The Val Avery Centennial

Born 100 years ago today: Armenian-American character actor Val Avery (Sebouh Der Abrahamian, 1924-2009).

Avery’s family was among the persecuted Armenian minority in Ottoman Turkey. He grew up in West Philadelphia, participating in plays with Armenian youth groups, then studying acting at the professional level at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama following his World War 2 service. His first screen credit was in the 1949 film Rope of Sand. In 1953, he married stage, screen and radio star Margot Stevenson, best known for playing Margo Lane onThe Shadow opposite Orson Welles. Stevenson robbed the cradle! She was a dozen years Avery’s senior.

A large rough-hewn man, Avery quickly carved out a niche for himself playing tough-guy roles, plainclothesmen, Mafiosi, bartenders, and the like, and was frequently cast in gritty urban crime dramas and westerns. He was especially known for his long term association with John Cassavetes, acting in his films Too Late Blues (1961), Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), and Gloria (1980) as well as five episodes of his TV series Johnny Staccato. Being in the Cassavetes fold also meant friendship with Peter Falk (he made memorable appearances in four episodes of Columbo) and Ben Gazzara (who directed one of those episodes). In 1975 he was in discussions to appear on Broadway with Gazzara in a bill of one-acts written by fellow Armenian William Saroyan. He later starred in the play Saroyan had written for him, called Havoc, in summer stock. Avery was also tight with fellow Armenians Mike Connors (appearing in four episodes of his TV show Mannix), and Arlene Francis.

Avery played supporting roles in a long list of modern classic movies over a five decade career, including The Harder They Fall (1956), The Long Hot Summer (1958), King Creole (1958), The Magnificent Seven (1960),Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Hud (1963), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), Papillon (1973), Lucky Lady (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), The Amittyville Horror (1979), Brubaker (1980), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Donnie Brasco (1997), and dozens of others. He’s in the blaxploitation film Black Caesar (1973) and in comedies like Cheech and Chong’sUp in Smoke (1978) and Rodney Dangerfield’sEasy Money (1983).

Odd Couple fans will remember him as the dentist who invents a flawed super-glue out of barnacles; I’m guessing that Avery was also a pal of Jack Klugman’s, as he also appeared in four episodes of Quincy. While Avery was in a long list of notable movies, folks of a certain age may recognize him above all from his many tv guest shots on cop shows, western series, and the like. In addition to what we named, he had a recurring role on Barnaby Jones, and was on Ironside,Cannon,Kojak,Starsky and Hutch, and all the rest.

One of Avery’s more notable roles was in one of his lesser known movies. In 1982 he appeared with fellow Armenian-American Eddie Mekka in Assignment Berlin. In this film, Avery played the real life historical figure Talaat Pasha, one of the architects of the Armenian genocide that killed his own grandfather. Serious actors tend to be proudest of coups like this, roles that require transcending your own point of view in order to objectively represent a character. It’s kind of a flex. It doesn’t imply approval of the character; it’s simply a kind of triumph to be able to set aside your own personality and adopt someone else’s.

Avery’s last role was in the French acid western Blueberry (2009) starring Vincent Cassel (son of Avery’s old Cassavetes cohort Seymour), Michael Madsen, Juliette Lewis, Eddie Izzard, and Ernest Borgnine. His daughter, actress Margot Avery, carries on the family tradition.