Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law.
Tierney had numerous arrests for drunken fights over the years, and served jail terms. His run-ins with the law took a toll on his career. He was an admitted alcoholic who gave up drinking in 1982 after having a stroke, and once said that he “threw away about seven careers through drink.”
Between 1944 and 1951, Tierney had been arrested a dozen times for brawling, frequently for drunkenness. His legal troubles included a 90-day jail sentence for breaking a college student’s jaw.
At the time of his arrest for brawling with two policemen outside a Manhattan bar in 1958, the New York Times reported that he had been arrested six times in California and five times in New York on similar charges. In 1973 he was stabbed in a bar fight on the west side of Manhattan. read more
Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American actor, known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and hardened criminals, which mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law.
Tierney had numerous arrests for drunken fights over the years, and served jail terms. His run-ins with the law took a toll on his career. He was an admitted alcoholic who gave up drinking in 1982 after having a stroke, and once said that he “threw away about seven careers through drink.”
Between 1944 and 1951, Tierney had been arrested a dozen times for brawling, frequently for drunkenness. His legal troubles included a 90-day jail sentence for breaking a college student’s jaw.
At the time of his arrest for brawling with two policemen outside a Manhattan bar in 1958, the New York Times reported that he had been arrested six times in California and five times in New York on similar charges. In 1973 he was stabbed in a bar fight on the west side of Manhattan.
In June 1975, Tierney was questioned by New York City police in connection with the apparent suicide of a 24-year old woman, who jumped from the window of her apartment. Tierney told police that he had come to visit the woman, “had just gotten there, and she just went out the window”.
When he guest-starred on Seinfeld (1990) in “The Jacket” episode as Elaine’s father, Alton Benes, he scared the cast so badly that they never had him back on. He stole a butcher knife from the set and hid it under his jacket. When Jerry Seinfeld confronted him about it (much to the dismay of the entire cast), Tierney made a joking stabbing motion towards him as in reference to the movie Psycho. Writer Larry David said that Tierney returned to the show’s offices about a week after shooting on the episode had wrapped, late on a Saturday night; although uncertain of his motive, David speculated that he was “looking for a sandwich or something.”—Wikipedia
