Cobb, Lee J.

Cobb, Lee J.,

1911–76, American actor, b. New York City. He first performed with the Pasadena (Calif.) Playhouse in 1929 and made his Broadway debut in Crime and Punishment (1935). Cobb created the role of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (1948–49; repeated for television in 1965). He performed Shakespeare in New York, including The Merchant of Venice and King Lear. A burly, powerful actor, he became a valuable supporting player in films, including On the Waterfront (1954), Twelve Angry Men (1957), The Brothers Karamazov (1958), and The Exorcist (1973).