Norman Lloyd

Was a close friend of Christopher Lee.

Did the voice-over for a Ben Gay commercial seen on national TV. The spot was rather sardonic, unlike any Ben Gay spot before or since, and Lloyd did a marvelous job, his voice and reading appropriately dry as a martini.

Interviewed in Tom Weaver s book "I Was a Monster Movie Maker" (McFarland & Co., 2001).

His 75-year marriage to Peggy Lloyd was one of the longest marriages - if not the longest - in Hollywood history.

Best known by the public for his starring role as Chief of Emergency Services - Dr. Daniel Auschlander on "St. Elsewhere" .

Made his Broadway debut in the play "Noah.".

Bears a slight resemblance to his late best friend Alfred Hitchcock.

In his eight decade career, he has worked with some of the youngest players in Hollywood.

Graduated from Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York, in 1929, at age 14, with higher grades.

Did not appear in his first movie until he was 27.

Friends with: Angela Lansbury , Charlotte Rae , Bruce Paltrow , Blythe Danner , Harry Morgan , James Best , Robert Fuller , George Lindsey , Yvonne De Carlo , Betty White , Bob Cummings , Karl Malden , Elia Kazan , Ed Flanders , Edward Asner , William Daniels , Jack Dodson , Peggy Lloyd , John Garfield , Bill Dana , Esther Williams , Arlene Dahl , John Addison , Ronald Neame , Jane Wyatt , Julie Adams , Piper Laurie , Marsha Hunt , Tom Drake , Wallace Ford , Christopher Lee , Charles Chaplin , Vincent Price , Alfred Hitchcock , Mickey Rooney and Frank Price.

Both his mother and Norman himself would go to shows, to look at comics in order to steal the material.

He is the son of Sadie (Horowitz), a housewife and singer, and Max Perlmutter, who worked as a manager in a furniture store. His parents were both born in New York, and all of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants (from Hungary and Russia).

Before he was a successful actor, producer and director, he used to be a child performer of the silent era.

After his birth, his entire family moved to Manhattan before Brooklyn, where Norman had been raised.

Was raised nearby the same area as Jonathan Harris.

During the depression, his father Max lost his store and job, which affected Lloyds family economically.

When he was 8, he wanted to be an actor.

Before he was a successful actor he used to be a dancer.

His hobbies include: golfing, dining, tennis, punching ball, playing chess, traveling, dancing and watching movies.

His character of Dr. Daniel Auschlander on "St. Elsewhere" was supposed to stay on for 4 episodes, but with the connection of the show, along with some response from the audience, Lloyd stayed on for additional six seasons, which in turn was the shows ending.

Through mutual friend, Blythe Danner , he was invited to her husbands, Bruce Paltrow s cocktail party one day, and asked him to play one of the lead roles as Dr. Daniel Auschlander in "St. Elsewhere" . Despite Lloyds busy schedule, he accepted the role.

Between fellow actor William Daniels , Edward Asner , Angela Lansbury , Dick Van Dyke , Betty White , Mickey Rooney , Ernest Borgnine , Christopher Lee , Marla Gibbs , Adam West , William Shatner , Larry Hagman , Florence Henderson , Shirley Jones and Alan Alda , Lloyd is (by far) the oldest actor in Hollywood, whos living over 80 without ever either retiring from acting or having stopped getting work.

Is also good friends with Orson Welles , Blythe Danner and John Houseman (who used to be partners with him at a theater).

His idol when he was very young was Charles Chaplin. He would later be friends with him for 30 years until Chaplins death on Christmas Day, 1977.

Worked with Gregory Peck , Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer at the La Jolla Playhouse, as a director, before becoming a successful actor. He made an appearance there.

As a young man, he was apprenticing for his profession under Eva Le Gallienne , she made the suggestion that he take elocution lessons to take all the rough edges off his Brooklyn accent.

