Herb Mitchell (actor)
American actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herbert L. Mitchell Jr. (June 18, 1937 – January 4, 2011), credited as Herb Mitchell and sometimes Herb L. Mitchell, was an American actor, director, and teacher.[1] He was a stockbroker before he made the switch to acting, appearing in films; stage plays such as The Fiddler on the Roof, in which he played the lead role of Tevye; television shows including The Practice, on which he had a recurring role; and commercials, including ones for stock brokerage firms Dean Witter Reynolds and Paine Webber.
June 18, 1937
Herb Mitchell | |
|---|---|
circa 1979 | |
| Born | Herbert L. Mitchell Jr. June 18, 1937 |
| Died | January 4, 2011 (aged 73) Blue Hill, Maine, USA |
| Other name | Herb L. Mitchell |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5 |
Early life
Herb Mitchell was born June 18, 1937, in Bar Harbor, Maine. He was one of three sons of Herbert L. Mitchell Sr. and Estella Mae Bourgeois Mitchell.[2] He grew up in Bar Harbor, where he attended local schools, served as an altar boy in the local Catholic church, and participated in high school sports.[2][3] Following studies at the University of Maine and the Maine Maritime Academy,[2] he became a stockbroker in Bangor, Maine.[2][4]
Acting career
In the late 1960s, Mitchell joined a community theater group in Ellsworth, Maine, the Ellsworth Players; he eventually became its president.[4] He was purely a behind-the-scenes participant in the group's stage productions until 1971, when director Bill Raiten persuaded him to take the role of Tevye in a production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof.[1][4][5] His portrayal won praise, including a favorable review by playwright Samuel A. Taylor.[1] A New York City producer who saw the show offered Mitchell a chance to play the same role in an off-Broadway production of the musical in Brooklyn.[6] Mitchell, as the father of four children, felt committed to his financial career and declined the offer.[6] However, he continued to act in local productions in the following years, became disenchanted with his job, and decided to pursue acting as a profession.[4][6]
During the 1970s, he became co-owner of a jazz club and bar that operated seasonally in Maine; he spent the off-season acting on stage in southern California.[1] He auditioned for the television series M*A*S*H (1972–83) without success.[6] By 1980, he was working in Los Angeles as an actor, appearing in films, television programs, live performances, and commercials.[1][2][6] He portrayed roles in commercials for stock brokerage firms Dean Witter, as the company spokesman,[6][7] and Paine Webber, as an executive.[8]
In 1992, while living in Los Angeles, Mitchell bought a home in Blue Hill, Maine.[7] In the early 1990s, he operated the Company of CharActors Theatre, which performed stage plays, one of which he directed, in Studio City, California.[8][9] In the 1993 film Gettysburg, set during the American Civil War (1861–65), he portrayed the real-life Union Army flag bearer Sergeant Andrew Jackson Tozier.[10] In the early to mid-2000s, he survived three cancers and then moved back to Blue Hill with his family, where he semi-retired while occasionally appearing in local stage productions.[6]
He reprised his role as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in May 1990 and August 2006, again directed by Raiten.[1][5] He appeared in the television courtroom drama series The Practice (1997–2004) as the recurring character Judge Rodney White.[6] In August 2006 he appeared at Ellsworth High School, in Ellsworth, Maine, as Eddie Carbone in a production of Arthur Miller's play A View from the Bridge.[6] Over the years, he was mentored in singing by Sheldon Bisberg, "his longtime musical collaborator".[11]
Personal life and death
Selected appearances
Films[13]
- Sam's Son (1984) as Coach Diener
- Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) as Stanley
- Tuff Turf (1985) as Mr. Russell
- Scorpion (1986) as Los Angeles International Airport: Dr. Ghys
- Innerspace (1987) as Camera Store Clerk
- Big Man on Campus (1989) as Captain Summers
- There Goes the Neighborhood (1992) as Mr. Bratesman
- Gettysburg (1993) as Sergeant Andrew Jackson Tozier (the actual Tozier was in his 20s at the time of war)[10]
- The Last Seduction (1994) as Bob Trotter
- Drive (1997) as Trooper #1
- Against the Law (1997) as Carl Stensgard
- Surface to Air (1998, direct-to-video) as General Davis
- Back to Even (1998, direct-to-video) as Des
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) as Sergeant Simpson
- Chain of Command (2000) as Admiral Harrington
- Ali (2001) as Boxing Commissioner
- Gods and Generals (2003) as Union Officer (uncredited)
Television films[13]
- Pray TV (1982)
- Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982)
- Desire, the Vampire (1982)
- Baby Sitter (1983)
- Do You Remember Love (1985)
- On Fire (1987)
- Daddy (1987)
- What Price Victory (1988)
- The Preppie Murder (1989)
- Lies Before Kisses (1991)
- Switched at Birth (1991)
- A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (1992)
- Empty Cradle (1993)
- Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994)
- Abandoned and Deceived (1995)
- Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996)
- Silk Hope (1999)
- Santa and Pete (1999)
- Hefner: Unauthorized (1999)
- Chain of Command (2000)
Television
- Dean Witter commercials (1980s–90s) as Spokesman – now called Dean Witter Reynolds
- Paine Webber commercials (circa 1980s-90s) as Executive
- The Practice (1997–2004) as Judge Rodney White – recurring role in the television series (final television appearance)
Others
- Fiddler on the Roof (1971, 1990, 2006) as Tevye – theatrical productions
- A View from the Bridge (2006) as Eddie Carbone – high school production