Reply #32: Jeff Chandler - Jewish guy as Cochise? [View All]

In Broken Arrow (and others) with Jimmy Stewart

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Jeff Chandler (December 15, 1918–June 17, 1961) was a popular American film actor in the 1950s.

Born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Chandler attended Erasmus Hall High School, the nucleus of many stage and film personalities. Later, he took a drama course and spent two years in stock companies before serving in World War II. After discharged, he was a busy radio actor both in drama (such as episodes of Escape) and comedy (playing bashful biology teacher Phillip Boynton on Our Miss Brooks). His first film appearance was in Johnny O'Clock (1947).

In the 1950s, Chandler became a star in western and action movies. His first important role was in Sword in the Desert (1948), as an Israeli freedom fighter. He would be nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), the first of three screen appearances as the legendary Apache chief, followed by The Battle of Apache Pass (1952) and Taza, Son of Cochise (1954).