Murray Alper
Murray Alper (January 11, 1904 – November 16, 1984) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous television series, films, and Broadway productions. Biography. Born in New York City in 1904, Alper worked on Broadway from 1927 to 1940 in a number of shows including "The Wild Man of Borneo", "This is New York", "Broadway Boy", "Sailor Beware!", and "Every Man for Himself". Alper appeared in more than 200 films and TV series from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. Quite often his work was uncredited and he never received a top billing in one of his  movies. His first known screen credit was in "The Royal Family of Broadway" (1930) a part he had already played on Broadway in 1927/28. His signature character was a chatty taxi driver, which he played at least 20 times, most notably in "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) as a friendly cabbie who drives Sam Spade, played by Humphrey Bogart, during a mid-film wild goose chase, as well as in such other well-known films as "The Big Broadcast of 1937", "Lady in the Dark" and "Angel on My Shoulder". His biggest role should have been the part of Gus Smith  in the Alfred Hitchcock film "Lifeboat" in 1943. Due to his becoming ill right before the start of shooting in August, he was replaced by actor William Bendix. However, he worked for Hitchcock on three other movies: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1941), again as a cabbie, "Saboteur" (1942), and "Strangers on a Train" (1951). Frequently seen in comedies, Alper was featured in the Three Stooges films "Tricky Dicks" (1953) and "The Outlaws Is Coming" (1965). One of Alper's least characteristic roles was the judo instructor in Jerry Lewis' "The Nutty Professor" (1963).