Lou Jacobi, Dec. 28, 1913 – Oct. 23, 2009, critically acclaimed actor of comic and ethic characters, has passed away at his home in Manhattan according to social worker, Leonie Nowitz, who oversaw his care. He was 95.
His career spanned over 5 decades with a debut on Broadway in 1955 playing Van Daan in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” He reprised the role in the 1959 film version earning praise from movie reviewers including this one from The New York Times Bosley Crowther describing Jacobi as, “irksomely sluggish and pathetically lax as the weakling Van Daan.”
Jacobi went on to appear in a total of 10 Broadway plays including Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water” and Neil Simon’s “Come Blow Your Horn.” He also made 24 feature films. I remember him as the florist in the Dudley Moore comedy “Author.” TV was not off limits either and Jacobi appeared often on “The Dean Martin Show.”In the summer of 1976, he was the main star - a Russian headwaiter living with nine other people in a small Moscow apartment – in the CBS comedy series, “Ivan the Terrible.”
Mr. Clive Barnes of The Times wrote about Lou Jacobi, describing him favorably whether or not he actually liked the production Jacobi was appearing in or not.
“Mr. Jacobi is a very funny actor who hardly needs lines to make his point,” Mr. Barnes wrote. He added: “He has a face of sublime weariness and the manner of a man who has seen everything, done nothing and is now only worried about his heartburn.”
Lou Jacobi stayed active in entertainment until late in life. He remained a critic favorite. Roger Ebert wrote in “The Chicago Sun-Times, “As you make your way through life, sometimes you happen upon people who know how to be happy…I look at Lou, and I’m not afraid to be 85, if I can get there in Lou’s style.”
