Painting by Zero Mostel on Wood, Framed. 20" x 17"
Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. His dream was to be a painter, and he worked for the WPA as an artist and museum tour guide. During his museum tours, he would blast off into bizarre improvisations, pretending to be Picasso or a coffee percolator. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version of Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967). Mostel was a student of Don Richardson, and he used an acting technique based on muscle memory.
Mostel was an Obie Award and three-time Tony Award winner. He is also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, inducted posthumously in 1979.
