Vic Tayback

Victor E. Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples on the television sitcom Alice (1976–1985), as well as his multiple guest appearances on The Love Boat (1977–1987). The former earned him two consecutive Golden Globe Awards (for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series) and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Vic Tayback
Tayback in 1976
Born	(1930-01-06)January 6, 1930 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 25, 1990(1990-05-25) (aged 60) Glendale, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Alma mater	Glendale Community College Actors Studio
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955–1990
Known for	Alice The Love Boat
Spouse	Sheila Maureen Barnard ​ ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	1

Early life

Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Syrian immigrant parents Helen (née Hanood) and Najeeb James Tayback. Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from Aleppo.^[1][2] He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1947. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting.^[3]

Career

Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio,^[4] he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Bonanza, Here Come the Brides, That Girl , Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, All in the Family, Fantasy Island, Columbo, and The Love Boat. He also appeared in many films such as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including Twelve Angry Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He was the co-founder of the theater troupe Company of Angels.

Tayback's most famous role was diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series Alice (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series.^[5] For the role, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 1980 and 1981.

Personal life

Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had a son, Christopher (born 1963), who is a business trial lawyer and former prosecutor.

Death

Tayback died of a heart attack at age 60 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center on May 25, 1990.^[6][7][8] He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

Filmography

Film

• The Power of the Resurrection (1958) – Simon the Canaanite
• T-Bird Gang (1959) – Cop #1 at gas station
• Gangster Story (1959) – Norm, Resort Guard (uncredited)
• North to Alaska (1960) – Roustabout (uncredited)
• Five Minutes to Live (1961) – Fred Dorella
• With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) – Truck Driver
• Bullitt (1968) – Pete Ross
• Blood and Lace (1971) – Calvin Carruthers
• Emperor of the North Pole (1973) – Yardman
• The Blue Knight (1973) – Neil Grogan
• The Don Is Dead (1973) – Ralph Negri
• Papillon (1973) – Sergeant
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) – Mario Pinski
• The Gambler (1974) – One
• Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) – Mel
• Report to the Commissioner (1975) – Lieutenant Seidensticker
• Lepke (1975) – Lucky Luciano
• No Deposit, No Return (1976) – Big Joe
• The Big Bus (1976) – Goldie
• Special Delivery (1976) – Wyatt
• Mansion of the Doomed (1976) – Detective Simon
• The Shaggy D.A. (1976) – Eddie Roschak
• The Choirboys (1977) – Zoony
• The Cheap Detective (1978) – Lieutenant DiMaggio
• Treasure Island (1985) – Silver
• Weekend Warriors (1986) – Sergeant Burdge
• The Underachievers (1987) – Coach
• Loverboy (1989) – Harry Bruckner
• Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989) – Lou
• All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) – Carface Caruthers (voice)
• Horseplayer (1990) - George Samsa (Final film role)

