Knowra Zero Mostel Zero Mostel Zero Mostel was an American actor and comedian celebrated for his theatrical performances, especially Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum .
Fiddler on the Roof : A musical by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein about Tevye and his family in a Russian Jewish village. Mostel originated the role of Tevye in the 1964 Broadway production.
Mel Brooks : An American comedian, actor, director, and writer known for comic films including The Producers and Blazing Saddles . Brooks cast Mostel as Max Bialystock in his first feature film, The Producers .
McCarthyism : A period of anti-communist suspicion and political repression in the United States, especially during the early 1950s. The climate of anti-communist investigation formed the backdrop to Mostel's professional blacklisting.
Red Scare : A period of widespread fear of communist influence in the United States, marked by investigations and political repression. Mostel's blacklist emerged from the anti-communist investigations of the postwar Red Scare.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum : A musical comedy by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Larry Gelbart, inspired by ancient Roman farces. Mostel won acclaim as Pseudolus in the original 1962 Broadway production.
Gene Wilder : An American actor and comedian known for roles in films including The Producers and Young Frankenstein . Wilder played Leo Bloom opposite Mostel in The Producers .
Hollywood blacklist : The informal exclusion of people in the American film industry accused of communist affiliations or sympathies. Mostel was denied film and television work after refusing to cooperate with congressional investigators.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution : The constitutional amendment protecting freedoms including speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition in the United States. Mostel's refusal to identify associates made his hearing a case in the conflict over political speech.
Rhinoceros (play) : Eugène Ionesco's absurdist play in which people in a town transform into rhinoceroses. Mostel played the central role of Bérenger in the 1961 Broadway production.
Zero Mostel's wife and the actor's name are independent of this entity. : A placeholder for a personal relation. Omit.
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