Biography
Sam Jaffe (born Shalom Jaffe) was an American actor. He was born on 10 March 1891 in New York City and died on 24 March 1984. He began working in film in 1934 and appeared in stage productions as well as films and television over a career spanning more than six decades.
Jaffe played the High Lama in Lost Horizon (1937) and the title role in Gunga Din (1939). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Other film roles include Professor Jacob Barnhardt in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Simonides in Ben-Hur (1959) and Bookman in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).
He co-starred as Dr David Zorba in the television series Ben Casey (1961–1965). Jaffe was blacklisted in the 1950s but continued to work in films directed by Robert Wise and William Wyler. He was also a teacher, musician and engineer.
