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Jack Somack (September 14, 1918 – August 24, 1983) was an American chemical engineer, and actor. He is best remembered for his appearance in the Alka-Seltzer "spicy meatball" television commercial.

Life and career

Somack was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his acting career in 1966, playing the lead role of Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge.

In 1969 Somack appeared in the Alka-Seltzer "spicy meatball" commercial. He also appeared in the Broadway plays Paris Is Out! and The Prisoner of Second Avenue.

In the 1970s and 1980s Somack appeared and guest-starred in film and television programs including Barney Miller, The Rockford Files, Portnoy's Complaint, Sanford and Son, All in the Family, The Love Boat, Desperate Characters, Laverne & Shirley, The Frisco Kid, Eight Is Enough, The Pursuit of Happiness, Starsky & Hutch, Hero at Large, Kojak, The Main Event, The Jimmy Stewart Show, The Blue Knight and Family Ties. He also starred in the short-lived television series Ball Four and The Stockard Channing Show.

Death

Somack died August 24, 1983, of a heart attack at the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles, at the age of 64. He had been rehearsing for a role in the television series Benson.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. ^ "Obituaries". United Press International. August 30, 1983. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
2. Timberg, Robert (October 12, 2004). State of Grace: A Memoir of Twilight Time. Simon and Schuster. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-6848-5561-5. Retrieved May 4, 2022 – via Google Books.
3. ^ "Jack Somack". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
4. ^ "Jack Somack Is Dead at 64;Television and Movie Actor". The New York Times. September 1, 1983. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
5. ^ "Heart attack claims actor Jack Somack". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs. August 30, 1983. Retrieved May 4, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
6. TV Guide. Vol. 47. Triangle Publications. 1999. p. 32 – via Google Books. {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
7. Starr, Michael (2002). Art Carney: A Biography. Applause Theater & Cinema Books. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-5578-3565-9 – via Google Books.
8. "Jack Sornack for 'Prisoner'". The New York Times. May 8, 1972. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
9. "Road To Success Paved With Meatballs". Radford News Journal. February 28, 1972. p. 5 – via NewspaperArchive.
10. "Jack Somack". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
11. "TV Key Previews: Ball Four". The Fresno Bee. September 22, 1976. p. E8 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "TV Guide". TV Guide. Vol. 28. March 1980. pp. 63–69 – via Google Books.
13. Decker, Cathleen (August 30, 1983). "Jack Somack, Star of Alka-Seltzer Ad, Dies". Los Angeles Times. p. 14. Retrieved July 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Jack Somack at IMDb
• Jack Somack at the TCM Movie Database
• Jack Somack at AllMovie
• Rotten Tomatoes profile

• 1918 births
• 1983 deaths
• Actors from Chicago
• Engineers from Chicago
• American male stage actors
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• American theatre people
• American chemical engineers
• Male actors from Chicago
• 20th-century American chemists
• 20th-century American engineers