Television

• Alice (1976-1985) as Mel Sharples
• Griff as Captain Barney Marcus. Series starred Lorne Greene in title role and Ben Murphy
• Khan! as Lieutenant Gubbins
• I Dream Of Jeannie as Turhan In the episode "This Is Murder"
• Buckskin (Episode: "The Battle of Gabe Pruitt") – Claude
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 4 Episode 7: "A Man with a Problem") (1958) – Man Talking to Cab Driver
• 77 Sunset Strip (1960) (Episode: Trouble in the Middle East) Bearded Rebel
• Rawhide (Episode: "The Gray Rock Hotel") (1965) – Monte
• F Troop (Episode: "Corporal Agarn's Farewell To The Troops") (1965) – Bill Colton
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Episode: "The Re-Collectors Affair") (1965) – Sargent
• Daniel Boone (Episode: "Onatha") (1966) – Hongas
• Family Affair (Episode: 8 Season 1 "Who's Afraid of Nural Shpeni?") (1966) - Policeman
• Gunsmoke (Episode: "Ladies From St. Louis") (1967) – Gaines
• Get Smart (Episode: "Appointment in Sahara") (1967) – Jamal
• The Monkees (Episodes: "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers") (1966–1967) - George
• The Monkees (1966) – Rocco in S1:E16, "Son of a Gypsy"
• The Monkees (1967) – Chuche in S2:E5, "Art, for Monkees' Sake"
• Here Come the Brides (recurring logger) (1968-1970)
• Star Trek: The Original Series (Episode: "A Piece of the Action") (1968) – Jojo Krako
• That Girl (1968) (Season 3 Episode 12) - Max
• Lancer (Episode: "Devil's Blessing") (1969) - Porter
• The Bill Cosby Show (Episode: "The Fatal Phone Call") (1969) - Calvin
• Bonanza (Episode 358 "Caution, Easter Bunny Crossing". Season 11 Episode 25) (1970) - Everett Gaskell
• The Partridge Family (Episode: Danny & The Mob) 1971
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Episode: "Second Story Story") (1971) – Officer Jackson
• Bewitched (Episode: "The Good Fairy Strikes Again") (1971) – Officer #1
• Columbo (Episode: "Suitable for Framing") (1971) – Sam Franklin
• The F.B.I. (Episode: "The Natural") (1971) - Ed Larch
• The F.B.I. (Episode: "Dark Journey") (1972) - Neil Parks
• Gunsmoke (Episode: "The Fugitives S18E7") (1972)- Bill Hankins
• Arnie (Episode: "Boom or Bust") (1972) – Sergeant
• The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (Episode: "Is This Operation Necessary?") (1972) – Frank Wells
• Emergency! (Episode: "Boot") (1973) – Truck Driver.
• All in the Family (Episode: "Et Tu, Archie?") (1974) – Joe Tucker
• Barney Miller (Episode: "Stakeout", "The Social Worker") (1975) – Mr. Savocheck / Master Forger
• The Practice (Episode: "The Choice") (1976) – Frankie Nyles
• Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Episode: 29, Season: 1) (1976)
• Hawaii Five-O (Episode: "Bones of Contention" ; "Angel in Blue") (1975–1978) – Martin Lynch / Parmel
• The Eddie Capra Mysteries (Episode: "How Do I Kill Thee?") (1978) – Logan
• $weepstake$ (Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore") (1979) – Sergeant Yarbrough
• The Love Boat (Episode: "Friends & Lovers; Sergeant Bull; Miss Mother") (1980) – Sergeant Harry Beluski
• Flo (Episode: "What Are Friends For?") (1981) – Mel Sharples
• Fantasy Island (1979–1983, Multiple) – George Walters / Laura Walters / Norman Atkins / Chet Nolan / Melvyn Mews
• T. J. Hooker (Episode: "Hooker's War") (1982) – ieutenant Pete Benedict
• Hotel (Episode: "Relative Loss") (1983) – Wallace Egan
• Finder of Lost Loves (Episode: "Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot") (1984) – Thomas Velasco
• Murder, She Wrote (Episode: "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder") (1986) – Sal Domino
• Crazy Like a Fox (1986)
• The Love Boat (1977–1987, Multiple) – Himself / Jack Hamilton / Shelley Sommers / 'Dutch' Boden / Sergeant Harry Beluski / Harry Stewart
• Adderly (1987) – Gregorin
• Tales from the Darkside (Episodes: "The New Man", (as Alan Coombs) Season 1, 1984, and "Basher Malone" (as Tippy Ryan) Season 4, 1988)
• MacGyver (1990, Episode: "Jenny's Chance") – George Henderson (final television appearance)

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Work	Result
Golden Globe Award	1980	Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series	Alice	Won
	1981	Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film		Won
	1982	Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award	1978	Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated

References

1. Oliver, Myrna (1990-05-26). "Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
2. "TV'S 'MEL' DIES OF HEART ATTACK". Greensboro News and Record. 1990-05-25. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
3. "VIC TAYBACK, WHO PLAYED MEL IN 'ALICE' TV SERIES, DIES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
4. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-0254-2650-4.
5. Diane Ladd joined Alice mid-series playing a different character and Alfred Lutter reprised his film role as Tommy for the pilot episode only .
6. Oliver, Myrna (May 26, 1990). "Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
7. "Vic Tayback Dies; Actor, 60, Was Mel In the 'Alice' Series". The New York Times. May 26, 1990. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
8. "Vic Tayback, Who Played Mel In 'Alice' TV Series, Dies". The Washington Post. May 26, 1990. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

Further reading

Putt, Jr., Barry M. (2019). Alice: Life Behind the Counter in Mel's Greasy Spoon (A Guide to the Feature Film, the TV Series, and More). Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629334264.

See also

• Syrian Americans in New York City

External links

• Vic Tayback biography, as cast member from "Alice"
• Vic Tayback at IMDb
• at the TCM Movie Database
• Vic Tayback at AllMovie
• Vic Tayback at Rotten Tomatoes
• Vic Tayback at Find a Grave
• Vic Tayback at Memory Alpha