Joshua Shelley (born Joshua Kurzweil; January 27, 1920 – February 16, 1990) was one of the actors blacklisted by movie studios as a result of the House Un-American Activities Committee's (HUAC) investigation of the Communist Party in Hollywood in 1952. He did not begin to again work regularly in Hollywood until 1973 when his career restarted.
Career A member of The Actors Studio from its inception in 1947, Shelley worked frequently on stage, both on and off Broadway, during his Hollywood exile. Shelley's onscreen work, both pre- and post-blacklist, was confined primarily to television. Nonetheless, two career highlights remain Shelley's enthusiastically received 1949 feature film debut in City Across the River,Cohen, Harold V.: "The New Film: Bad Boys Again In 'City Across River' At Harris". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 9, 1949.Januzzi, Gene: "Local Scrapping". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 20, 1949.Ward, Henry: "New Faces Show Up In Movies: Unknowns Click With Customers". The Pittsburgh Press. August 14, 1949"Oakdale Theater Report: Josh Shelley Scores; Real Broadway Talent" The Bridgeport Sunday Herald. July 11, 1954. as well as the blacklist-related 1976 film, The Front, notable for reuniting Shelley with several fellow blacklistees, including cast members Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, and Lloyd Gough, screenwriter Walter Bernstein and director Martin Ritt, the latter also a fellow Actors Studio member.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1949 City Across the River Theodore 'Crazy' Perrin 1949 Yes Sir, That's My Baby Arnold Schultze 1974 The Front Page Cab Driver 1975 Funny Lady Painter 1975 The Apple Dumpling Gang Phil 'Broadway Phil' 1976 All the President's Men Al Lewis 1976 The Front Sam 1980 Little Miss Marker Benny 1986 Quicksilver 'Shorty'
References
External links
Joshua Shelley at the Internet Off-Broadway Database