New York magazine listed Melamed's work as among the Best Performances of the Decade, and Empire called Sy Ableman "One of The Best Coen Bros. The character Fred Melamed contrives is the year's most brilliant force of destruction." For his performance in A Serious Man, Melamed, along with the Coen Brothers, and the film's Ensemble and Casting Directors won Film Independent's Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award.
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About that character, Film Confessional said, "Sy Ableman is as great a contemporary movie villain as The Joker, Hans Landa, or Anton Chigurh.
The following year he appeared in The Good Mother (1988), opposite Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson.įor his portrayal of "sensitive" villain Sy Ableman, in Joel and Ethan Coen's 2009 film, A Serious Man, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards, he became most widely known. Also in 1987, he appeared in Peter Yates' legal mystery thriller Suspect (1987) starring Cher, Dennis Quaid, and Liam Neeson as well as the romantic comedy The Pickup Artist starring Robert Downey Jr. During the 1980s Melamed played significant supporting roles in Roland Joffé's religious epic The Mission (1986), Elaine May's comedy Ishtar (1987). He has appeared in Radio Days (1987), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Shadows and Fog (1991), Husbands and Wives (1992), and Hollywood Ending (2000). He has appeared in more Allen movies than any other actor besides Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow (and Allen himself). In addition, Melamed has prolifically appeared in other Allen films.
Melamed's second film was Woody Allen's comedy-drama Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Melamed's feature film debut was in Marshall Brickman's 1983 romantic comedy, Lovesick, starring Dudley Moore and Elizabeth McGovern. He became known within the industry as a voice actor, appearing in the Grand Theft Auto series, and dubbing several actors' entire performances in films. Melamed's voice became a familiar presence on television, serving as the sound of the Olympics, Mercedes Benz, CBS Sports, USA Network, the Super Bowl, and numerous commercials and television programs. At the same time, with an insider's understanding of the industry and assistance from his agent, he became established as a voice actor, and continued to do film work. Following Amadeus, Melamed entered what he called "a period of personal darkness", during which he effectively stopped acting on stage. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Yale Repertory Theater, and on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning Amadeus. After his training, he appeared on stage with several resident theatre companies, including The Guthrie Theater, the John F. While still at Yale, he was an instructor at the well-known performing arts camp, Stagedoor Manor. He was also a nominee for the Irene Ryan Award, a prize conferred upon the most promising young actors in the United States. Melamed then entered the Yale School of Drama. He began his theatrical training at Hampshire College, where he worked with (and was heavily influenced by) Tina Packer, John Guare, Jean-Claude van Itallie, and members of The Living Theatre. However, he credits his non-religious upbringing as helping him to develop a belief in God later in life, as he had no "forced dogma to overcome." Career Early career When he was asked if he wanted to attend Hebrew school, he said no, and thus had no religious training. Melamed has said that he was raised in a non-believer Jewish family who never went to synagogue, except to attend a cousin's bar mitzvah.
When he was sixteen, his family had financial difficulties, and was forced to move to Hollywood, Florida.
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His father worked with TV pioneer Nat Hiken on such shows as Car 54, Where Are You? and The Phil Silvers Show. He attended the Hunter College Elementary School, a primary school for gifted children, and Riverdale Country School. He is the adopted son of Louis, a New York television producer, and Syma (Krichefsky) Melamed, a sometime actress and housewife. His biological mother is actress/director Nancy Zala and his biological father, British psychoanalyst Stan Silverstone, was a relative of the prominent Adler acting family, including Luther and Stella Adler. Melamed was born to a secular Jewish family in New York City, New York.