Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s second marriage. The actor's son,. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was cast as Inspector Lewis Erskine in the police drama The F.B.I. The show that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 241 episodes chronicles a group of FBI officials trying to defend the American Government from mysterious threats. Thanks for sharing his life story with us. In 1959, Zimbalist got an Emmy nomination but after a few sessions, he felt the hours were long and the scripts were bad. He then settled in the United States. Efrem Zimbalist Jr., the elegant actor with the mellifluous baritone who costarred as the suave private eye Stuart Bailey on TV's "77 Sunset Strip" beginning in the late 1950s and later. Maria was firmly esconced at The Friends School in Pennsylvania, as was Marcia before her. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing into peace of our. Zimbalist had a recurring role as Daniel Chalmers, a white-collar con man, on his daughter Stephanie Zimbalist 's 1980s television detective series Remington Steele. He is survived by his daughter Stephanie and his son, Efrem Zimbalist III. He was raised Episcopalian and died an Episcopalian, returning to his faith in the mid-1980s. Emily died from cancer in 1950. While in the army, Zimbalist got acquainted with the director Garson Kanin, who gave him his first professional acting role in the Broadway play The Rugged Path. November 1947 he played in an ensemble cast in "What Every Woman Knows" which ran until February 1947. Two of his television series were extremely popular - 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. star Shemar Moore announces he will be a first-time dad at 52. In 1924, after her retirement, Alma split time between their homes in Connecticut and New York, being a benefactor to other bright hopeful sopranos and musicians, and helping out with musical and community organizations. The actor, who in recent years had retired to his ranch in Southern California's bucolic horse country, died there Friday at age 95. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. discusses his book in Part Two which follows Part One in this article. He returned to Hollywood five years later, marrying Loranda Stephanie Spalding in 1956, and she gave birth to their daughter Stephanie. :). In 1974, Menotti adopted an adult actor and figure skater Francis "Chip" Phelan (born 1938) who had been appearing as a mime in Gian Carlo's operatic performances. For his son, the actor, see, Zimbalist with his violin, circa 19151920, Efrem Zimbalist: A Life. Update: Roger Smith died June 4, 2017 at age 84. He was back on Broadway in Noel Coward's "Fallen Angels. I didn't know anything about his private life however, so this was very informative. All Rights Reserved. In December 1941, Zimbalist married his first wife, Emily Munroe McNair. The cases of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. and she gave birth to their daughter Stephanie. Actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and FBI director Robert Mueller show off the badge that was presented to the actor as an honorary special agent, the highest civilian honor awarded by the FBI, June 8, 2009 in Los Angeles. At the end of each episode, the series would always post real photos of the FBI's most wanted list. It was Efrem Sr.'s first marriage and Alma's second. His younger partner was Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith), and they were often helped by a young, finger-snapping, slang-talking parking lot attendant called Kookie (Edd Byrnes). Zimbalist was in such demand during this time that he was given a vacation by Jack L. Warner, owing to exhaustion from his busy schedule. In 1990, he played the father of Zorro in the Christian Broadcasting Network 's The New Zorro. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing into peace of our beloved father, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., today at his Solvang ranch," the actor's daughter Stephanie Zimbalist and son Efrem Zimbalist III said in a statement. His charismatic good looks made him memorable as an accomplished actor, appearing first on stage and in several movies, but becoming more widely known for his work on television. I looked forward to seeing those photos at the end of each show each week, if only for morbid idle curiosity. "I walked onstage in a play at prep school, and with childish naivet, told myself, 'Wow, I'm an actor!'" I also remember Efrem Zimbalist Jr from the FBI and his daughter Stephanie who starred with Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele. Through the years, whenever anyone wrote about Efrem Zimbalist Jr. or introduced him at gatherings, they always used the same terms: suave, handsome, dashing, debonair. Zimbalist died peacefully at his Solvang home of natural causes at the age of 95 on May 2, 2014; he had been outside watering his lawn at his Solvang, Calif., ranch when a handyman found him lying dead in the grass. [citation needed], Apart from 77 Sunset Strip, Zimbalist was most widely known for his starring role as Inspector Lewis Erskine in the Quinn Martin television production The F.B.I., which premiered on September 19, 1965, and aired its final episode on September 8, 1974. He retired again in 1955. the following year and that program aired until 1974. Although he continued to consider himself ethnically Jewish, he found himself attracted, along with his wife Alma, to Anglican Christianity, and they regularly attended the Episcopal Church in New Hartford. #bravewarrior - hello! I don't know why they only give shows a 5 year run and other shows (sometimes terrible shows) get to run for so much longer. Efrem Zimbalist Sr. was born on April 9, 1888,[5][6][7] O. S., equivalent to April 21, 1889, in the Gregorian calendar, as reported in many newspaper obituaries, in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the son of Jewish parents Maria (ne Litvinoff) and Aron Zimbalist (, Russian pronunciation [tsmbalist]), who was a conductor. He was kicked out of Yale after two years over dismal