Jack Somack
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Jack Somack | |
|---|---|
![](#/media/File:Jack_Somack_"Ball_Four"_(1976_CBS_press_photo).JPG) Somack in Ball Four, 1976 | |
| Born | September 14, 1918 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 1983 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Actor, chemical engineer |
| Years active | 1966–1983 |
Jack Somack (September 14, 1918 – August 24, 1983) was an American actor and chemical engineer.[1] He is best remembered for his appearance in the Alka-Seltzer "spicy meatball" television commercial.[1][2]
Somack was born in Chicago, Illinois.[3] He began his acting career in 1966, playing the lead role of Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.[4][5]
In 1969 Somack appeared in the Alka-Seltzer "spicy meatball" commercial.[6][5] He also appeared in the Broadway plays Paris Is Out! and The Prisoner of Second Avenue.[3][7][8]
In the 1970s and 1980s Somack appeared and guest-starred in film and television programs including Barney Miller,[1] The Rockford Files, Portnoy's Complaint,[9] Sanford and Son, All in the Family, The Love Boat, Desperate Characters, Laverne & Shirley, The Frisco Kid, Eight Is Enough, The Pursuit of Happiness, Starsky & Hutch, Hero at Large, Kojak, The Main Event, The Jimmy Stewart Show, The Blue Knight and Family Ties.[4][10] He also starred in the short-lived television series Ball Four[11] and The Stockard Channing Show.[12]
Death
Somack died August 24, 1983, of a heart attack at the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles,[5] at the age of 64.[1][13] He had been rehearsing for a role in the television series Benson.[4][5]