mantel. Early on he altered the spelling to Mantell, adding an extra “L” and changing the pronunciation to “Man‑TELL” to suit his budding stage persona. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he entered the nascent world of television, collaborating with playwright Paddy Chayefsky and director Delbert Mann on acclaimed teleplays for The Philco Television Playhouse, including the memorable The Bachelor Party. His breakthrough came when he reprised the role of Angie, Marty’s loyal friend, in the 1955 film Marty, a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and helped cement the film’s Best Picture win. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Mantell became a familiar face on the small screen, delivering strong guest performances in series such as The Untouchables, where he portrayed would‑be assassin Giuseppe Zangara, and in two classic episodes of The Twilight Zone—“Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” and “Steel”. He also held recurring roles on sitcoms like Pete and Gladys and crime dramas such as Mannix, showcasing his versatility in both comedic and dramatic settings. In cinema, Mantell’s most enduring contribution may be his brief but pivotal appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller The Birds and his role as lawyer Lawrence Walsh in Roman Polanski’s seminal noir Chinatown, delivering the film’s iconic closing line, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.” Mantell returned as Walsh in the 1990 sequel The Two Jakes, closing a full circle on a distinguished screen legacy. He married Mary Mantell, with whom he raised three children—two daughters and a son—before retiring from acting in 1990. Joe Mantell died peacefully in Tarzana, California, on September 29, 2010, at the age of ninety‑four, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be celebrated by film historians and classic‑television enthusiasts.