Currently the star of the TV series “The Goldbergs”, George Segal (b. 1934) has been one of America’s most productive and most talented leading men for more than fifty years now. If you take a look at his entire body of work, Mr. Segal, an Academy Award-nominee and two-time Golden Globe-winner, has shown time and time again how versatile and prolific he has been as a most reliable actor ever since his first feature, “The Young Doctors” (1961).

Originally a stage actor and a musician, Mr. Segal is a very accomplished leading screen actor with several interesting and in-depth dramatic and comedic roles to his credit, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the numerous highlights in his early years include Mike Nichols’ screen version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966); Sidney Lumet’s comedy/drama “Bye Bye Braverman” (1968); Carl Reiner’s dark comedy “Where’s Poppa?” (1970) with Ruth Gordon; Peter Yates’s heist 1972 comedy “The Hot Rock” co-starring Robert Redford; three Melvin Frank comedies including “A Touch of Class” (1973) with undeniable on-screen chemistry of Mr. Segal with Glenda Jackson, and two delightful Ted Kotcheff comedies “Fun With Dick and Jane” (1977, remade in 2005 with Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni) and “Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?” (1978), respectively with Jane Fonda and Jacqueline Bisset as his co-stars. But, as we pointed out, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Indeed, Mr. Segal had and still has much more to offer. Playing supporting and character roles in movies up until now, with “2012” (2009), “Love & Other Drugs” (2010, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway), and “Elsa & Fred” (2014, opposite Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer) as some his more recent feature films, he also appeared regularly in TV movies and series over the years, including the sitcom “Just Shoot Me!” (1997-2003)—always playing prominent parts. Now, Mr. Segal is one of the leading characters in the successful ABC series “The Goldbergs,” co-produced by Seth Gordon, who also directed the pilot episode (September 2013). The show was recently renewed for its fourth season.

Time to take a look at the wonderful career of this actor’s actor.

Mr. Segal, when and how did you first get passionate about acting?

I was the third youngest boy in my family, and I guess I was looking for a bit of attention when, as a kid, I had a magic act which I would do at kids’ parties. I was also in all the drama clubs at school that I could be in, and I felt free when I was on the stage. Otherwise, I was an extremely shy little boy, but when I got on the stage, I just felt free.

Losing yourself in a character, is that crucial to you?

Yes, because then I am not me anymore, and I enjoy myself in this new role.

What standards do you use to accept or turn down a part?

If I feel that I can do it and bring something to it, then I have the enthusiasm for it that I need.

What about direction? When you’re on the set, do you need a lot of direction?

Not so much at this age. I used to need a lot of direction, and I was very fortunate with the directors that I had, such as Mike Nichols, Sidney Lumet, Robert Altman… I had excellent directors and mentors to guide me in the beginning of my career.

Recently I saw Stanley Kramer’s “Ship of Fools” [1965] again on television. You appeared opposite several screen veterans like Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, and Jose Ferrer, but that didn’t impress you, I guess, because you played your character [a painter] so beautifully, so powerfully. You are a joy to watch!

Well, I was pretty intimidated by Vivien Leigh and Simone—actually Simone took a liking to me, and I would meet her afterwards in Paris, or if our paths crossed. That was very nice.

And Stanley Kramer was the one who cast you for the role?

Yes, he did. He had seen me in another film, I forget which one it was, but he was always very kind and good to me. He was just great.

Many young actors need a lot of time and a lot of parts before they get starring roles and top-billing, but in your case, it all happened pretty fast, didn’t it? You already received an Academy Award nomination for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” [1966] when you were only working in pictures for about five years.

That was very fast indeed. Mike Nichols had cast me in a play called “The Knack” so he knew my work, and Robert Redford, who was his first choice for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” thought that the part was too unpleasant, it wasn’t really what he preferred to do. So I got the part, and that was very lucky for me.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was nominated for a stunning thirteen Academy Awards [winning five], with all four main actors nominated in their respective acting categories. Yet it had a lot of competition from Fred Zinnemann’s “A Man For All Seasons,” nominated for nine Oscars [winning six, including Best Picture and Best Director].

Yes, that was a very good film too, written by Robert Bolt. A very good film, “A Man for All Seasons.”

Is it correct to say that “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” put you on the map? On top of that, the film was like a stage play. What was that like for you as an actor?

Well, with Mike Nichols, who came from the stage, we rehearsed for about a month. So we could have opened that on a stage. By the time we were shooting, we were all very comfortable in our roles, and Richard Burton was kind of a mentor for all of us actors. He is probably the best actor I have ever worked with.

In the following years, you became a very accomplished actor in various genres, often appearing in comedies, and then Paul Mazursky cast you in a powerful role in “Blume in Love” [1973]. Wasn’t that quite a change?

You know, I think comedy is a very good grounding for everything. I always try to find the humor and the irony in whatever character I am playing because I think of myself as a comedic actor. So that makes drama a lot more fun for me by not taking it so seriously, you know.

Earlier, you mentioned Robert Altman, who directed you in “California Split” [1974], with you playing the character of a gambling addict. What made him such a wonderful filmmaker?

It’s like rolling the dice: he gave us complete freedom, he enjoyed that, and he shot fast. He would shoot a scene maybe two or three times, and then he would move on. So there’s a rawness; it was like guerilla filmmaking. We’d go to locations, and he would shoot fast; the actors were always on their toes. If you look at “M*A*S*H” [1970], you’ll see how he was able to do that, no one else could do that at the time.

You made three comedies with Melvin Frank, to me always an underestimated screenwriter-director: “A Touch of Class” [‘1973] with Glenda Jackson, who won an Academy Award for her performance in this film while both of you won Golden Globes. You also collaborated with Melvin Frank on “The Duchess and Dirtwater Fox” [1976] with Goldie Hawn, and “Lost and Found” [1979], another comedy with Glenda Jackson. What kind of a director was Mr. Frank?

