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Jack Klugman Quotes

Film actor

Jack Klugman was an American film actor best known for his role as a doctor in the television series 'ER'. He also had a successful career in film and television during the 1950s and 1960s.

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All Acting Voice Careers Easy Horse My Best Friend Select Strong World Years

Famous Jack Klugman Quotes

“Fred Silverman, the head of ABC, he offered me a lot of comedy series but I told him I'd already been the best comedy series around, "The Odd Couple," and so when he saw that I did Quincy he called my agent and said, Jack turns me down? All my good series and he ends up playing an undertaker." And this was the HEAD of ABC series.”

Comedy Couple Odd Undertaker

Author:Jack Klugman

“I know know why ... if something not broke, don't fix it. Twelve Angry Men was the perfect movie. The cast was just the best cast you could possibly get together. The director was Sidney Lumet, the best director around. So why they made the remake I don't know.”

Men Together Perfect Broke

Author:Jack Klugman

“I love the theater. I love the rehearsals. That's where you build a performance. That's your foundation. If you're gonna build a house, you start with the foundation. That makes the house strong. That's the way I build a character, from the foundation out.”

Character House Strong

Author:Jack Klugman

“We learned out craft. Acting is a craft and you must learn it. I see a lot of talent today in the kids but they don't know how to work. They don't know the craft of acting and you can only get that on the stage in theater. You cannot learn how to act in movies or in television.”

Kids Today Acting Talent

Author:Jack Klugman

“Time is very important to art and if you don't have the time to select, art goes out the window.”

Art Important Window Select

Author:Jack Klugman

“The only tool we have as artists is selectivity. If you're a painter, you select the color, the lines, how severe they should be. As an actor you develop how angry you should be. You select how angry you should be. You listen to the other actor and then you react. In film, sometimes the other actor isn't even there. You have to play the scene. What I do is I call on my experience on the stage. I play the scene and I hope that I reach a certain level of integrity because that's what I learned on the stage.”

Sometimes Film Artist Integrity Scene Painter Select

Author:Jack Klugman

“I'm 83 and a half years old and I feel fine. I feel like a teenager but I'm unable to do a lot of the things that I used to do but I enjoy life to the fullest.”

Enjoy Teenager Enjoy Life

Author:Jack Klugman

“Acting became my best friend. When I auditioned to get into college, the teacher said you belong here, Mr. Klugman, and to hear that word belong - I never belonged anywhere before - and suddenly I belonged in acting and it was so comfortable and I loved it.”

Acting Teacher College My Best Friend

Author:Jack Klugman

“There was no sacrifice in acting for me, even when I was starving in New York. I went three days without eating. Charlie Bronson and I sold blood for $5 so that we could eat.”

Acting Sacrifice Eating

Author:Jack Klugman

“I was happy because I was acting. Most of the time for nothing. But I was learning and to learn that you can learn opens up the world for you.”

World Acting

Author:Jack Klugman

“I love the theater because I love the live audience and when we went three cameras we have a live audience in the study so we had someone to play to and react to. That laughter.”

Audience Study Laughter

Author:Jack Klugman

“Walter Matthau made all the big money and he was wonderful as Oscar Madison on the stage. You couldn't beat him. I know because I replaced him on Broadway. He was just delightful.”

Wonderful Replaced

Author:Jack Klugman

“I always loved to gamble. I never got close to a horse. Fate dealt me a terrible blow when it gave me a good horse the first time out. I thought how easy this is. Now I love being around them.”

Firsts Easy Fate Terrible First Time Horse Blow Gamble Good Horse

Author:Jack Klugman

“Some days when I start to talk, my voice isnt strong. But then it warms up.”

Strong Voice

Author:Jack Klugman

“Suddenly it was gone. I'd lost more than my voice and my career. I'd lost my best friend.”

Lost Voice Careers Gone My Best Friend Lost My Best Friend

Author:Jack Klugman

“I was at the pinnacle of my career one day and the next day I was put out to pasture. I felt like a race horse with a broken leg.”

Next Felt Race Careers Broken Promise One Day Horse Legs Broken Heart Next Day Broken Promises Pastures Pinnacle Race Horses Broken Leg

Author:Jack Klugman

“Poverty can teach lessons that privilege cannot.”

Poverty Teach Lessons Privilege

Author:Jack Klugman

“Now I have the voice of a 16-year-old. I'm looking for a doctor who could give me the body of a 16-year-old.”

Giving Years Body Voice Doctors Give Me Doctor Who

Author:Jack Klugman

“We treat old people so badly. There is nothing easy about 80.”

People Easy Treats Old People

Author:Jack Klugman

“I saw John Garfield smoke. He was my idol, so I smoked. I even smoked like him.”

Saws Smoke Idols Garfield

Author:Jack Klugman

“A world without Tony Randall is a world that I cannot recognize.”

World

Author:Jack Klugman

“For 50 years, acting was the reason I got up in the morning.”

Years Reason Acting Morning

Author:Jack Klugman

About the Author

Born: April 27, 1922
Died: December 24, 2012
Known for: Film actor
Quotes: 22

Books & Sources

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