Canadian-born Jack Kruschen entered films after years on the stage, and became a dependable character actor both in movies and on television. Often cast as ethnic comedy relief, Kruschen occasionally landed a role as a villain, but was more often the volatile, emotional Italian or Jewish neighbor patriarch. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in _The Apartment .
Performed in radio dramas while still in high school.
In 1939, Kruschen was already appearing in TV dramas on the Don Lee experimental station in Los Angeles; the programs were beamed out to roughly 200 (mechanical - as opposed to modern electronic) sets with 3" screens.
One of the few actors killed by Martians in 2 different movies: The War of the Worlds and The Angry Red Planet .
Along with Phyllis Coates and Jack Larson , he is one of only three actors to appear in both "Adventures of Superman" (1952) and "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" .
