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 (1951 film) no involvement with or control over the movie. Benedek also stressed the dreary, middle class setting of the film, using small rooms and gray shots. Though the film won over many film critics and received nominations for many awards, it was a box office failure. The subject matter, the failure of the American dream, did not appeal to many of the era's moviegoers. Miller himself denounced the adaptation of his play, claiming the actors all sounded like "Willy Loman with a diploma, fat with their success". He also claimed that, though he wrote the play cinematically, Benedek managed to "chop