Allan Arbus
Encyclopedia
Allan Arbus is an American
actor
notable for his role as psychiatrist
Dr. Sidney Freedman on the television
series M*A*S*H.
Goldberg). He attended DeWitt Clinton High School
in the Bronx
, where he first developed an interest in acting while appearing in a student play.
Arbus was also a music lover. Prior to becoming an actor, he was reportedly so taken by Benny Goodman
's recordings that he took up playing the clarinet
.
. After completing his military service, he and his first wife, photographer Diane Arbus
(née Nemerov, whom he had married in 1941) started a photographic advertising
business in Manhattan in 1946. Arbus was primarily known for advertising photography that appeared in Glamour
, Seventeen
, Vogue
, Harper's Bazaar
, and other magazines, as well as the weekly newspaper advertising photography for Russek's, a Fifth Avenue department store owned by Diane's father. Edward Steichen
's noted photo exhibition The Family of Man
includes a photograph credited to the couple. The Arbus' professional partnership ended in 1956, when Diane quit the business; the couple formally separated three years later. Allan Arbus continued on for a number of years as a solo photographer, but was out of the business by the time the couple divorced in 1969.
Diane and Allan Arbus' studio/living quarters were at one time at 319 East 72nd Street in New York City. Their neighbor and friend was Robert Brown
, an actor from the TV show Here Come the Brides
.
's cult film
Greaser's Palace
in 1972, in which his character kills the character played by Robert Downey, Jr. (who would go on to star as Diane Arbus' muse in Fur
, a fictional account of the end of the Arbuses' marriage). Arbus also starred opposite Bette Davis
in Scream, Pretty Peggy
in 1973, and was featured as Gregory LaCava in W.C. Fields and Me
in 1976. These led to his continuing role as Maj. Sidney Freedman on M*A*S*H, although in an early episode, titled "Radar's Report" (1973) he was called "Milton Freedman".
Arbus' work on M*A*S*H helped him to take on a career as a character actor, appearing in more than 70 TV shows and movies. Among his film roles are a brief appearance in the 1973 film Cinderella Liberty
as a drunken sailor; another 1973 film, Coffy
(starring Pam Grier
), features Arbus as a drug-dealer with strange sexual needs; in the 1978 movie Damien: Omen II
, he plays Pasarian, one of Damien's many victims in The Omen
trilogy.
Arbus is far better known for his television work, which includes over 45 titles and works as recent as Curb Your Enthusiasm
in 2000. Among Arbus' non-M*A*S*H TV work are guest and recurring roles in such television series as Law & Order
, L.A. Law
, Matlock
, Starsky and Hutch
, and Judging Amy
.
and writer and art director Doon Arbus
. The couple separated in 1959 and divorced in 1969, two years prior to Diane Arbus' suicide in 1971.
Arbus took Irish-American actress Mariclare Costello
as his second wife in 1977. The couple have one daughter, Arin Arbus.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
notable for his role as psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Dr. Sidney Freedman on the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series M*A*S*H.
Early life
Arbus was born in New York City of Jewish background, the son of stockbroker Harry Arbus and his wife Rose (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Goldberg). He attended DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is an American high school located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.-History:Clinton opened in 1897 at 60 West 13th Street at the northern end of Greenwich Village under the name of Boys High School, although this Boys High School was not related to the one in Brooklyn...
in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, where he first developed an interest in acting while appearing in a student play.
Arbus was also a music lover. Prior to becoming an actor, he was reportedly so taken by Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's recordings that he took up playing the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
.
Photography career with Diane Arbus
During the 1940s, Arbus became a photographer for the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. After completing his military service, he and his first wife, photographer Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
(née Nemerov, whom he had married in 1941) started a photographic advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
business in Manhattan in 1946. Arbus was primarily known for advertising photography that appeared in Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
, Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
, Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, and other magazines, as well as the weekly newspaper advertising photography for Russek's, a Fifth Avenue department store owned by Diane's father. Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
's noted photo exhibition The Family of Man
The Family of Man
The Family of Man was a photography exhibition curated by Edward Steichen first shown in 1955 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.According to Steichen, the exhibition represented the 'culmination of his career'. The 508 photos by 273 photographers in 68 countries were selected from almost 2...
includes a photograph credited to the couple. The Arbus' professional partnership ended in 1956, when Diane quit the business; the couple formally separated three years later. Allan Arbus continued on for a number of years as a solo photographer, but was out of the business by the time the couple divorced in 1969.
