Joseph Wiseman, the actor who played Dr. No in the James Bond film of the same name, has died. He was 91.
Joseph Wiseman was a longtime stage and screen actor. His best known role, however, remained Dr. No. This was not just the first in the seemingly endless string of James Bond movies, Dr. No was the first on-screen James Bond arch-villain as well.
Dr. No starred the original James Bond, Sean Connery, as well as Ursula Andress as the first Bond beauty. Unfortunately, Joseph Wiseman didn't want his actor status to be relegated to being known as a movie villain.
Joseph Wiseman, actor, was far more than Dr. No. Wiseman, Canadian-born had already had appeared on Broadway several times and in films such as "Viva Zapata!" when he was cast as 007's arch-foe.
In fact, as is frequently the case with such roles, Joseph Wiseman, actor, felt he became best known as Joseph Wiseman, Dr. No. In 1992 he told the LA Times, "I had no idea it would achieve the success it did. As far as I was concerned, I thought it might be just another grade-B Charlie Chan mystery."
Yes, unfortunately Dr. No was one of those "he's an Asian villain but we'll place a Caucasian (Joseph Wiseman) actor in the role" type of movie characters. In fact, Wiseman looked upon "Dr. No" with "great disdain," his daughter Martha Graham Wiseman said.
"He was horrified in later life because that's what he was remembered for. Stage acting was what he wanted to be remembered for."
Robert Wiseman,actor, is survived by his daughter, from his first marriage to Nell Kinard, and by his sister, Ruth Wiseman. His second wife, dancer and choreographer Pearl Lang, died in February.
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