Well, he was a director, not unlike Nichols, who got in my head. It was like a telepathic experience; he knew how to motivate me, or how to do the best that I could, with saying very little. There was a definite chemistry between us.

“A Touch of Class” (1974, trailer)

You also have the distinction of introducing Glenda Jackson to the comedy genre: she was an amazing actress, up until then praised for her serious acting work, who turned out to be a wonderful comedienne as well.

No question about that. I don’t know if it’s true, but the other day I heard that she is going back into acting. You know, when we made “A Touch of Class”, we were really having fun, and we were enjoying ourselves, and when that happens, it comes through on the screen. We were really having a good time, and that’s why I think the film is so good. And that’s a Melvin Frank picture, as you said. When we did “Lost and Found” [1979], it didn’t have the same magic. We had a great time, but in “A Touch of Class,” we were discovering each other, and by the time we made “Lost and Found,” we were like an old married couple, you know. It didn’t have that same spark.

When you made “The Owl and the Pussycat” [1970], Barbra Streisand was your co-star, and more than two decades later, she directed you in “The Mirror Has Two Faces” [1994]. I presume in the second film she was the boss and you were working for her?

That’s exactly right [laughs]. In “The Owl and the Pussycat” we were two actors and in “The Mirror Has Two Faces” I was working for her. She had worked a long time to achieve that position because that’s what she always wanted to do, and so she got to do it. And she was a very good director.

What does it take in your opinion to be a good actor? Besides talent, also flexibility, for example, and are there any other specifics that are required?

Well, the same thing that goes on the stage, you have to enjoy being on le plateau, you know, being on the set, know your lines, and as Woody Allen says, ninety percent is just showing up because there’s no way that you can do this at home. You have to be there, and under the influence of the sixty people who are standing around you on the set—the director, the set designer…—all the elements that go into a film, they affect you, and that’s why you can come in from the street, get your make-up and then suddenly when you arrive on the set, you’re in a new character. That, to me, is magical. What’s also magical is the printed take. Of all the takes that you do, there’s only one that’s the magical one, and it’s up to the director to know which one that is when he cuts the film together. That’s a part that nobody can explain—the printed take—because the cameraman, the camera operator, the director, all the actors, even the crew, they know that’s the one. It’s something different from everything else. It’s when everything comes together, and the total is more than the sum of its parts. That is enough to keep you coming back because it’s almost an out-of-body experience; it’s when the actor takes over and you’re just a witness to what’s happening. That’s called in the zone, and when you’re in the zone, it’s addictive; you keep wanting to get back in the zone. So that’s why actors keep coming back year after year. There’s no feeling like that, and so you seek it out.

Isabella Rossellini once said she is usually at her best with her third take. What about you?

I understand that. Sometimes the first take is the magical one, that’s particularly with Robert Altman. But I understand what Isabella is saying: after the first take, you can make little corrections, then there’s the second take to grow on, and in the third take, it all comes together. So what she says makes a lot of sense. You know, Clint Eastwood says, ‘If it takes more than three takes for a shot, then something’s wrong. Change the camera angle.’ That’s his theory, and it’s a pretty good one too.

Yes, and maybe very good advice for any young filmmaker as well. Have you ever considered directing a feature?

No, too much responsibility.

How about casting? Do you feel you have ever been typecast, and is it still easy to find the parts that you’d like to play?

Yes, sure; there are fewer and far between, but they’re out there. I’m always surprised when I get cast in something because it’s very hard to have a view of yourself or how people see you. So it’s always interesting for me when I do get cast in something. Oh, they see me in that? Okay, let’s try that; I never thought of myself doing that, but let’s see. So it’s nice to play a variety of parts, that’s one of the things I’m proud of in this so-called career: I’ve been to a lot of different stations, a lot of different places.

You are a very modest man, aren’t you?

Well, it’s tough to be so full of yourself if you know that it’s ultimately a magical moment that you’re present for that’s in the film, and that’s not really you: it’s the actor that’s in you. And it’s very hard to control that actor, he does what he wants, and I follow along. So it’s hard to be boastful in that regard when you know it’s not you, it’s this actor in you who’s been doing this a long time, and the best I can do is step out of the way. Then I’m most relaxed and the actor takes over. That’s the best circumstance for me.

Despite all of the success you’ve had up until now as a major, leading actor on the screen and on television, do you maybe have any regrets career-wise?

No, I can’t afford to have any regrets. I’ve been too lucky.

People have always recognized you for so many years. When you go out, does that have any effect on your privacy or your personal life?

Not so much. We don’t go out that much, I’m not a party person, and I lead a rather quiet life. So that never had any effect on me.

What would you consider the most gratifying response you ever got in your career?

When I see in people’s eyes that I really affected them—either in comedy or drama—it moves me.

You made a few films, like “King Rat” [1965] and “The Quiller Memorandum” [1966], when you almost the only American in the cast. Did you notice any difference in acting styles between European actors and yourself?

Yes, it brought my game up enormously to work with those actors, like Max von Sydow and Alec Guinness, all those British actors they brought over for “King Rat.” It raises your game, and the acting was on a much higher level than I was used to in both films, and so you have to rise on the occasion.

What advice would you give to young actors?

Hang in there, it’s full of disappointments, and you just got to keep plugging a way. You can’t stop an actor. If he’s going to be an actor, that’s it. I don’t know what that is, but it’s a need. If you don’t have what they call ‘the fire in the belly’ to do this, you shouldn’t be doing it. It’s not for dilettantes.

How do you reflect on yourself as a veteran screen actor?

I’m not much for reflection, but it’s just where I am. I got to live this long, and I’m still acting, so I consider myself enormously lucky, blessed, and thankful that I am still here and am still doing it. It amazes me. You knew, one of the great perks of this business, not so much anymore as it was years ago, but when shooting in Europe, for example, when making a film like “Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?” [1978] with Jacqueline Bisset, that was a gift. We had a very good dialogue from [screenwriter] Peter Stone, and Ted Kotcheff was another wonderful director that I worked with.

