Photo: Unknown photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jack Warden is my idea of the perfect character actor. A former boxer from Newark, he brought a lived-in authenticity to every role, whether stealing scenes in Shampoo or grounding Heaven Can Wait, both of which earned him Oscar nominations. His Emmy-winning turn in Brian's Song proved he could break your heart, too. What I admire most is the economy of his craft: no vanity, no excess, just precise human detail delivered like a well-timed jab. Stars sell tickets, but actors like Warden are why the movies around them actually work. He belongs on any shortlist of Hollywood's great supporting players.
Overview
Jack Warden (born John Warden Lebzelter Jr.; September 18, 1920 – July 19, 2006) was an American actor who worked in film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He received a BAFTA nomination for Shampoo, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in Brian's Song (1971).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jack Warden
- Name (Japanese)
- ジャック・ウォーデン
- Reading
- じゃっく・うぉーでん
- Born
- September 18, 1920 – July 19, 2006
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Monkey
- Origin
- Newark, New Jersey, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / character actor / stage actor / boxer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1972 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.