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
Death of a Salesman (1966 U.S. film) Linda Loman from the original 1949 stage production. "Playbill" markets this version of the play as an "abbreviated" one. Although the performance is abridged, it was adapted for television by Miller himself, meaning that not much substance was lost in the changes. The production was filmed after several weeks of rehearsals. It was a 1966 CBS television adaptation, which included Gene Wilder, James Farentino, Bernie Kopell and George Segal. Cobb was nominated for an Emmy Award for the performance. Mildred Dunnock, who had co-starred in both the original stage version and the 1951 film version, again repeated her role as