I once met Ted Kotcheff in the early eighties, and he spoke very highly of you, remembering the time when you made “Fun With Dick and Jane” [1977] with Jane Fonda.

Oh yes, that was a very good script by David Giler. You see, I also had very good writers, and if you’d ask me what I look for, I would have to say not only the director but also the quality of the writing, and I have been very fortunate in that regard. When I read a script for the first time, I go to a quiet place, and I lose myself in it. You can usually tell in the first or second page whether this script is going to be for you in it because you get the style of the writing, how they open the film, and if it grabs you, you keep going. If not, you start to skim through… It’s very hard to find a good script.

Is it more difficult now than thirty, forty years ago?

No, it’s always been the same: there are a few good ones every year, and you try to get one of them.

You are known to be a very accomplished banjo player. Do you still play the instrument?

Practically every day. I just strum away. It’s more than just a distraction; it’s more like a passion. In the 1980s, I was in a jazz band for a while; that kept me very busy. And it’s funny to think of a banjo as a passion, but there you are!

Los Angeles, California
February 4, 2016

“Blume in Love” (1973, trailer)

FILMS

THE YOUNG DOCTORS (1961) DIR Phil Karlson PROD Stuart Muller, Lawrence Turman SCR Joseph Hayes (novel ‘The Final Diagnosis’ [1959] by Arthur Hailey) CAM Arthur J Ornitz MUS Elmer Bernstein ED Robert Swink CAST Fredric March, Ben Gazarra, Dick Clark, Ina Balin, Eddie Albert, Phyllis Alexander, Edward Andrews, Aline MacMahon, Arthur Hill, George Segal (Doctor Howard), Ronald Reagan (Narrator [voice only])

THE LONGEST DAY (1962) DIR Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Gerd Oswald PROD Darryl F. Zanuck SCR Cornelius Ryan (book ‘The Longest Day’ [1959] by Cornelius Ryan) CAM Jean Bourgoin, Walter Wottitz MUS Maurice Jarre ED Samuel E. Beetley CAST Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Beymer, Bourvil, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Fabian, Mel Ferrer, Henry Fonda, Gert Fröbe, Jeffrey Hunter, Curt Jürgens, Alexander Knox, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowall, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Edmond O’Brien, Robert Ryan, Tommy Sands, George Segal (US Army Ranger), Jean Servais, Rod Steiger, Richard Todd, Peter Van Eyck, Robert Wagner, Stuart Whitman, John Wayne, Lee Strasberg

ACT ONE (1963) DIR – PROD Dore Schary SCR Dore Schary (book ‘Act One’ [1959] by Moss Hart) CAM Arthur J Ornitz MUS Skitch Henderson ED Mort Fallick CAST George Hamilton, Jason Robards Jr., Jack Klugman, Sam Levene, Ruth Ford, Eli Wallach, Joseph Leon, George Segal (Lester Sweyd)

THE NEW INTERNS (1964) DIR John Rich PROD Robert Cohn SCR Wilton Schiller CAM Lucien Ballard MUS Earle Hagen ED Gene Milford, Eda Warren CAST Michael Callan, Dean Jones, Telly Savalas, Stefanie Powers, Barbara Eden, Kaye Stevens, Gregory Morton, George Furth, Sue Ane Langdon, Marianna Hill, Inger Stevens, George Segal (Doctor Tony Parelli)

INVITATION TO A GUNFIGHTER (1964) DIR – PROD Richard Wilson SCR Richard Wilson, Elizabeth Wilson (story by Hal Goodman, Larry Klein; adaptation by Alvin Sapinsley CAM Joseph MacDonald MUS David Raksin ED Robert Jones CAST Yul Brynner, Janice Rule, George Segal (Matt Weaver), Alfred Ryder, Clifford David, Mike Kellin, Brad Dexter, Pat Hingle

SHIP OF FOOLS (1965) DIR – PROD Stanley Kramer SCR Abby Mann (novel ‘Ship of Fools’ [1962] by Katherine Anne Porter) CAM Ernest Laszlo MUS Ernest Gold ED Robert C. Jones CAST Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal (David), José Greco, Michael Dunn

KING RAT (1965) DIR Bryan Forbes PROD James Woolf SCR Bryan Forbes (novel ‘King Rat’ [1963] by James Clavell) MUS John Barry ED Walter Thompson CAST The American Hut: George Segal (Corporal King), Patrick O’Neal, Todd Armstrong, Sammy Reese, Joseph Turkel; Hut 16: James Fox, Denholm Elliott, Leonard Rossiter, John Standing; The Provost Staff: Tom Courtenay, David Haviland, Roy Dean; The Senior Officers: John Mills, Gerald Sim, Alan Webb, John Merivale; The Hospital Staff: James Donald, Hedley Mattingly, Michael Lees; The Australians: Reg Lye, John Orchard, Laurence Conroy, Arthur Malet; The Japanese: Dale Ishimoto, Teru Shimada, Louis Neervort

LOST COMMAND (1966) DIR – PROD Mark Robson SCR Nelson Gidding (novel ‘Les Centurions’ [1960] by Jean Lartéguy) CAM Robert Surtees MUS Franz Waxman ED Dorothy Spencer CAST Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal (Lieutenant Mahidi), Michèle Morgan, Maurice Ronet, Claudia Cardinale, Grégoire Aslan, Jean Servais

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) DIR Mike Nichols PROD Ernest Lehman SCR Ernest Lehman (play ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ [1962] by Edward Albee) CAM Haskell Wexler MUS Alex North ED Sam O’Steen CAST Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal (Nick), Sandy Dennis, Agnes Flanagan, Frank Flanagan

THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966) DIR Michael Anderson PROD Ivan Foxwell SCR Harold Pinter (novel ‘The Berlin Memorandum’ [1965] by Adam Hall) CAM Erwin Hillier MUS John Barry ED Frederick Wilson CAST George Segal (Quiller), Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, George Sanders, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, Peter Carsten

