Biography

Born as Edward Satz in Lwów, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine), the son of a tailor

Tailor

A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...

, he began acting professionally as a child in the theatre, with his first performance being in a production of The Dybbuk. He immigrated to the United States in 1927 with the intent of pursuing a career as an actor. His brother Ludwig Satz

Ludwig Satz

Ludwig Satz was an actor in Yiddish theater and film, best known for his comic roles. A 1925 New York Times article singles him out as the greatest Yiddish comic actor of the time....

 was already working as an actor in New York City before his arrival. Mintz worked as a waiter, a presser and a clothing salesman in New York City until he percurred his first acting jobs within Yiddish theater during the 1930s. He decided to use the stage name Eli Mintz at this time, largely so that his name would be separated from his brother's career.

Mintz's first major break came in 1948 when he was cast as Uncle David in Gertrude Berg

Gertrude Berg

Gertrude Berg was an American actress and screenwriter. A pioneer of classic radio, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her serial comedy-drama The Rise of the Goldbergs , later known as The Goldbergs.-Career:Berg was born...

's Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 play Me and Molly

Me and Molly

Me and Molly is a play by Gertrude Berg which is based on Berg's long running radio drama The Goldbergs. The work premiered on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on February 26, 1948. It closed after 156 performances on July 10, 1948...

. The work was based on the long running radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 drama The Goldbergs

The Goldbergs

The Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio, and from 1949 to 1956 on American television. It was adapted into a 1948 play, Me and Molly, and a 1973 Broadway musical, Molly.-Radio:...

where Menasha Skulnick played the role of Uncle David. Skulnick was unable to reprise his role on the stage, and since he was Mintz's friend, Skulnick recommended that Mintz be given the role. Mintz played the role so admirably that he was asked to play the part in the television adaptation of The Goldbergs which ran from 1949 through 1956. He also portrayed the role in the 1950 movie adaptation.

After the end of the The Goldbergs television series, Mintz remained active as an actor in theatre, television, and film. On Broadway he appeared in The 49th Cousin

The 49th Cousin

The 49th Cousin is a play by Florence Lowe and Caroline Francke. The work premiered on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre on October 26, 1960 and closed after 102 performances on January 21, 1961...

(1960–1961), I Was Dancing

I Was Dancing

I Was Dancing is a play by Edwin O'Connor. The work premiered on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on November 3, 1964 and closed after 21 performances on November 21, 1964. The production was directed by Garson Kanin and starred Orson Bean, David Doyle, Barnard Hughes, Pert Kelton, Burgess Meredith,...

(1964), Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can (play)

Catch Me if You Can is a play by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert that is taken from a French play by Robert Thomas. The work premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on March 2, 1965 and closed after 111 performances on June 5, 1965. The production was directed by Vincent J...

(1965), Jimmy Shine

Jimmy Shine

Jimmy Shine is an American musical with music and lyrics by John Sebastian and a musical book by Murray Schisgal. The plot of the musical centers on its title character who is a struggling artist in Greenwich Village during the 1960s...

(1968–1969), and Molly

Molly (musical)

Molly is a musical with lyrics by Leonard Adelson and Mack David and music by Jerry Livingston. The musical book by Louis Garfinkle and Adelson is based on characters from Gertrude Berg's The Goldbergs. The musical premiered on Broadway on September 27, 1973 at the Alvin Theatre where it ran for a...

(1973). He also appeared in the films The Proud Rebel

The Proud Rebel

The Proud Rebel is a 1958 American film directed by Michael Curtiz with a screenplay by Lillie Hayward that is based on a story by James Edward Grant. The movie is about a former confederate soldier who is falsely accused of starting a brawl in a small town. A local woman comes to his aid, but she...

(1958), Murder, Inc. (1960), Boardwalk

Boardwalk (film)

Boardwalk is a 1979 American drama film written by Stephen Verona and Leigh Chapman and directed by Verona. It stars Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg and Janet Leigh....

(1979), and Stardust Memories

Stardust Memories

Stardust Memories is a 1980 film written and directed by Woody Allen, who considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo and Match Point. The film is shot in black-and-white, particularly reminiscent of Federico Fellini's 8½ , which it parodies...

(1980). His television credits include appearances on The Doctor

The Doctor (1952 TV series)

The Doctor is a half-hour medical anthology series that aired Sunday evenings on the NBC television network from 1952-1953. Hosted by Warner Anderson, the program revolved around emotional problems stemming from medical cases rather than the medical case itself. The show is notable for having Rod...

(1953), Kraft Television Theatre

Kraft Television Theatre

Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series that began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J...

(1953–1954), Studio One (1951–1955), Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...

(1957), I Spy

I Spy (1955 TV series)

I Spy is an American television series created by Edward J. Montagne and Phil Reisman Jr. and made by Rean Productions, Inc. andGuild Films. It ran from 1955-1956 for a total of 39 episodes and starred Raymond Massey as Anton, the Spymaster....

(1957), Lamp Unto My Feet

Lamp Unto My Feet

Lamp Unto My Feet is an American religious television program that was produced by CBS and broadcast on Sunday mornings from 1948 to 1979.-Overview:...

(1958), Play of the Week

Play of the Week

Play of the Week is an American anthology series of televised stage plays which aired in NTA Film Network syndication from October 12, 1959 to May 1, 1961...

(1960), Naked City

Naked City (TV series)

Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....

(1962), The United States Steel Hour

The United States Steel Hour

The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....

(1962), and Ben Casey

Ben Casey

Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...

(1962) among others. In 1980 he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award

Daytime Emmy Award

The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...

 for his portrayal of the recurring character of Locksmith on the soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 All My Children

All My Children

All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

.

Mintz had two daughters, Leona Schwartz and Iva Loftman, with his wife Hasha. They also had four grandchildren: Adam and Elena Loftman and Paulette and Monica Schwartz. He died of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

 at Point Pleasant Hospital in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Point Pleasant is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 18,392...

, aged 83. He was a resident of Brick Township, New Jersey

Brick Township, New Jersey

-Transportation:The major county routes that pass through are CR 528, and CR 549 . Two state routes pass through: Route 70 and Route 88...

.

External links