Diane and Allan Arbus' studio/living quarters were at one time at 319 East 72nd Street in New York City. Their neighbor and friend was Robert Brown
Robert Brown (US actor)
Robert Brown , is a television actor from the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:Brown was born in Trenton, New Jersey...
, an actor from the TV show Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
.
Acting career
After the breakup of his first marriage and the dissolution of his business, Arbus decided to leave photography behind and embark on a new career, acting. His new career took off after he landed the lead role in Robert Downey Sr.Robert Downey Sr.
Robert John Downey, Sr. is an American actor, writer, and film director, and the father of actor Robert Downey, Jr...
's cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Greaser's Palace
Greaser's Palace
Greaser's Palace is a 1972 American cult film directed by underground filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. A parable based on the life of Christ, it is full of references about the destruction of the world.-Plot:...
in 1972, in which his character kills the character played by Robert Downey, Jr. (who would go on to star as Diane Arbus' muse in Fur
Fur (film)
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus is a 2006 film starring Nicole Kidman as iconic American photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her strange, disturbing images.-Plot synopsis:...
, a fictional account of the end of the Arbuses' marriage). Arbus also starred opposite Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
in Scream, Pretty Peggy
Scream, Pretty Peggy
Scream, Pretty Peggy is an American television movie directed by Gordon Hessler. The teleplay was written by Arthur Hoffe and Jimmy Sangster...
in 1973, and was featured as Gregory LaCava in W.C. Fields and Me
W.C. Fields and Me
W.C. Fields and Me is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine. The screenplay by Bob Merrill is based on a memoir by Carlotta Monti, mistress of W.C. Fields for the last 14 years of his life....
in 1976. These led to his continuing role as Maj. Sidney Freedman on M*A*S*H, although in an early episode, titled "Radar's Report" (1973) he was called "Milton Freedman".
Arbus' work on M*A*S*H helped him to take on a career as a character actor, appearing in more than 70 TV shows and movies. Among his film roles are a brief appearance in the 1973 film Cinderella Liberty
Cinderella Liberty
Cinderella Liberty is a 1973 film which tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 11-year-old mixed race son. It stars James Caan, Marsha Mason, Kirk Calloway, Eli Wallach, Burt Young, Allyn Ann McLerie, Dabney Coleman, Jon Korkes, and...
as a drunken sailor; another 1973 film, Coffy
Coffy
- Track listing :# "Coffy Is The Color" - 3:03Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Ayers, Wayne Garfield# "Priscilla's Theme" - 3:58# "King George" - 3:00Vocals – Roy Ayers# "Aragon" - 2:55# "Coffy Sauna" - 2:16# "King's Last Ride" - 1:10# "Coffy Baby" - 2:26...
(starring Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
), features Arbus as a drug-dealer with strange sexual needs; in the 1978 movie Damien: Omen II
Damien: Omen II
Damien: Omen II, is a 1978 American horror film directed by Don Taylor, starring William Holden, Lee Grant, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor. The film was the second installment in The Omen series, set seven years after the first film, and was followed by a third installment, Omen III: The Final Conflict,...
, he plays Pasarian, one of Damien's many victims in The Omen
The Omen
An original score for the film, including the movie's theme song Ave Satani, was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant...
trilogy.
Arbus is far better known for his television work, which includes over 45 titles and works as recent as Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
in 2000. Among Arbus' non-M*A*S*H TV work are guest and recurring roles in such television series as Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, Matlock
Matlock (TV series)
Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, and Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
.
Personal life
Allan and Diane Arbus had two children, photographer Amy ArbusAmy Arbus
Amy Arbus is a New York City based photographer and is the daughter of actor Allan Arbus and photographer Diane Arbus, and the sister of writer and journalist Doon Arbus....
and writer and art director Doon Arbus
Doon Arbus
Doon Arbus, , daughter of actor Allan Arbus and the late photographer Diane Arbus, is a writer and journalist. Her sister, Amy Arbus, is a photojournalist...
. The couple separated in 1959 and divorced in 1969, two years prior to Diane Arbus' suicide in 1971.
Arbus took Irish-American actress Mariclare Costello
Mariclare Costello
Mariclare Costello is a television, stage, and movie actress. Her most notable role was Rosemary Hunter Fordwick on the television series The Waltons from 1972 to 1977. In 1977, after her role on the Waltons, she played matriarch Maggie Fitzpatrick on the short lived drama show, The Fitzpatricks...
as his second wife in 1977. The couple have one daughter, Arin Arbus.