Vic Tayback

Victor Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor, known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and its television adaptation, Alice, which ran from 1976 to 1985.

Life and career
Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Helen (née Hanood) and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. Tayback moved with his family to Burbank, California, during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School. He ended up living in the area for the rest of his life, eventually moving to nearby Glendale, California, where he resided until his death.

A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, Tayback was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series as a character actor. Two notable appearances were in the "Et tu, Archie?" fourth-season episode of All in the Family as Archie's old friend, Joe Tucker, and as the 1920s-style gangster-boss Jojo Krako in the Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action".

Tayback's most famous role was diner owner Mel Sharples in both the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the television series, Alice, which ran from 1976 to 1985. He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role in the series.

Filmography

 * The Power of the Resurrection (1958) – Simon the Canaanite
 * T-Bird Gang (1959) – Cop #1 at gas station
 * Gangster Story (1959) – Norm, Resort Guard (uncredited)
 * North to Alaska (1960) – Roustabout (uncredited)
 * Five Minutes to Live (1961) – Fred Dorella
 * Surftide 77 (1962) – Arms
 * Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) – European Agent (uncredited)
 * Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) – Cye (uncredited)
 * Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) – Denver Police Detective Merchant (uncredited)
 * Gambit (1966) – Plainclothes Officer at TWA Counter (uncredited)
 * With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) – Truck Driver
 * Bullitt (1968) – Pete Ross
 * Blood and Lace (1971) – Calvin Carruthers
 * Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972) – Ganucci Strong-Arm Man (uncredited)
 * Maxie (1973) – Smedke
 * Emperor of the North Pole (1973) – Yardman
 * The Blue Knight (1973) – Neil Grogan
 * The Don Is Dead (1973) – Ralph Negri
 * Papillon (1973) – Sergeant
 * Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) – Mario Pinski
 * The Gambler (1974) – One
 * Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) – Mel
 * Report to the Commissioner (1975) – Lt. Seidensticker
 * Lepke (1975) – Lucky Luciano
 * The Black Bird (1975) – Warren Finley, Police Lieutenant
 * No Deposit, No Return (1976) – Big Joe
 * The Big Bus (1976) – Goldie
 * Special Delivery (1976) – Wyatt
 * Mansion of the Doomed (1976) – Detective Simon
 * The Shaggy D.A. (1976) – Eddie Roschak
 * The Choirboys (1977) – Zoony
 * The Cheap Detective (1978) – Lt. DiMaggio
 * Treasure Island (1985) – Silver
 * Weekend Warriors (1986) – Sgt. Burdge
 * The Underachievers (1987) – Coach
 * Loverboy (1989) – Harry Bruckner
 * Criminal Act (1989) – The Exterminator (Greengrass)
 * Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989) – Lou
 * All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) – Carface (voice)
 * Horseplayer (1990) – George Samsa

Television

 * Alice as Mel Sharples
 * Griff as Captain Barney Marcus. Series starred Lorne Greene in title role and Ben Murphy
 * Khan! as Lt. Gubbins
 * All Dogs Go to Heaven as Carface Caruthers (replaced by Ernest Borgnine in All Dogs Go to Heaven 2)


 * Buckskin (Episode: "The Battle of Gabe Pruitt") – Claude
 * Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Episode: "A Man with a Problem") (1958) – Man Talking to Cabdriver


 * 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) (1960) (Episode: Trouble in the Middle East) Bearded Rebel


 * Rawhide (Episode: "The Gray Rock Hotel") (1965) – Monte
 * F Troop (Episode: "Corporal Agarn's Farewell To The Troops") (1965) – Bill Colton
 * The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Episode: "The Re-Collectors Affair") (1965) – Sargent
 * Daniel Boone (Episode: "Onatha") (1966) – Hongas
 * Family Affair (1966 TV series)  (Episode: 8 Season 1 "Who's Afraid of Nural Shpeni?") (1966) - Policeman
 * Get Smart (Episode: "Appointment in Sahara") (1967) – Jamal
 * The Monkees (Episodes: "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers", "Son of a Gypsy" and "Art for Monkees' Sake") (1966–1967) – Chuche / Rocco / George
 * Star Trek: The Original Series (Episode: "A Piece of the Action") (1968) – Jojo Krako
 * The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Episode: "Second Story Story") (1971) – Officer Jackson
 * Bewitched (Episode: "The Good Fairy Strikes Again") (1971) – Officer #1
 * Columbo (Episode: "Suitable for Framing") (1971) – Sam Franklin
 * Arnie (Episode: "Boom or Bust") (1972) – Sergeant
 * The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (Episode: "Is This Operation Necessary?" (1972) – Frank Wells
 * Emergency! (Episode: "Boot") (1973) – truck driver.
 * All in the Family (Episode: "Et Tu, Archie?") (1974) – Joe Tucker
 * Barney Miller (Episode: "Stakeout") (1975) – Mr. Savocheck
 * The Practice (Episode: "The Choice") (1976) – Frankie Nyles
 * Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Episode: 29, Season: 1) (1976)
 * Hawaii Five-O (Episode: "Bones of Contention") (1975–1978) – Martin Lynch / Parmel
 * The Eddie Capra Mysteries (Episode: "How Do I Kill Thee?") (1978) – Logan
 * The Love Boat (Episode: "Friends & Lovers; Sergeant Bull; Miss Mother") (1980) – Sgt. Harry Beluski
 * Flo (Episode: "What Are Friends For?") (1981) – Mel Sharples
 * Fantasy Island (1979–1983, Multiple) – George Walters / Norman Atkins / Chet Nolan / Melvyn Mews
 * T. J. Hooker (Episode: "Hooker's War") (1982) – Lt. Pete Benedict
 * Hotel (Episode: "Relative Loss") (1983) – Wallace Egan
 * Finder of Lost Loves (Episode: "Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot") (1984) – Thomas Velasco
 * Murder, She Wrote (Episode: "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder") (1986) – Sal Domino
 * Crazy Like a Fox (1986)
 * The Love Boat (1977–1987, Multiple) – Himself / Jack Hamilton / Shelley Sommers / 'Dutch' Boden / Sgt. Harry Beluski / Harry Stewart
 * Adderly (1987) – Gregorin
 * Tales from the Darkside (Episodes: "The New Man", (as Alan Coombs) and "Basher Malone" (as Tippy Ryan) Season 4, 1988)
 * MacGyver (1990, Episode: "Jenny's Chance") – George Henderson (final television appearance)

Director

 * Alice (Ep: "Alice Faces the Music")

Death
Tayback died of a heart attack in 1990 and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Tayback was survived by his wife Sheila, whom he married in 1962. They had one son, Christopher Tayback, who briefly acted before attending law school.