THE ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE (1967) DIR – PROD Roger Corman SCR Howard Browne CAM Milton Krasner ED William B. Murphy CAST Jason Robards Jr., George Segal (Peter Gusenberg), Ralph Meeker, Jean Hale, Clint Ritchie, Frank Silvera, Joseph Campanella, Bruce Dern, Harold J. Stone, Jack Nicholson

BYE BYE BRAVERMAN (1968) DIR – PROD Sidney Lumet SCR Herbert Sargent (novel ‘To an Early Grave’ [1964] by Wallace Markfield) CAM Boris Kaufman MUS Peter Matz ED Gerald B. Greenberg CAST George Segal (Morroe Rieff), Jack Warden, Joseph Wiseman, Sorrell Brooke, Jessica Walter, Phyllis Newman, Zohra Lampert

NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (1968) DIR Jack Smight PROD Sol C Siegel SCR John Gay (novel ‘No Way to Treat a Lady’ [1964] by William Goldman) CAM Jack Priestley MUS Stanley Myers ED Achie Marshek CAST Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, George Segal (Morris Brummel), Eileen Heckart, Murray Hamilton, Michael Dunn, Val Avery

IL SUO MODO DI FARE, a.k.a. THE GIRL WHO WOULDN’T SAY NO (1969) DIR Franco Brusati PROD Luciano Perugia SCR Franco Brusati, Ennio De Concini CAM Ennio Guarnieri MUS Riz Ortolani ED Franco Arcalli CAST Virna Lisi, George Segal (Franco), Lila Kedrova, Paola Pitagora, Akim Tamiroff, Luciano Mondolfo

THE SOUTHERN STAR (1969) DIR Sidney Hayers PROD Nat Waschberger, Roger Duchet SCR David Pursall, Jack Seddon (novel ‘L’Étoile du Sud, Le Pays des Diamants’ [1884] by Jules Verne) CAM Raoul Coutard MUS Georges Garvarentz ED Tristam Cones CAST George Segal (Dan), Ursula Andress, Orson Welles, Ian Hendry, Johnny Sekka, Michel Constantin, Georges Géret

THE BRIDGE AT REMAGAN (1969) DIR John Guillermin PROD David L Wolper SCR Peter Yates, William Roberts (book ‘Bridge at Remagen’ [1957] by Kenneth William Hechler) CAM Stanley Cortez MUS Elmer Bernstein ED William Cartwright CAST George Segal (Lieutenant Phil Hartman), Robert Vaughn, Ben Gazzara, Bradford Dillman, E. G. Marshall, Peter Van Eyck, Bo Hopkins

LOVING (1970) DIR Irvin Kershner PROD Don Devlin SCR Don Devlin (novel ‘Brooks Wilson, Ltd.’ [1966] by J. M. Ryan) CAM Gordon Willis MUS Bernardo Segall ED Robert Lawrence CAST George Segal (Brooks Wilson), Eva Marie Saint, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Nancie Phillips, Janis Young, David Doyle, Sherry Lansing, Roy Scheider

WHERE’S POPPA? (1970) DIR Carl Reiner PROD Marvin Worth, Jerry Tokofsky SCR Robert Klane (novel ‘Where’s Poppa?’ [1970] by Robert Klane) CAM Jack Priestley MUS Jack Elliott ED Bud Molin, Chic Ciccolini CAST George Segal (Gordon Hocheiser), Ruth Gordon, Ron Leibman, Trish Van Devere, Barnard Hughes, Vincent Gardenia, Rae Allen, Paul Sorvino, Rob Reiner, Penny Marshall

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (1970) DIR Herbert Ross PROD Ray Stark SCR Buck Henry (play ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ [1964] by Bill Manhoff) CAM Andrew Laszlo, Harry Stradling Sr. MUS Richard Halligan ED John F Burnett CAST Barbra Streisand, George Segal (Felix), Robert Klein, Allen Garfield, Roz Kelly, Jacques Sandulesco, Jack Manning, Buck Henry

BORN TO WIN (1971) DIR Ivan Passer PROD Philip Langner SCR Ivan Passer, David Scott Milton (story by David Scott Milton) CAM Richard Kratrina, Jack Priestley MUS William S Fischer ED Ralph Rosenblum CAST George Segal (Jay Jay), Karen Black, Paula Prentiss, Jay Fletcher, Hector Elizondo, Robert De Niro, Ed Madsen, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Burt Young

THE HOT ROCK (1972) DIR Peter Yates PROD Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts SCR William Goldman (novel by Donald E Westlake) CAM ED Brown MUS Quincy Jones ED Fred W Berger, Frank P. Keller CAST Robert Redford, George Segal (Kelp), Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn, William Redfield, Topo Swope, Charlotte Rae, Zero Mostel

BLUME IN LOVE (1973) DIR – PROD – SCR Paul Mazursky CAM Bruce Surtees MUS Bill Conti ED Donn Cambern CAST George Segal (Stephen Blume), Susan Anspach, Kris Kristofferson, Marsha Mason, Shelley Winters, Donald F. Muhich, Paul Mazursky

A TOUCH OF CLASS (1973) DIR – PROD Melvin Frank SCR Melvin Frank, Jack Rose (story ‘She Loves Me, She Told Me So Last Night’ by Marvin Frank) CAM Austin Dempster MUS John Cameron ED Bill Butler CAST George Segal (Steven Blackburn), Glenda Jackson, Paul Sorvino, Hildegard Neil, K. Callan, Cec Linder, Michael Elwyn, Mary Barclay, Ian Thompson

THE TERMINAL MAN (1974) DIR – PROD Mike Hodges SCR Mike Hodges (novel ‘The Terminal Man’ [1972] by Michael Crichton) CAM Richard H Kline ED Robert L Wolfe CAST George Segal (Harry Benson), Joan Hackett, Richard A. Dysart, Norman Burton, Jill Clayburgh, Donald Moffat, Michael C. Gwynne

