Roberts Blossom - wikipedia Roberts Blossom Roberts Blossom Blossom in 2010 Roberts Scott Blossom ( 1924 - 03 - 25 ) March 25, 1924 New Haven, Connecticut, United States July 8, 2011 ( 2011 - 07 - 08 ) ( aged 87 ) Santa Monica, California Cause of death Stroke Resting place Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica Occupation Actor, poet Years active 1955 -- 2000 Spouse ( s ) Beverly Schmidt Blossom ( m. 1966 -- 1970 ; divorced ) Marilyn Orshan ( m. ? - 1982 ; her death ;) Children Roberts Scott Blossom ( March 25, 1924 -- July 8, 2011 ) was an American theatre, film and television character actor, and poet. He was best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone ( 1990 ) and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged ( 1974 ). He is also remembered for his supporting roles in films such as The Great Gatsby ( 1974 ), Close Encounters of the Third Kind ( 1977 ), Escape from Alcatraz ( 1979 ), Christine ( 1983 ), and The Last Temptation of Christ ( 1988 ). Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Short films 5.4 Documentary 6 Theater credits 7 References 8 External links Early life Roberts Scott Blossom was born on March 25, 1924, in New Haven, Connecticut, to John Blossom, an athletic director at Yale University. He was raised in Cleveland but later moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio. He attended Hawken School and graduated from Asheville School in 1941 and attended Harvard University for a year until he joined the United States Army and served in World War II in Europe. He trained as a therapist and later decided to be an actor. He began directing and acting in productions at Karamu House and the Candlelight Theater in Cleveland and later moved to New York City, where he supported himself by bundling feathers for hats and he practiced a disputed therapy called Dianetics. He also waited tables until he became a full - time actor. Career Blossom began acting on stage during the 1950s. He won three Obie Awards for his performances in the off - Broadway plays Village Wooing ( 1955 ), which was his debut, Do Not Pass Go ( 1965 ) and The Ice Age ( 1976 ). During the 1960s, he formed Filmstage, a multimedia avant garde theatrical troupe. His Broadway credits include Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Operation Sidewinder and in 1988 he appeared in Peter Brook 's production of The Cherry Orchard. Blossom began appearing on screen in 1958. His first appearance in a feature film was in 1971 's The Hospital starring George C. Scott. During the 1970s he had roles in films including The Great Gatsby ( 1974 ) starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, Slaughterhouse - Five ( 1972 ), Steven Spielberg 's Close Encounters of the Third Kind ( 1977 ), and Escape from Alcatraz ( 1979 ) starring Clint Eastwood. Escape from Alcatraz is perhaps Blossom 's best known supporting role for the scene where he chopped off his fingers with an axe. Blossom is remembered for his role as Ezra Cobb in the 1974 horror film Deranged based on American murderer Ed Gein. According to the 2014 book Mad as Hell : The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies by David Itzkoff, the cast of the Oscar - winning film Network originally included Blossoms as media mogul Arthur Jensen, but he was replaced in pre-production by Ned Beatty. Blossom is also known for starring in the 1983 horror film Christine, a film directed by John Carpenter which is an adaptation of the book by Stephen King. He is best known for his role in the 1990 film Home Alone, in which he played Old Man Marley alongside Macaulay Culkin. He appeared in his final film role in 1995 alongside Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Quick and The Dead ( 1995 ). Blossom 's other film credits include Doc Hollywood ( 1991 ) starring Michael J. Fox ; Reuben, Reuben ( 1983 ) ; Resurrection ( 1980 ) starring Ellen Burstyn ; Flashpoint ( 1984 ) ; Vision Quest ( 1985 ) starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino ; and Always ( 1989 ). Blossom made his first television appearance in 1958 in the television series Naked City. From 1976 to 1978, he starred on the television soap opera Another World, in which his role on the show won him a Soapy Award for Best Villain. His other television credits include Moonlighting, with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, Tales from the Darkside, The Equalizer, the revived ' 80s version of The Twilight Zone and Chicago Hope. His television films include John Brown 's Raid, Family Reunion, with Bette Davis, the 1985 version of Noon Wine, Murder in the Heartland and Disney 's Balloon Farm, which was his final role as an actor. In 2000, Blossom appeared in the biography documentary Full Blossom : The Life of Poet / Actor Roberts Blossom, in which he talked about his life as an actor and poet. The documentary also featured his children Debbie and Michael, his first wife Beverly, and Ed Asner, Peter Brook and Robert Frank. Personal life Blossom was formerly married to Beverly Schmidt Blossom, with whom he had a son, Michael. He was later married to Marylin Orshan Blossom until her death in 1982, with whom he had a daughter, Deborah Blossom. After Blossom retired from acting in the late ' 90s, he moved to Berkeley, California and spent his time writing poetry. He later moved to Santa Monica, California where he died in 2011. Death Blossom died on July 8, 2011 at the age of 87 from a stroke. He was residing in a nursing home in Santa Monica, California at the time of his death. Filmography Film Title Year Role Director Notes The Hospital 1971 Guernsey Arthur Hiller Slaughterhouse - five 1972 Wild Bob Cody George Roy Hill Please Stand by 1972 Judge Nott Jack Milton ; Joanna Milton Deranged Ezra Cobb Alan Ormsby ; Jeff Gillen The Great Gatsby Mr. Gatz Jack Clayton Handle with Care 1977 Papa Thermodyne Jonathan Demme Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 Farmer Steven Spielberg Escape from Alcatraz 1979 Chester ' Doc ' Dalton Don Siegel Resurrection 1980 John Harper Daniel Petrie Christine George LeBay John Carpenter Reuben, Reuben Frank Spofford Robert Ellis Miller Flashpoint 1984 Amarillo William Tannen Vision Quest 1985 Grandpa Harold Becker Candy Mountain Archie Robert Frank ; Rudy Wurlitzer The Last Temptation of Christ Aged Master Martin Scorsese Always 1989 Dave Steven Spielberg Home Alone Old Man Marley Chris Columbus Doc Hollywood 1991 Judge Evans Michael Caton - Jones Death Falls 1991 Hals Johnson June Samson The Quick and the Dead 1995 Doc Wallace Sam Raimi Television Title Year Role Notes Naked City 1958 Quint Butcher Episode : `` And a Merry Christmas to the Force on Patrol '' The Art Carney Show 1959 Simon Stimson Camera Three 1959 Himself Episode : `` The Eagle, the Tiger and the Fly '' John Brown 's Raid 1960 Stevens Television film The DuPont Show of the Month 1959 -- 61 Gustav Episodes : `` Billy Budd '', `` The Prisoner of Zenda '' Brenner 1964 Reader Episode : `` Charlie Paradise : The Tragic Flute '' The Defenders 1964 Thomas Riggs Episode : `` Go Between '' Great Performances 1972 Judge / Preacher Episode : `` The Rimers of Eldritch '' Beacon Hill D.W Griffith Episode : `` The Test '' Another World 1976 -- 78 Bert Ordway / Sven Petersen Soapy Award for Best Villain ( 1978 ) Mourning Becomes Electra 1978 Seth Mini-series ABC Weekend Special 1980 Mr. LeGrand Episodes : `` The Gold Bug : Parts 1 & 2 '' Family Reunion 1981 Phil King Television film The Wall 1982 Kuchaski Television film Johnny Belinda 1982 John McAdam Television film Noon Wine 1985 Mr. McClellan Television film Amazing Stories 1985 Opa Globe Episode : `` Ghost Train '' Moonlighting 1986 Lawrence Everette Episode : `` Witness for the Execution '' Tales from the Darkside 1986 Inquisitor Episode : `` Heretic '' The Equalizer 1986 Oscar Peabody Episode : `` Tip on a Sure