It was more than half a century ago when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognized the chameleon-like acting skills of a newcomer to the big screen. In 1957 the HFPA nominated Eli Wallach for Best Actor Award for his role in Elia Kazan’s Baby Doll. Wallach, who has died at the age of 98, was a passionate actor until his last breath. and he proved it at the age of 94 by playing a banker in Oliver Stone’s 2010 sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Eli Herschel Wallach was born on Dec. 7, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a master’s degree in education with the goal of becoming a teacher but began studying acting at a local playhouse. During World War Two, Wallach served five years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, eventually achieving the rank of captain.??He made his stage debut in 1946 in a play called Skydrift. His film credits include The Misfits, Cinderella Liberty, The Good, Bad and the Ugly and The Godfather: Part Three.?He often starred in films opposite his wife, actress Anne Jackson. His co-stars over the years also included Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Peter O’Toole, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino and – in his most recent role – Michael Douglas. —Elmar Biebl