Ron Leibman

Born: October 1937
Where: New York, USA

Leibman had the dubious claim to fame of making his feature debut as a gorilla-dressing brother in Carl Reiner's Where's Poppa?

Although excelling as quirky, explosive, often Jewish, types his film career has been disappointing although he has been prominent on stage and TV since the 1960s.

Known primarily as the union organizer Ruben Warshawsky in Martin Ritt's Norma Rae, he also created his own Emmy-winning role in Kaz.

Noted movie parts include David Greenberg, the real-life street cop who formed half of the team nicknamed The Super Cops in 1973 and as the smarmy antagonist in Rhinestone.

He starred in Arthur Hiller's mistitled Romantic Comedy and was the commandant of a military school in the lame teen farce Up the Academy from which he attempted to have his name removed from the credits.

The exceptions were the Australian-made horse racing saga Phar Lap and Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan in which he played an ambitious district attorney.

In general, Leibman has found his talents unrewarded in Hollywood, but he has kept busy onstage in the modestly successful Neil Simon comedies I Ought to Be in Pictures and Rumors.

Recently, he has rekindled his big screen career with parts in Personal Velocity, Dummy and Auto Focus.