CALIFORNIA SPLIT (1974) DIR Robert Altman PROD Robert Altman, Joseph Walsh SCR Joseph Walsh CAM Paul Lohmann ED O Nicholas Brown, Lou Lombardo CAST George Segal (Bill Denny), Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss, Gwen Welles, Edward Walsh, Joseph Walsh, Bert Remsen, Barbara London, Jeff Goldblum

RUSSIAN ROULETTE (1975) DIR Lou Lombardo PROD Jerry Bick SCR Tom Ardies, Stanley Mann, Arnold Margolin (novel ‘Kosygin Is Coming’ [1974] by Tom Ardies) CAM Brian West MUS Michael J. Lewis ED Richard Marden CAST George Segal (Corporal Timothy Shaver), Cristina Raines, Denholm Elliott, Gordon Jackson, Peter Donat, Richard Romanus, Bo Brundin, Nigel Stock, Val Avery, Louise Fletcher

THE BLACK BIRD (1975) DIR David Giler PROD Lou Lombardo, Michael Levee Exec PROD George Segal, Ray Stark SCR David Giler (story by Don M Mankiewicz, Gordon Cotler; characters created by Dashiell Hammett) CAM Philip H Lathrop (Metrocolor) MUS Jerry Fielding ED Lou Lombardo, Margaret Booth, Walter Thompson CAST George Segal (Sam Spade, Jr.), Stéphane Audran, Lionel Stander, Lee Patrick, Elisha Cook Jr., Felix Silla, Signe Hasso, John Abbott

THE DUCHESS AND DIRTWATER FOX (1976) DIR – PROD Melvin Frank SCR Melvin Frank, Barry Sandler, Jack Rose (story by Barry Sandler) CAM Joseph Biroc MUS Charles Fox ED Bill Butler, Frank Bracht CAST George Segal (Charlie ‘Dirtwater Fox’ Malloy), Goldie Hawn, Conrad Janis, Thayer David, Jennifer Lee, Roy Jenson, Sid Gould, Richard Farnsworth

FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (1977) DIR Ted Kotcheff PROD Peter Bart, Max Palevsky SCR Mordecai Richler, Jerry Belson, David Giler (story by Gerald Gaiser) CAM Fred J. Koenekamp MUS Ernest Gold ED Danford B Greene CAST George Segal (Dick Harper), Jane Fonda, Ed McMahon, Dick Gautier, Allan Miller, Hank Garcia, John Dehner, Jay Leno

ROLLERCOASTER (1977) DIR James Goldstone PROD Jennings Lang SCR Richard Levinson, William Link (story by Richard Levinson, William Link, Sanford Sheldon, Tommy Cook) CAM David M Walsh MUS Lalo Schifrin ED Richard Sprague, Edward A Biery CAST George Segal (Harry Calder), Richard Widmark, Timothy Bottoms, Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg, Helen Hunt, Dorothy Tristan, Steve Guttenberg

WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? (1978) DIR Ted Kotcheff PROD William Aldrich SCR Peter Stone (novel ‘Someone Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe’ [1976] by Ivan Lyons, Nan Lyons) CAM John Alcott MUS Henry Mancini ED Thom Noble CAST George Segal (Robby), Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Morley, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort, Gigi Proietti, Joss Ackland

LOST AND FOUND (1979) DIR – PROD Melvin Frank SCR Melvin Frank, Jack Rose CAM Douglas Slocombe MUS John Cameron ED Bill Butler CAST George Segal (Adam), Glenda Jackson, Maureen Stapleton, Hollis McLaren, John Cunningham, Paul Sorvino, Ken Pogue, Janie Sell, John Candy, Lois Maxwell, Martin Short

THE LAST MARRIED COUPLE IN AMERICA (1980) DIR Gilbert Cates PROD John Herman Shaner, Edward S Feldman SCR John Herman Shaner CAM Ralph Woolsey MUS Charles Fox ED Peter E Berger CAST George Segal (Jeff Thompson), Natalie Wood, Richard Benjamin, Valerie Harper, Bob Dishy, Dom DeLuise, Allan Arbus, Priscilla Barnes

CARBON COPY (1981) DIR Michael Schultz PROD Stanley Shapiro, Carter DeHaven SCR Stanley Shapiro CAM Fred J. Koenekamp MUS Bill Conti ED Marion Segal CAST George Segal (Walter Whitney), Susan Saint James, Jack Warden, Dick Martin, Denzel Washington, Paul Winfield, Macon McCalman

KILLING ‘EM SOFTLY (1982) DIR Max Fischer PROD Claude Léger SCR Max Fischer, Leila Bason (novel ‘The Neighbor’ [1978] by Laird Koenig) CAM François Protat MUS Art Phillips ED Jean-Guy Montpetit, Fabien D Tordjmann CAST Nicholas Campbell, Irene Cara, Barbara Cook, Gail Dahms, Joyce Gordon, Clark Johnson, Sheena Larkin, Emidio Michetti, Arleigh Peterson, Claudette Roche, George Segal (Jimmy Skinner)

STICK (1985) DIR Burt Reynolds PROD Jennings Lang SCR Elmore Leonard, Joseph C Stinson (novel ‘Stick’ [1983] by Elmore Leonard) CAM Nick McLean MUS Barry De Vorzon, Joseph Conlan ED William Gordean CAST Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, George Segal (Barry Braham), Charles Durning), Richard Lawson, Castulo Guerra), José Perez

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE (1988) DIR Terence Young PROD Tommy Iwering SCR Robert Brodie Booth (novel by Tommy Iwering) CAM Franco Di Giacomo MUS Björn Json Lindh ED Carlo Balestrieri, Michael J Sheridan CAST David Carradine, Lauren Hutton, George Segal (Alan Morani), Franco Nero, Sabine Sun, Anthony Dawson, Jull Pearson, Gregg Stewart

