Jonathan Haze
Haze, as seen in The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Born
Jack Schachter

(1929-04-01) April 1, 1929 (age 94)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1954–present
Known forSeymour Krelboined in The Little Shop of Horrors
Spouse(s)Roberta Keith
(?–1981; divorced)
RelativesBuddy Rich (cousin)

Jonathan Haze (born Jack Schachter; April 1, 1929) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in Roger Corman films, especially the 1960 black comedy cult classic, The Little Shop of Horrors, in which he played florist's assistant Seymour Krelboined.

Early years

Haze was born Jack Schachter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 1, 1929,[1][2] to Betty and Harry Schachter, who was a jeweler. His cousin was jazz drummer Buddy Rich.[3]

Early career

Haze was working at a gas station in California when he was discovered by Wyott Ordung. Ordung was directing the movie Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954), which was being produced by Corman, and offered a small part to Haze.[4]

Corman, three years Haze's senior, was impressed and cast Haze in many of his films over the next ten years, including Apache Woman (1955), Day the World Ended (1955), Gunslinger (1956), The Oklahoma Woman (1956), It Conquered the World (1956), Swamp Women (1956), Naked Paradise (1957), Not of This Earth (1957), Rock All Night (1957), The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957), Carnival Rock (1957), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), and The Terror (1963).

Haze also appeared in non-Corman films, such as Bayou (1957), Stakeout on Dope Street (1958), Ghost of the China Sea (1958) and Forbidden Island (1959).

Later work

In 1959, Haze guest starred in the episode "Terror Town" of NBC's western television series Cimarron City, starring George Montgomery. Dan Duryea who portrayed the mastermind of a criminal enterprise in silver who is the half-brother of Haze's character.

Haze later branched into other aspects of film making. He wrote the 1962 science fiction/comedy film Invasion of the Star Creatures. He also worked in production for such films as Premature Burial (1962), The Terror (1963), Medium Cool (1969), Another Nice Mess (1972), and Corman's own The Born Losers (1967).[5][unreliable source?]

Writing

In 1957, Haze sold his first screenplay to Arrarat Productions. The Monster of Nicholson Mesa was a parody of horror films.[6]

References

  1. ^ Vargo, Mike. "Dystopia, American Greatness, and Rock 'n Roll: 'Little Shop of Horrors' at The Public". Entertainment Central Pittsburgh.
  2. ^ Raw, Laurence (2012). Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960. McFarland. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-786-44474-8.
  3. ^ Humphreys, Justin (2006). Names you never remember, with faces you never forget: interviews with the movies' character actors. BearManor Media. ISBN 1-59393-041-0.
  4. ^ "Jonathan Haze Brief Biography". Answers.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  5. ^ "Jonathan Haze on Flixter". Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  6. ^ "First Screenplay Sold". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. September 7, 1957. p. 5. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Further reading

External links

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