Josip Elic Explained

Josip Elic
Birth Name:Joseph Elich Jr.
Birth Date:10 March 1921
Birth Place:Butte, Montana, U.S.
Death Place:River Edge, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1955–1989

Josip Elic (born Joseph Elich Jr.; March 10, 1921 – October 21, 2019) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Bancini in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).[1]

Early life

Elic was born in Butte, Montana, the son of Croatian immigrants, Martha and Joseph Elich. One of several children, including siblings John and Helen, he grew up in the East Side neighborhood known as "Cabbage Patch". At age 16, he began work in a Montana copper mine, before later joining the U.S. Navy. In 1945, following his service, and a brief stint on Wall Street, Elic relocated to New York City to pursue an acting career, using the G.I. Bill to enroll in acting school. At the age of 30, he officially changed his name in homage to his Croatian roots. Initially entering show business by building sets for an Upstate Connecticut summer stock company, he eventually began appearing in off-Broadway productions, including Threepenny Opera in 1954, alongside Bea Arthur and John Astin.[1] [2]

Career

While off-Broadway shows and burlesque were amongst Elic's first forays into acting, in 1956, the 6-foot-3-inch Montanan landed his first television role on the NBC anthology series Kraft Television Theatre, opposite Rance Howard and Joe Mantell, in an episode directed by William A. Graham. While numerous minor television and film roles soon followed, Elic was also notable for his commercial appearances, becoming one of the first character actors to headline television ads, a role traditionally reserved for Hollywood's leading men.[2] He later became more nationally recognized after two appearances on The Twilight Zone, including in "The Obsolete Man" with Burgess Meredith. His breakout role however came when asked to appear as confused mental patient, Bancini, in Miloš Forman's 1975 classic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Despite having few lines in the film, his major scene came in the form of an improvisation by Jack Nicholson for the patient's basketball game. In his words, Elic remembered the scene's development as:

Although his film and television career began to dwindle by the late seventies, Elic's final on-screen performance was in 1989 for the Ridley Scott action thriller, Black Rain. Regardless of his disappearance from television and theater screens however, he continued to maintain a strong presence in the acting community of New York, and would regularly make appearances at conventions to meet fans.[2]

Personal life and death

Suffering a fall in his New York apartment, Elic briefly stayed at the home of his longtime friend, actress Lee Meredith, and her husband, Bert, before moving into the Brookdale Senior Living assisted-living residence in Paramus, New Jersey.

In October 2019, at the age of 98, Elic died of complications from his fall.[3] [1] [4] [5]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1960Murder, Inc.Red Alpert
1961Pocketful of MiraclesDarcey HenchmanUncredited
1962Third of a ManUncredited
Convicts 4Vic the Barber
1964Santa Claus Conquers the MartiansShimas Joe Elic
1967The ProducersViolinist
1968For Love of IvyOff Broadway Family
1969TrilogyHaHa(segment "A Christmas Memory")
1971Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?Chomsky
1972The Stoolie1st Hijacker
Dirty Little BillyJawbone
1973From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FrankweilerWorkman
1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestBancini
1977The World's Greatest LoverHeadwaiter
1979The Halloween That Almost Wasn'tZabaar the ZombieABC television special
1989Black RainJoe the Bartender(final film role)

Television

YearTitleRoleEpisodeNotes
1956Kraft TheatrePvt. Adams"Paper Foxhole"
1959The Phil Silvers ShowBopster"Bilko's Bopster"
The DuPont Show of the MonthCentipede"I, Don Quixote"
1961Peter GunnProfessor Thurston"The Deep End"
The Asphalt JungleLuther"The Fighter"
The Dick Powell TheatreGunsel"Doyle Against the House"
The UntouchablesNitti Hood"Tunnel of Horrors"Uncredited
The Twilight ZoneSubaltern"The Obsolete Man"as Josep Elic
Follow the SunRalph Metz"The Woman Who Never Was"
1962The Twilight ZoneElectrician"One More Pallbearer"Uncredited
Follow the SunHerschel"Run, Clown, Run"
1966ABC Stage 67HaHa"A Christmas Memory"

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Josip Elic, Actor in 'One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest,' Dies at 98. The Hollywood Reporter. Mike. Barnes. Rhett. Bartlett. October 25, 2019. November 27, 2020.
  2. Web site: In character: Butte-born actor Josip Elic still rolls with the punch lines. Montana Standard. Renata. Birkenbuel. August 16, 2015. October 26, 2019.
  3. Web site: Josip Elic Death Announcement By Manager. Matt. Beckoff. . October 24, 2019. October 26, 2019.
  4. Web site: Josip Elic Dies: 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' Actor Was 98. Deadline Hollywood. Greg. Evans. October 25, 2019. November 27, 2020.
  5. Web site: Josip Elic, whose Bancini carried Jack Nicholson in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' dies. USA Today. Bryan. Alexander. October 25, 2019. November 27, 2020.