ALL’S FAIR (1989) DIR Rocky Lang PROD Jon Gordon SCR John Finegan, Randee Russell, Tom Rondinella, William Pace (story by John Finegan, Watt Tyler) CAM Peter Lyons Collister MUS Bill Meyers ED Mary Ann Brandon CAST George Segal (Colonel), Sally Kellerman, Robert Carradine, Jennifer Edwards, Jane Kaczmarek), John Kapelos, Lou Ferringo, Steve Tyler, Lindsay Parker, Santos Morales

LOOK WHO’S TALKING (1989) DIR – SCR Amy Heckerling PROD Jonathan D Krane CAM Thomas Del Ruth MUS David Kitay ED Debra Chiate CAST John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Olympia Dukakis, George Segal (Albert), Abe Vigoda, Bruce Willis, Twink Caplan, Jason Schaller

FOR THE BOYS (1991) DIR Mark Rydell PROD Bette Midler, Margaret South, Bonnie Bruckheimer SCR Neal Jimenez, Lindy Laub, Marshall Brickman (story by Neal Jimenez, Lindy Laub) CAM Stephen Goldblatt MUS Dave Grusin ED Jerry Greenberg, Jere Huggins CAST Bette Midler, James Caan, George Segal (Art Silver), Patrick O’Neal, Christopher Rydell, Arye Gross, Norman Fell, Rosemary Murphy, Bud Yorkin, Billy Bob Thorton

ME, MYSELF AND I (1992) DIR – PROD Pablo Ferro SCR Julian Barry CAM Michael Sullivan MUS Michael Elliott CAST JoBeth Williams, George Segal (Buddy Arnett), Don Calfa), Shelley Hack, Betsy Lynn George, Bill Macy, Sharon McNight, Ruth Gilbert, Cheryl Paris, Hartley Haverty, Nicholas Kadi

JOSHUA TREE (1993) DIR Vic Armstrong PROD Andy Armstrong, Illana Diamant SCR Steven Pressfield CAM Dan Turrett MUS Joel Goldsmith ED Paul Morton CAST Dolph Lundgren, George Segal (Lieutenant Franklin L Severence), Kristian Alfonso, Geoffrey Lewis, Beau Starr, Michelle Phillips, Matt Battaglia, Bert Remsen, Michael Paul Chan, Andy Armstrong

LOOK WHO’S TALKING NOW (1993) DIR Tom Ropelewski PROD Jonathan D Krane SCR Tom Ropelewski, Leslie Dixon (characters created by Amy Heckerling) CAM Oliver Stapleton MUS William Ross ED Harry Hitner, Michael A Stevenson CAST John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, David Gallagher, Tabitha Lupien, Lysette Anthony, Olympia Dukakis, Danny DeVito, Diane Keaton, George Segal (Albert)

THE FEMININE TOUCH (1994) DIR Conrad Janis PROD Tim Cooney, John Michaels SCR Maria Grimm CAM Monty Rowan ED John Orland MUS Tony Humecke CAST Paige Turco, Dirk Benedict, George Segal (Senator ‘Beau’ Ashton), Elliott Gould, Conrad Janis, Bo Hopkins, Lois Nettleton, Virginia Capers, Richard Kline, Anthony De Longis

DEEP DOWN (1994) DIR John Travers PROD John Morrissey, Cassian Elwes SCR John Travers, Alice Horrigan CAM David J Miller MUS Tyler Bates ED John Lafferty CAST George Segal (Gil), Tanya Roberts, Paul Le Mat, John Morrissey, James Farentino, Roderick Spencer, Chris Young, Lisa Rhoden, Mario Montafur

TO DIE FOR (1995) DIR Gus Van Sant PROD Laura Ziskin SCR Buck Henry (book by Joyce Maynard) CAM Eric Alan Edwards MUS Danny Elfman ED Curtiss Clayton CAST Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Ileana Douglas, Alison Folland, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, Buck Henry, David Cronenberg, George Segal

THE BABYSITTER (1995) DIR Guy Ferland PROD Steve Perry, Kevin J Messick SCR Guy Ferland (story by Robert Coover) CAM Rick Bota MUS Loek Dikker ED Victoria T Thompson, Jim Prior CAST Alicia Silverstone, Jeremy London, J. T. Walsh, Lee Garlington, Nicky Katt, Lois Chiles, George Segal (Bill Holsten), Ryan Slater, Brittany English Stephens, Tuesday Knight

IT’S MY PARTY (1996) DIR – SCR Randal Kleiser PROD Randal Kleiser, Joel Thurm CAM Bernd Heinl MUS Basil Poledouris ED Ila von Hasperg CAST Margaret Cho, Bruce Davison, Lee Grant, Devon Gummersall, Gregory Harrison, Marlee Matlin, Roddy McDowall, Olivia Newton-John, Eric Roberts, George Segal (Paul Stark), Christopher Atkins, Dennis Christopher, Sally Kellerman, Nina Foch, Greg Louganis

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) DIR – SCR David O Russell PROD Dean Silvers CAM Eric Edwards MUS Stephen Endelman ED Christopher Tellefsen CAST Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins, Celia Weston, Glenn Fitzgerald

THE CABLE GUY (1996) DIR Ben Stiller PROD Judd Apatow, Andrew Licht, Jeffrey A Mueller SCR Lou Holtz, Jr CAM Robert Brinkmann MUS John Ottman ED Steven Weisberg CAST Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black, George Segal (Steven’s Father), Diane Baker, Ben Stiller, Eric Roberts

THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES (1996) DIR Barbra Streisand PROD Barbra Streisand, Arnon Milchan SCR Richard LaGravenese (also story; screenplay of LE MIRROIR A DEUX FACES [1958] by André Cayatte, Gérard Oury) CAM Dante Spinotti, Andrzej Bartkowiak MUS Marvin Hamlisch ED Jeff Werner CAST Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, George Segal (Henry Fine), Mimi Rogers, Pierce Brosnan, Brenda Vaccaro, Austin Pendleton