Thing '' At Mother 's Request Doug Steele Television film Stingray Uncle Pat ' The Cat ' Morel Episode : `` Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me '' The Twilight Zone 1985 -- 87 The Man / Mordecai Hawkline Episodes : `` The Burning Man '', `` Song of the Younger World '' In the Heat of the Night 1989 Dr. Harris Pendleton Episode : `` Tear Down the Walls '' Northern Exposure 1992 Ned Episode : `` Cicely '' The Habitation of Dragons 1992 Mr. Charlie Television film Crossroads 1992 Oscar Poland Episode : `` Pilot '' Murder in the Heartland 1993 Gus Meyer Mini-series The American Clock 1993 Old Wayne Taylor Television film Chicago Hope William Kronk Episode : `` Hope Against Hope '' Balloon Farm 1999 Weasel Mayfield Television film, ( final film role ) Short films The Sins of Jesus ( 1961 ) The Witches of Salem : The Horror and the Hope... Gov. Phips ( 1972 ) Documentary Full Blossom : The Life of Poet / Actor Roberts Blossom... Himself ( 2000 ) Theater credits 1955 : Village Wooing 1958 : The Infernal Machine ( Anubis ) 1961 : A Cook for Mr. General ( Kroy ) 1963 : The Ballad of the Sad Cafe ( Merlie Ryan ) 1964 : The Physicists 1965 : Do Not Pass Go 1970 : Operation Sidewinder 1973 : Statis Quo Vadis ( Mr. Elgin ) 1988 : The Cherry Orchard References Jump up ^ `` Archive for Ezra Cobb ''. Cinema Knife Fright. Retrieved 13 September 2011. ^ Jump up to : Segall, Grant ( July 11, 2011 ) `` Roberts Scott Blossom was featured in `` Home Alone, '' on `` Another World '' and more : news obituary ``. Cleveland.com. Retrieved 13 September 2011. ^ Jump up to : Grimes, William ( July 12, 2011 ) Grimes, William ( 12 July 2011 ). `` Roberts Blossom, Quirky Character Actor, Dies at 87 ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2011. Jump up ^ `` Home Alone Actor Roberts Blossom dies at 87 ''. London : Mail Online. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011. Jump up ^ Dye, Kerry Douglas `` Guy Movie of the Week, 9 / 13 / 99 : Escape from Alcatraz ''. leisuresuit.net. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2011. Jump up ^ `` Full Blossom Trailer ''. Youtube. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011. Jump up ^ DelVecchio, Rick ( April 12, 2003 ) DelVecchio, Rick ( 24 June 2011 ). `` Home alone, with his words / Retired actor Roberts Blossom now devotes his time to poetry ''. SFGate.com. Retrieved 13 September 2011. Jump up ^ Eames, Tom ( July 13, 2011 ) `` ' Home Alone ' actor Roberts Blossom dies, aged 87 ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 September 2011. External links Roberts Blossom on IMDb Roberts Blossom at the TCM Movie Database Roberts Blossom at the Internet Broadway Database Roberts Blossom at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Roberts Blossom at AllMovie Roberts Blossom at Find a Grave VIAF : 62226194 LCCN : n88094004 ISNI : 0000 0001 1473 6690 GND : 1038088453 SUDOC : 119994240 BNF : cb14156771t ( data ) BIBSYS : 11070052 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roberts_Blossom&oldid=812877697 '' Categories : 1924 births 2011 deaths Harvard University alumni Actors from Shaker Heights, Ohio Male actors from Berkeley, California Male actors from New Haven, Connecticut Poets from Connecticut 20th - century American male actors American male stage actors American male soap opera actors American male film actors 20th - century American poets American military personnel of World War II Deaths from cerebrovascular disease Disease - related deaths in California Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica Male actors from Cleveland American male television actors Hidden categories : Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Turner Classic Movies person ID not in Wikidata Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 30 November 2017, at 11 : 52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who plays the old man in home alone
Answer: Roberts Scott Blossom