Sam Levene

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Russian-born Sam Levene (August 28, 1905 - December 28, 1980) was an American Broadway and movie actor. Levene appeared in several Broadway plays and musicals in the 1930s. In the mid 30s, Levene moved to Hollywood to re-create his stage role in the movie Three Men on a Horse (1936). Soon after that he appeared in the movie After the Thin Man (1936).

He also appeared in many film noir classics including The Killers (1946 film), Brute Force and Crossfire (1947 movie). Levene made 36 films in his long Hollywood career.

Levene was nominated for Broadway's 1961 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for The Devil's Advocate. Although not a good singer, he can be heard on the original cast recording of the musical Guys and Dolls. His solo number, "Sue Me," was written in one octave to compensate for his lack of singing ability. The part he played in Guys and Dolls on Broadway was given to Frank Sinatra for the movie version. Levene also starred in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys.

Levene's last film role was in the courtroom drama ...And Justice for All (1979). Levene, who was Jewish,^{[citation needed]} died of a heart attack in 1980.