HEIGHTS (2005) DIR Chris Terrio PROD Ismail Merchant, Richard Hawley SCR Amy Fox (also play) CAM Jim Denault MUS Ben Butler, Martin Erskine ED Sloane Klevin CAST Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, Jesse Bradford, James Marsden, Matt Davis, John Light, Andrew Howard, Eric Bogosian, George Segal (Rabbi Mendel), Isabella Rossellini, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Murphy

THREE DAYS TO VEGAS (2007) DIR Charlie Picerni PROD Charlie Picerni, Michael Pietrzak SCR Charlie Picerni, Jon Warner, Michael Pietrzak (story by Jon Warner, Michael Pietrzak) CAM Tom Priestley, Jr. MUS Bob Schmidt ED Lane Farnham, Ryan Folsey CAST Peter Falk, Rip Torn, George Segal (Dominic Spinuzzi), Bill Cobbs, Billy Burke, Nancy Young, Chris Diamantopoulos, Taylor Negron

MADE FOR EACH OTHER (2009) DIR – ED Daryl Goldberg PROD Carol Masterson, Christopher Masterson, William M Miller, Andrew van den Houten SCR Eric Lord CAM William M. Miller MUS Ryan Shore CAST Bijou Phillips, Danny Masterson, Patrick Warburton, Christopher Masterson, Samm Levine, Lauren German, Kyle Howard, George Segal (Mr. Jacobs), Leslie Hendrix, Ginger Kroll

2012 (2009) DIR Roland Emmerich PROD Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Larry J Franco SCR Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser CAM Dean Semler MUS Harald Kloser, Thomas Wander ED David Brenner, Peter S Elliot CAST John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, George Segal (Tony Delgatto)

LOVE & OTHER DRUGS (2010) DIR Edward Zwick PROD Edward Zwick, Pieter Jan Brugge, Marshall Herskovitz, Charles Randolph, Scott Stuber SCR Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, Charles Randolph (book ‘Hard Sell: Evolution of a Viagra Salesman’ [2005] by Jamie Reidy) CAM Steven Fierberg (color) ED Steven Rosenblum CAST Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, George Segal (Doctor James Randall), Jill Clayburgh, Judy Greer, Katheryn Winnick, Josh Gad

KAGUYAHIME NO MONOGATARI (2013, animated) DIR Isao Takahata PROD Yoshiaki Nishimura, Seiichirô Ujiie, Geoffrey Wexler SCR Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi (story by Isao Takata) MUS Joe Hisaishi CAST (voices only) Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenbeurgen, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Beau Bridges, James Marsden, Oliver Platt, George Segal (Inbe no Akita)

ELSA & FRED (2014) DIR Michael Radford PROD Matthias Ehrenberg, Nicolas Veinberg, Ricardo Kleinbaum, José Levy, Edward Saxon SCR Michael Radford, Anna Pavignano CAM Michael McDonough MUS Luis Bacalov ED Peter Boyle CAST Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Marcia Gay Harden, Wendell Pierce, Jared Gilman, Chris North, Scott Baluka, George Segal (John), James Brolin

TV MOVIES

THE CLOSING DOOR (1960) TELEPLAY Alexander Knox (also play ‘The Closing Door’ [1949]) CAST Dane Clark, Kevin Coughlin, Elizabeth Eustis, Arthur Hill, Kim Hunter, John Randolph, George Segal, Katherine Squire

DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1966) DIR Alex Segal PROD Daniel Melnick, David Susskind SCR (play ‘Death of a Salesman’ [1949] by Arthur Miller) MUS Robert Drasnin CAST Lee J Cobb, George Segal, James Farentino, Mildred Dunnock, Joan Patrick, Gene Wilder

THE DESPERATE HOURS (1967) DIR Ted Kotcheff CAST Arthur Hill, George Segal (Glenn Griffin)

OF MICE AND MEN (1968) DIR Ted Kotcheff EXEC PROD David Susskind SCR John Hopkins (novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ [1937] by John Steinbeck) CAST George Segal (George), Nicol Williamson, Will Geer, Don Gordon, Moses Gunn, Joey Heatherton, Donald Moffat, John Randolph, Dana Elcar

THE LIE (1973) DIR Alex Segal PROD Lewis Freedman SCR Ingmar Bergman CAM Bill Klages CAST Victor Buono, Robert Culp, Bobby Eilbacher, Crane Jackson, Dean Jagger, Shirley Knight, Louise Lasser, Mary Ann Mobley, George Segal, Milton Selzer, Elizabeth Wilson

DEADLY GAME (1982) DIR George Schaefer PROD Hillard Elkins SCR James Yaffe (novel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt) CAST George Segal (Howard Trapp), Trevor Howard, Robert Morley, Emlyn Williams, Alan Webb, Lesley Dunlop, Brian Croucher, Connie Booth

TRACKDOWN: FINDING THE GOODBAR KILLER (1983) DIR Bill Persky PROD Larry Jacobson, Sonny Grosso SCR Albert Ruben CAM Fred Murphy MUS Stephen Lawrence ED Norman Gay CAST George Segal (John Grafton), Steve Allie Culora, Jean De Baer, Shelley Hack, Frank Licato, Stephen Mendillo

THE COLD ROOM (1984) DIR James Dearden PROD Marc Fostater, Bob Weis SCR James Dearden (novel ‘The Cold Room’ [1978] by Jeffrey Caine) CAM Tony Pierce-Roberts MUS Michael Nyman ED Mick Audsley CAST George Segal (Hugh Martin), Amanda Pays, Renée Soutendijk, Elizabeth Spriggs, Clifford Rose, Ursula Howells, George Pravda, Lucy Hornack

THE ZANY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1984) DIR Ray Austin PROD Andrew Donally SCR Robert Kaufman CAM Jack Hildyard MUS Stanley Myers ED Bill Lenny CAST George Segal (Robin Hood), Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman, Tom Baker, Kenneth Griffith, Michael Hordern

