Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby, December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor. He is best known for his performances in "12 Angry Men" (1957), "On the Waterfront" (1954), and "The Exorcist" (1973). He also played the role of Willy Loman in the original Broadway production of Arthur Miller's 1949 play "Death of a Salesman" under the direction of Elia Kazan. On television, Cobb starred in the first four seasons of the Western series "The Virginian". He typically played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but often had roles as respectable figures such as judges and
Willy Loman sudden realization that he is over the hill and does so with a fantasy world in which he remains important. "The Huffington Post"'s theater critic, Wilborn Hampton, describes the role as "one of the most complicated characters in dramatic literature", making it a draw for the great actors. The play is a statement on the idea that a man is valued by his position in life. Loman never matures enough to realize that being popular without any substance or skill is meaningless in the end and Miller uses Loman to make his point against the anti-intellectualists. In the end, Loman