Martin Balsam

Martin Balsam was an American character actor whose credits included roles in some of the most iconic films of the 1960s and 1970s. He was best known for his roles as detective Milton Arbogast in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and juror #1 in 12 Angry Men, as well as for his role as Murray Klein in the television sitcom Archie Bunker's Place. But Balsam's career was far from limited to these well-known roles. He was also a prolific and versatile actor, appearing in a number of serious and comedic roles throughout his career. Balsam was born in New York City on November 4, 1919. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began his acting career in the 1940s, appearing in a number of Broadway productions. He made his film debut in the 1947 drama The Stranger. In the 1950s, he appeared in a number of films, including the crime film noir Kiss Me Deadly, the drama Battle Cry, and the romantic comedy Love in the Afternoon. But it was his role as detective Milton Arbogast in Hitchcock's Psycho that made Balsam a household name. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, and he later reprised the role in the sequels Psycho II and Psycho III. He also appeared in a number of other Hitchcock films, including Frenzy and The Birds. But Balsam's most famous role was undoubtedly that of Arnold Burns in A Thousand Clowns. The film was released in 1965, and it was largely due to Balsam's performance that the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in a number of other comedy films throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including The Nutty Professor, The Munsters, and The Love Bug. Balsam retired from acting in the early 1980s, but he made a brief return to the screen in the 1990s in the comedy-drama film The Ice Storm. He died on February 13, 1996, at the age of 79.