Ned Glass

Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. Notable roles he portrayed included Doc in West Side Story (1961) and Gideon in Charade (1963). Short and bald, with a slight hunch to his shoulders, he was immediately recognizable by his distinct appearance, his nasal voice, and his pronounced New York City accent. Early life Glass was born in Radom, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a Jewish family. He emigrated to the United States at an early age and grew up in New York City. He attended City College. Career Glass worked in vaudeville, and appeared on Broadway in 1931 in the Elmer Rice play Counsellor-at-Law. He continued to act and direct on Broadway until 1936, when he was signed as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player. He made his first film appearance in 1937 with an uncredited role in True Confession, and his first credited film appearance came in two episodes of the serial Dick Tracy Returns (1938). Beginning in 1937, Glass worked regularly in films, helped by friends such as producer John Houseman. He was a frequent member of Columbia Pictures' short subjects dept. roster, and a favorite of directors Jules White and Del Lord. White prominently featured Glass in The Three Stooges' Nutty But Nice and costarred him with Buster Keaton in Mooching Through Georgia. A Toluca Lake neighbor friend of Moe Howard of The Three Stooges, that real-life factoid inspired an untrue myth that Moe arranged for Ned to have parts in the Stooges' films; actually, Moe had minimal-to-zero input into casting. He also appeared in From Nurse to Worse, Three Little Sew and Sews, You Nazty Spy! and I'll Never Heil Again Glass did not appear in any films released between 1942 and 1947, possibly because of military service, but he generally worked in a handful of films almost every year thereafter, playing small roles and bit parts, including additional Three Stooges films Hokus Pokus, Three Hams on Rye and Flagpole Jitters. He was reportedly briefly blacklisted, during which time he found work as a carpenter. Glass appeared uncredited in the 1952 film The Bad and the Beautiful as the costumer for "The Doom of the Cat Men," a purportedly B-picture for Harry Pebbel. Glass began showing up on television in 1952, when he was cast on an episode of The Red Skelton Show.