grades, which he blamed on a playboy attitude. Zimbalist is survived by his three children son Efren, daughters Stephanie an actress and our girl Nancy Zimbalist. Efrem Sr. became her violin accompanist in 1912 and they fell in love, but Alma was still married to her first husband, Bernard, with whom had a small daughter, Marcia. For some reason, that's where I put him. Granddaughter Alexis looks on as FBI director Robert Mueller show off the badge that was presented to the actor as an honorary special agent, the highest civilian honor awarded by the FBI, on June 8, 2009 in Los Angeles. On February 12, 1956, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. married Loranda Stephanie Spaulding. In November 1945, he made his stage debut in New York as reporter Gil Hartnick in "The Rugged Path" directed by his friend Garson Kanin. In October 2004, he starred in the stage production of Night of the Iguana that premiered at Rubicon Theatre Company. He also recurred in the television dramatic series Hotel. He briefly attended Yale University but was expelled, reinstated and expelled a second time on account of low grades. [9] Zimbalist was assigned as a platoon leader in Company L, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division and participated in combat in Europe following the Normandy landings. He played a blinded pilot in Airport 1975 and, much later, lampooned his FBI image in Hot Shots! From 1992 to 1995, the actor lent his voice to the character of Alfred Pennyworth in the superhero series Batman: The Animated Series. While still employed at the school, he was cast in a recurring acting part in a television soap opera "Concerning Miss Marlowe" and by 1956, he had given up the music school position altogether. I remember him, Rachael. His only outlet was acting in campus plays. His baritone voice was instantly recognizable on television and most notably as Alfred the butler on Batman: The Animated Series (FOX 1992-1995), and in Christian circles on The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) announcing the TBN station identification at the chime every hour (1979-2014), on Christian programs featuring his reading the Bible on TBN and the 700 Club, and as narrator on audio books. Born in New York City on November 30, 1918, surrounded by people of wealth and privilege throughout his childhood, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. received a boarding school education. However, she shares a fair share of relationship with a handful of stars. A year later in 1938, Alma was seriously ill and dying with liver disease. After the war, the director and writer Garson Kanin, a friend of the family, gave Zimbalist his first professional role in his Broadway production of Robert E Sherwood's The Rugged Path (1945), which starred Spencer Tracy. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. played con man "Dandy Buckley" in the western series Maverick and in 1958 started work on the series 77 Sunset Strip which was to last until 1964. She wanted her mother to see her get married, so they were married in the Zimbalist home on April 19, 1938. I found the above video and it brings back memories for me when I hear the FBI announcer's voice all these years later. 5). Four years later, the actor played Captain Stacy in Jack Smight's air disaster film and the sequel to the 1970 movie Airport, Airport 1975. . It would have been difficult to predict, when Efrem Zimbalist Jr was growing up in New York, the son of the concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist and the opera singer Alma Gluck, surrounded by leading lights in the arts world, that his main claim to fame later in life would be playing a private investigator in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and a police inspector in The FBI. Devika Primi from Dubrovnik, Croatia on May 21, 2014: Hi RachaelOhalloran, I had no idea of this person until now a very interesting write up here and you certainly enlightened me to perfection. By that time, Efrem Jr. and Emily McNair had two children, Nancy and Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist III. Efrem Jr. says in his book "My Dinner of Herbs" that because of his playboy ways and throwing away a good education at Yale, he felt a great sadness that his mother never lived to see any of his success and that he "regrets she died knowing he was a screwup.". He also voiced characters in the series The Legend of Prince Valiant and Spider-Man. [17] Efrem Jr. portrayed Dandy Jim Buckley in Maverick opposite James Garner, and the lead characters in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The FBI. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Zimbalist had a recurring role as Daniel Chalmers, a white-collar con man, on his daughter Stephanie Zimbalist's 1980s television detective series Remington Steele. Zimbalist was preceded in death by his second wife and by his daughter Nancy. The quality of her voice was gone, she was often physically ill, although there are no mentions as to what was wrong at that time. In the 1990s he became interested in stem cell therapy, its uses and merits. He was healthy, playing golf three days a week, and always in his garden, Zimbalists son said. Zimbalist was discharged as the war ended, earning many awards, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal. Her last public recital was in 1924 at the Metropolitan Opera House, a place that would hold much sentiment for her husband and children long after she was gone. [citation needed], Zimbalist was drafted in 1941. [24] Zimbalist said his faith gave him comfort when Emily died. He changed his name to Menotti shortly after his adoption. In 1957, the actor played Lt. Ethan Sears in the romantic film Band of Angels. This was very informative in 1938, Alma was seriously ill and dying with liver disease and by three! The Christian Broadcasting Network & # x27 ; s the New Zorro 1941, Zimbalist married his first wife Emily. And his daughter Stephanie who starred with Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele F.B.I! 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