Met Alfred Hitchcock through partner John Houseman , who suggested Lloyds name to Hitchcock. The friendship lasted for nearly 40 years until Hitchcocks death on April 29, 1980.

Was earning $23.87 a week in the theater, back in 1936, before marrying Peggy Lloyd.

Attended the same high school as basketball player Jules Bender.

At age 12, he studied with the foremost dance team in America.

Attended New York University.

Despite not attending Harvard University, he was hired from their dramatic society to perform the play "The Bride and the Unicorn.".

Had 2 sisters, Lloyd is the only son.

Is the oldest cast member of "St. Elsewhere" .

His wife Peggy Lloyd died exactly two months after her 75th wedding anniversary with him in 2011. In fact, she died just 16 days after her 98th birthday.

Worked on "St. Elsewhere" , while producing "Tales of the Unexpected" , at the same time.

Worked on a pilot with George Peppard that did not sell.

After Lewis Friedman left PBS, after producing The Scarecrow , Lloyd took over Friedmans duties as the executive producer of the network.

Met Blythe Danner while working on a TV movie Invitation to a March .

Met his wife, actress Peggy Lloyd , while both were co-starring in the play "Crime" by Elia Kazan.

Later dropped out of New York University, much to his fathers dismay, and began going on auditions as a stage actor.

When he went back to New York, he eventually got a job directing industrial films for $150 a week, this was before he came back to Los Angeles.

Moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1942, at the time, he was working at Universal Studios.

Got the job as producer of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" with the encouragement of his best friend Alfred Hitchcock.

Would frequently visit Karl Malden s house until his death in 2009.

Remains good friends with Howie Mandel and David Morse , during and after "St. Elsewhere" .

Became lifelong friends to Bruce Paltrow s and Blythe Danner s children, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Paltrow , since birth.

Met Bernard Herrmann while working on a CBS radio broadcast around 1937, before they both had a falling out with each other and best friend Alfred Hitchcock.

Partnered with John Houseman at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles, California, where the play was first performed, but he did not put up the money to produce this play.

He was very angry at the way he was depicted as a character in Robert Kaprows novel, "Me And Orson Welles", and also by the later movie version, in which he is played by Leo Bill.

Before Jean Renoir s death, he was too ill to direct the play "Carola," and so he asked Lloyd to take over as director.

Dr. Daniel Auschlander, his character on "St. Elsewhere" was originally from New York, as was Lloyd in real-life.

Acting mentor and friends of Ed Begley Jr. , David Morse and Howie Mandel.

Best friend of Harry Morgan and Ed Flanders.

Began his show "St. Elsewhere" at age 67.

At age 19, Lloyd was hired to work at the Harvard Dramatics Society, where he was cast in the play, Bride of the Unicorn..

Father of Josie Lloyd.

Has 2 grandchildren.

Acting ran in his family.

An avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

Used to play tennis with Joseph Cotten.

Turned down directorial projects to star in "St. Elsewhere" .

His daughter, Josie Lloyd , worked on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" with him.

Lives in Brentwood, California.

Met James Best on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" . They began a lifelong friendship, until Bests death in 2015.

When Lloyd was 11 years old, an avid baseball fan, he watched Babe Ruth in the 1926 World Series.

Through his ex- "St. Elsewhere" co-star, Jennifer Savidge , who played one of his medical partners in the series, Lloyd is also very good friends with her husband Robert Fuller.

Met a young, unfamiliar actress, Jennifer Savidge at the Hollywood Television Theater, before she co-starred on "St. Elsewhere" , opposite Lloyd, as his nurse.

Met a young, struggling unfamiliar actor Ed Begley Jr. , on an episode of "Tales of the Unexpected" , before he co-starred on "St. Elsewhere" , opposite Lloyd, as one of the young interns.

Met Charlotte Rae in the Broadway play, Golden Apple. Later, he was reunited on an episode with her on "St. Elsewhere" .

Attributes his longevity and good health to fitness from his lifelong love of tennis playing.

