[QUOTE=well he’s back]
I know this is slightly off-topic - but how about the guy who played Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure? Isn’t he now a tough guy on the TV series “Numbers”? or are he and his brother on the show not presented as Jewish?
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They’re very Jewish. just not demonstrative. Their characters’ father, as played by Judd Hirsch, is one yarmulke short of a stereotype.
Rob Morrow is more of a thinking-man’s G-Man, though. Some of the goyim supporting cast seems there to take up the fist-fighting and car-chasing slack, and as a result those characters are more two-dimensional and dull.
Charlie “Fink” Finklestein gets so angry at the arrogance of the German drinking team that he shows “The Eye of the Jew” and carries his team to victory in the boat-race rematch
The spy thriller The Soldier, starring Ken Wahl, has a couple of IDF soldiers and a couple of Mossad agents. They are bit parts, not leading roles, but they are definitely butch.
The TV mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies, starring Sam Niell as the real-life WW1 spy. “Sidney Reilly” was a pseudonym. The guy was born Sigmund Rosenblum, and the movie does explicitly mention this. (Although Rosenblum’s parents were actually Muslims who converted to Judaism, but hey, he was raised kosher.)
The Young Lions. Although it is most famous for Marlon Brando and Dean Martin, Montgomery Clift’s role as a Jewish GI is arguably the central character. He starts out wimpy, but in the end, Dean Martin is HIS sidekick!
Oh, fine. Who’s the last Presbyterian movie tough-guy?
Point is, movies seldom dwell on the religion of the main character. Or even mention it. (Superman Returns didn’t either, for that matter.)
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Dude, we all know that Judaism is way more than just a religion. There aren’t stereotypes about Presbyterian or Methodist people the way there are about Jews. Also, you can’t tell from someone’s name what denomination of Christian they are, usually, but if a character has a Jewish name, it’s pretty unambiguous that he’s supposed to be Jewish. And they tend to give the Jewish names to less than appealing characters.
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
Fair enough, I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that then. You bring up Paul Rudd, he’s a handsome, charming, likable actor who always plays likable, charming guys - NOT nebbishes, NOT nerds, but “cool” guys. True, he never plays tough guys, but he doesn’t play dorks either.
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Clearly you haven’t seen all of his movies. You should watch that one, Rachel Weisz plays one of the most evil (non-murderous) female characters I’ve ever seen in it.
Along the lines of Numb3rs, Agent Mulder of The X-Files is usually thought to be 1/2 Jewish (though non-practicing), and he kicked a fair number of asses.
Kirk Douglass played a few tough guy jews in his time such as in *The Juggler * and in Cast a Giant Shadow.
Also the cast of Escape from Sobibor. Which includes Alan Arkin but especially Rutger Hauer as a Jewish Russian Army POW put in a concentration camp. I know it was made for TV but I mentioned it anyway.
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
No, not necessarily. If the character is a “cool” character, and not neurotic or a wimp, then sure a character in a comedy would count.
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Then Gene Wilder’s character in The Frisco Kid has to count.
Okay, reaching here, but Fievel in An American Tail. He’s a Russian Jew, I believe. Not really a tough guy as such, but he is the protagonist.
Moving out of movies, Ivanova in Babylon 5 is a Russian Jew as well. Her heritage is the focal point of one episode, in fact. And she’s about as badass as you can get.
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
Dude, we all know that Judaism is way more than just a religion. There aren’t stereotypes about Presbyterian or Methodist people the way there are about Jews.
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Having grown up Presbyterian, I can assure you that there are plenty of stereotypes about Presbyterians. They are seen as straitlaced, humorless, conservative in manners, rhythmless, and stuffy. They are all true.
[QUOTE=Bosstone]
Moving out of movies, Ivanova in Babylon 5 is a Russian Jew as well. Her heritage is the focal point of one episode, in fact. And she’s about as badass as you can get.
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Yes but she is played by Claudia Christian so it’s a push.
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun]
Having grown up Presbyterian, I can assure you that there are plenty of stereotypes about Presbyterians. They are seen as straitlaced, humorless, conservative in manners, rhythmless, and stuffy. They are all true.
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It’s a Scottish religion, so the stereotype’s generally that of Scots (“who keep the Sabbath and all else they can get their hands on”). Unfortunately the cool accent was taken off of the stereotype.
Speaking of Gene Wilder westerns, was his character in Blazing Saddles Jewish?
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
Dude, we all know that Judaism is way more than just a religion. There aren’t stereotypes about Presbyterian or Methodist people the way there are about Jews. Also, you can’t tell from someone’s name what denomination of Christian they are, usually, but if a character has a Jewish name, it’s pretty unambiguous that he’s supposed to be Jewish. And they tend to give the Jewish names to less than appealing characters.
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Well, that’s not entirely true. You can often make an accurate guess at the denomination of Christians with names like Sanchez, or Corleone, but otherwise, you make a point there regarding names being tied to a certain background.
That said, if we can include professional wrestling (since we’ve already included Babylon 5), ISTR that Goldberg was a pretty badass guy
Their characters’ father, as played by Judd Hirsch, is one yarmulke short of a stereotype.
