Walter Slezak

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Austrian-American actor who won a Tony award and the N.Y. Critics award in 1954 for "Fanny." The son of a noted operatic tenor, he studied medicine and worked as a bank clerk until he was discovered by the director Michael Kertesz. When a young man, he played romantic leads on stage and in German films, but his tendency to gain weight forced him into character parts. His weight was like a yo-yo, constantly up and down. He tried every diet possible, but nothing seemed to be consistently successful. In 1930, he came to the U.S., making a Broadway debut that same year, but he did not start into film until 1942. From the time that he arrived through the '50s, Slezak had many Broadway hits. His films included "Lifeboat," 1944 and "Call Me Madam," 1953. In 1957 he sang in the operetta "The Gypsy Baron" at the Met, the first of several engagements. His latter phase of his film career was mainly European-based as he resided in Switzerland until a few years before his death. Slezak was married with three kids; his daughter Erika starred in TV soap operas. His daughter was quoted as saying that he had Alzheimer's disease as he became older. He died, a suicide, on 4/22/1983, 00:42 AM, New York, NY. Link to Wikipedia biography