Had appeared in almost every episode of "St. Elsewhere" , 2 episodes above Ed Flanders (who left the show in 1987, and made guest appearances in the sixth and final season).

On his 100th birthday, the Los Angeles City Council declared it as Norman Lloyd Day. (8 November 2014).

His ex- "St. Elsewhere" , co-stars, Ed Begley Jr. , Jennifer Savidge , Stephen Furst , David Morse and Howie Mandel , were amongst the people who attended his 100th birthday party. Also at the party, Savidges husband Robert Fuller and James Best attended, as well.

With the death of Olaf Pooley on July 14, 2015, he is the oldest surviving "Star Trek" cast member. He played Professor Richard Galen in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" {The Chase } . On November 8, 2016, he became the first "Star Trek" actor to celebrate his 102nd birthday.

After Viola Kates Stimpson , Ellen Albertini Dow and Olaf Pooley , he was the fourth "Star Trek" cast member to reach the age of 100.

Norman Lloyd was 100 years old while filming his supporting role in the 2015 Judd Apatow / Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck. Lloyd said in several interviews (including the London Telegraphs and the New Jersey Star-Ledgers) that Trainwreck was the first project in his whole career that he had ever had to improvise during a performance. Although Lloyd did not exactly have to audition for the movie, he did meet Apatow for lunch to discuss the role. Lloyd claimed that Apatow was surprised that Lloyd, then 99, had driven himself to the appointment; Apatow offered to walk with him two blocks back to his car. Lloyd surmised that the walk back to his car was part of the job interview, confirming to Apatow that he was ambulatory. Apatow later expressed his amazement at Lloyds independence, observing that he flew to New York and arrived on set alone, never asked for special services, and never needed to take breaks during filming.

When I see that I mourn for my lost hair. It was red.

[1979] Milly remains to this day, a rebel.

[who steadfastly believed that Hollywood Television Theater presented,better drama than what was seen in the dark ages] We have better,writers - Miller, Fry, Faulkner, Bagnold, Shaw, Ibsen. Not only is the,writing as good or better, but we can deal with more daring material.

[who played somebody else other than that of Dr. Daniel Auschlander on,St. Elsewhere] I saw him instead as a man of some intellectual power.

We were naive, but you need a kind of naivet to keep up that level of,energy. And you knew you were reaching people. The ticket prices were,kept low -- I remember playing the Biltmore, with an 85-cent top -- and,people would come in who had never been in a theater in their life.

[1978] I felt it would make a great musical. So, with all those thought,in mind, I did absolutely nothing - for 10 days. Then I happened to be,a dinner party where Jerry Lawrence was present. I suggested to him,that he and Lee write it as a musical for the Hollywood Musical,Theatre.

What they did was take a radio studio and simply put the sets up against,the wall. On this wall, they put a set, and maybe had room for another.

Hitch brought that from silent films.

[on his popularity of playing the seventy-something Dr. Daniel,Auschlander on St. Elsewhere]: The style was interesting in that the,equipment that finally arrived at the point- like Panavision hand held-,you could do wonderful things. We used to say that the strength of the,show was in the corridors of the hospital. As soon as it went away from,the hospital it got, in my view, a little shaky. But as long as it was,in the hospital it was dynamite, because they dealt with subjects that,had never been dealt with before. And in the corridors, particularly,with these hand held cameras, the moving shots, and then going into,these rooms and out of the rooms gave the [show] a very alive style.

[1996] . . . And he met the right people. He was one of the right people.

I always felt it was necessary to keep up some kind of communication with other people.

The Depression was remarkable because you had nothing, and the salaries, when you got a job, were very small. But you could do anything. You see, a donut was ten cents. A cup of coffee was a nickel. That was lunch, with an apple. And I would be playing a lead on a Broadway show on that kind of diet.

I very much admired Lancaster. George Clooney reminds me of him today. Not all the macho, swinging around that Burt used to do, but the courage. You know where you stand with men like that. .