NOT MY KID (1985) DIR Michael Tuchner PROD Patricia Finnegan, Sheldon Pinchuk SCR Christopher Knopf CAM Fred J. Koenekamp MUS Mark Snow CAST George Segal (Doctor Frank Bower), Stockard Channing, Andrew Robinson, Gary Bayer, Nancy Cartwright, Christa Denton, Tate Donovan, Laura Harrington

MANY HAPPY RETURNS (1986) DIR Steven Hilliard Stern PROD Steven Hilliard Stern, Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland SCR Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland MUS Matthew McCauley ED Tony Lower CAST George Segal (William ‘Bud’ Robinson), Helen Shaver, Ron Liebman, Jason Blicker, Sean McCann, Michael Donaghue, Paul Brown

THE ENDLESS GAME (1990) DIR – SCR Bryan Forbes PROD Fernando Ghia CAM Brian Tufano MUS Ennio Morricone ED Philip Shaw CAST Albert Finney, George Segal (Mister Miller), Derek de Lint, Monica Guerritore, Ian Holm, Nanette Newman, Anthony Quale, Kirsten Scott Thomas, Benedick Blythe

UN ORSO CHIAMATO ARTURO, a.k.a A BEAR CALLED ARTHUR (1992) DIR Sergio Martino PROD Luciano Martino SCR Sergio Martino, Nino Marino CAM Giancarlo Ferrando MUS Luigi Ceccarelli ED Eugenio Alabiso CAST George Segal (Billy), Edmund Purdom, Carol Alt, Mattia Sbragia, Doris von Thury, David Brandon, Christina Englehardt, Valerie Marini, Stefano Masciarelli, Mario Pedone, Gianfranco Barra

TAKING THE HEAT (1993) DIR Tom Mankiewicz PROD Gary Hoffman, Neal Israel SCR Dan Gordon (story by Gary Hoffman) CAM Robert M. Stevens MUS Patrick Williams ED Edward M. Abroms CAST Tony Goldwyn, Lynn Whitfield, George Segal (Kepler), Will Patton, Peter Boyle, Joe Grifasi, Alan Arkin, Greg Germann

SEASONS OF THE HEART (1994) DIR Lee Grant PROD Joseph Feury SCR Robbyn Burger CAM Doug Milsome (color) MUS Marvin Hamlisch ED David Ray CAST Carol Burnett, George Segal (Ezra Goldstine), Malcolm McDowell, Eric Lloyd, Jill Teed, Margaret Sophie Stein, Florence Paterson, Scott Marlowe, Harvey Atkin

FOLLOWING HER HEART (1994) DIR Lee Grant PROD Sally Young SCR Merry M. Helm ED Patrick McMahon CAST Ann-Margret, George Segal (Harry), Brenda Vaccaro, William Morgan Sheppard, Kirk Blatz, Scott Marlowe, Greg Mullavy, Alexandra Powers, Thom Gossom Jr.

HOUDINI (1998) DIR – SCR Pen Densham PROD Leanne Moore CAM Gordon Lonsdale MUS Don Harper ED William Hoy CAST Johnathon Schaech, Stacy Edwards, Paul Sorvino, Rhea Perlman, David Warner, Mark Ruffalo, Grace Zabriskie, Ron Perlman, Judy Geeson, George Segal (Beck)

THE LINDA McCARTNEY STORY (2000) DIR Armand Mastroianni PROD Jacobus Rose SCR Christine Berardo CAM David Burr MUS J. Peter Robinson ED Terry Blythe CAST Elizabeth Mitchell, Gary Bakewell, Tim Piper, Matthew Harrison, Aaron Grain, George Segal (Lee Eastman), Chris Cound, Michael McMurty

THE ELECTRIC PIPER (2003, animated) DIR Raymie Muzquiz SCR Bill Burnett MUS Guy Moon ED Ann Hoyt CAST (voice only): Wayne Brady, Rodney Dangerfield, Christine Ebersole, Lesli Margherita, Robbie Rist, Laura San Giacomo, George Segal (Mayor Nick Dixon)

THE AMAZING WESTERMANS (2004) PROD Linda Nieber ED Timothy Mozer CAST Chris O’Donnell, Monica Potter, Susan Sullivan, Michelle Cashman, Jay Harrington, Joel Moore, George Segal.

FIELDER’S CHOICE (2005) DIR Kevin Connor PROD Stephen Wesley Bridgewater, Albert T. Dickerson III SCR Dan Roberts, Scott Huebscher CAM James Wrenn MUS Andrew Rose ED Jennifer Jean Cacavas CAST Chad Lowe, K’Sun Ray, Marin Hinkle, Bodhi Elfman, George Segal (JD), Dena Dietrich

CHUTZPAH, THIS IS? (2005) DIR – ED Rick Kent PROD Mimi George SCR Rick Kent, David Scharff CAM Andrew Sachs MUS Tor Hyams CAST George Segal (Doctor Dreck), Tor Hyams, Jerran Friedman, David Scharff, Gary Oldman, Debi Mazar, Vivian Campbell, J.A.Q

BILLY AND MANDY’S BIG BOOGEY ADVENTURE (2007, animated) DIR Rick Alvarez, Russell Calabrese, Shaun Cashman, Phil Cummings, Matt Engstrom, Eddy Houchins, Gordon Kent, Christine Kosolov, Mike Lyman, Sue Perrotto, Kris Sherwood PROD Louis J. Cuck SCR Maxwell Atoms, Jeremy Bargiel, Nina Bargiel (story by Maxwell Atoms) MUS Drew Neumann, Gregory Hinde ED Illya Owens CAST (voice only): Grey DeLisle, Greg Eagles, Richard Horvitz, Vanessa Marshall, Maxwell Atoms, George Ball, Jane Carr, Greg Ellis, Bart Flynn, George Segal (Horror)