A biography for Eli Wallachhasn’t been written yet.
“And then the first was The Misfits, which I enjoyed very much, with Marilyn and Gable.”
“I always wanted to tell stories and act.”
“I never dreamed I would do Westerns.”
“One thing changes every evening: It's the audience, and I'm working my magic. I'm always learning from it.”
“When I saw the movie, I said, I wish I had heard the music. I would have ridden the horse differently.”
“John Huston was a superb master. He knew how to make good films. I did three things with him. One is called Independence. It plays in Philadelphia, for free. It's been playing there for 25 years.”
“Even if I don't want to slow down, I'm slowing down.”
“And I did Batman, too. I did Mr. Freeze. I get more mail for him than anything I've ever done.”
“I've worked with wonderful actors like Marlon Brando and Henry Fonda.”
“I met my wife and, for the next ten years, we did no films at all. She did the first movie and then I did several after. My first movie was written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Kazan and was called Baby Doll.”
“All of these stories bounced around in my mind for a long time.”
“Well, I've maybe gotten 200 requests for interviews about Marilyn, and I just decided I'm gonna do my own.”
“The big secret in acting is listening to people.”
“My wife says that stage acting is like being on a tightrope with no net, and being in the movies, there is a net - because you stop and go over it again. It's very technical and mechanical. On stage you're on your own.”
“My first Western was called The Magnificent Seven.”
“I was an original member of the Actors' Studio.”
“Yes, I won the Bafta. I thought the British were very intelligent.”
“But I went to the University of Texas in the 30s, and while there I learned to ride. Mostly polo ponies.”
“But Clint I love, because Clint was my mentor. I knew nothing about making an Italian movie.”
“Everyone thinks acting is easy. It's far from easy, but it's the most gratifying thing I do.”