Simon Oakland
  • Simon Oakland
  • Simon Oakland
  • Simon Oakland
Who's Dated Who feature on Simon Oakland including awards, trivia, quotes, pictures, biography, photos, videos, pics, news, commentary, vital stats, fans and facts.
 

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Simon Oakland Biography
One of the movies` most memorable tough guys, Simon Oakland actually began his career as a concert violinist, turning to acting in the late 1940`s. After a long string of roles in Broadway hits, including "Light Up the Sky", "The Shrike" and "Inherit the Wind", Oakland made his film debut as the tough but compassionate journalist who speaks up for Susan Hayward`s Barbara Grahame in I Want to Live! (1958). He would go on to play a long series of tough guy types, albeit usually on the right side of the law, in such films as The Sand Pebbles (1966), Tony Rome (1967), Psycho (1960), and, most notably, nasty Lieutenant Schrank in West Side Story (1961). He was also a frequently seen face on TV, at one point serving as a regular or semi-regular on four different series at once. Much respected by his co-workers as a total professional, he died, after a long battle with cancer, one day after his 68th birthday.


Biography Credit: www.whosdatedwho.com/editors/members/edit_profile.asp?ID=57685
 

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Snapshot
    Name Simon Oakland
    Other Name(s) Sy Oakland
    Si Oakland
    Build Large
    Hair Color Black
    Date of Birth August 28, 1915
    Birthplace New York City, New York,
    Star Sign Virgo
    Died August 29, 1983 (Aged 68)
    Location of Death Cathedral City, California
    Cause of Death cancer
    Nationality American
    Ethnicity White
    Occupation Actor
    Celebrity Index Si
    Claim to Fame Psycho and West Side Story

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Trivia
  • Maintained dual residences in both New York and Hollywood so that he could maintain his career in both theater and movies.
  • A frequent traveler by air between New York and California.
  • He went on to play a long series of tough guy types, usually on the right side of the law (or in positions of authority), most notably in Psycho (1960), West Side Story (1961) and as Antonio Vincenzo (Kolchak`s boss) in the sci-fi TV series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974). A gifted actor, he often accepted roles that were inferior to his acting ability and often played on type rather than talent. He was highly respected by his co-workers as an actor; he died of cancer, one day after his 68th birthday.
  • He made his film debut as the "tough, but compassionate" journalist who speaks up for Susan Hayward`s Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958). He would wind up playing this type often over the course of his career.
  • Through his career, he performed on Broadway.
  • Until the 1940s, he was a concert violinist.
  • In the early 1980s, he narrated television commercials for Federal Express and The Journal Newspapers (Washington, D.C., area).
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