---
name: "Cliff Gorman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/cliff-gorman"
fi1m_id: "cliff-gorman"
imdb_id: "nm0331054"
tmdb_id: 19183
wikidata_id: "Q371710"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "13 October 1936"
died: "5 September 2002"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-20T06:05:54.584704+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Cliff Gorman

## Identity

Cliff Gorman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/cliff-gorman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** cliff-gorman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0331054
- **TMDB ID:** 19183
- **Wikidata ID:** Q371710
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Gorman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q371710, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331054/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19183

Actor. Born 13 October 1936 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. Died 5 September 2002.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 13 October 1936, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 5 September 2002
- **Active:** 1978–1999
- **Also known as:** Joel Joshua Goldberg
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 83 (2), 1990s 80 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 71 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $71m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Gorman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q371710, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331054/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19183

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*All That Jazz*](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md) (84)
- **The Criterion Channel:** [*Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai*](https://film.one/film/ghost-dog-the-way-of-the-samurai.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Cliff Gorman, born Joel Joshua Goldberg, was an American actor. He was born on 13 October 1936 in Queens, New York City, and died on 5 September 2002 in Manhattan.

Gorman won an Obie Award in 1968 for his stage performance as Emory in *The Boys in the Band* and reprised the role in the 1970 film. He received a Tony Award in 1972 for portraying Lenny Bruce in the Broadway play *Lenny*. His film roles included Davis Newman in *All That Jazz* (1979) and Sonny Valerio in *Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai* (1999). He also appeared in television series such as *Law & Order* and *Murder, She Wrote*.

Gorman attended the High School of Music & Art and earned a degree in education from New York University. He was married to Gayle Gorman from 1963 until his death from leukemia.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, latimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai* (1999), Fi1m 80, as Sonny Valerio — [page](https://film.one/film/ghost-dog-the-way-of-the-samurai.md)
- *All That Jazz* (1979), Fi1m 84, as Davis Newman — [page](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md)
- *An Unmarried Woman* (1978), Fi1m 82, as Charlie — [page](https://film.one/film/an-unmarried-woman.md)

## Complete filmography (42)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Kill the Poor* (2003), as Yakov
- *King of the Jungle* (2000), as Jack
- *Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai* (1999), as Sonny Valerio — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ghost-dog-the-way-of-the-samurai.md)
- *The '60s* (1999), as Father Daniel Berrigan
- *The '60s* (1999), series, as Father Daniel Berrigan
- *Down Came a Blackbird* (1995), as Nick the Greek
- *New York News* (1995), series, Actor
- *Janek: The Silent Betrayal* (1994), as Greenburg
- *The Forget-Me-Not Murders* (1994), as Aaron
- *Hoffa* (1992), as Solly Stein
- *Night and the City* (1992), as Phil Nasseros
- *Terror on Track 9* (1992), as Sgt. Aaron Greenberg
- *Vestige of Honor* (1990), as Sanderson
- *Murder Times Seven* (1990), as Aaron Greenberg
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Gary Feldman — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Murder in Black and White* (1990), as Aaron Greenberg
- *Making a Case for Murder* (1989), as Bernstein
- *Internal Affairs* (1988), as Aaron Greenberg
- *Doubletake* (1985), as Aaron Greenberg
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Police Chief Cooper, NYPD Lt. Parnell
- *Angel* (1984), as Lt. Andrews
- *Cocaine and Blue Eyes* (1983), as Riki Anatole
- *Cagney & Lacey* (1982), series, Actor — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/cagney-and-lacey.md)
- *The Bunker* (1981), as Joseph Goebbels
- *Night of the Juggler* (1980), as Gus Soltic
- *All That Jazz* (1979), as Davis Newman — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md)
- *An Unmarried Woman* (1978), as Charlie — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/an-unmarried-woman.md)
- *Having Babies II* (1977), as Arthur Magee
- *Brinks: The Great Robbery* (1976), as Danny Conforti
- *The Silence* (1975), as Stanley Greenberg
- *Medical Story* (1975), series, as Dr. Frank Duffy
- *Strike Force* (1975), as Det. Joey Gentry
- *Rosebud* (1975), as Yafet Hemlekh
- *Cops and Robbers* (1973), as Tom
- *Police Story* (1973), series, Actor
- *Class of '63* (1973), as Mickey Swerner
- *The Streets of San Francisco* (1972), series, Actor
- *Paradise Lost* (1971), as Kewpie
- *The Chicago Conspiracy Trial* (1970), Actor
- *The Boys in the Band* (1970), as Emory
- *Justine* (1969), as Toto
- *Hawaii Five-O* (1969), series, as Robert Huston

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1978: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1972: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/cliff-gorman