Elliott Gould reached the apex of his film career in the 1970’s with notable roles in such classic films as MASH, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (which garnered him an Academy Award nomination), A Bridge Too Far, and The Long Goodbye. But it has been some his more recent work (following a very silent period of low budget rubbish) that has grabbed my attention. Specifically, I loved his role as Jack Geller (father of Ross and Monica) in the classic sitcom Friends.
He might also be seen in the recent capers Oceans Eleven, Oceans Twelve, and Oceans Thirteen. Gould holds the distinction of being the only celebrity guest who appeared in two of the Jim Henson Muppet films The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. He is also only one of a dozen performers to have hosted Saturday Night Live five or more times. And finally – as we review his résumé, we might note that he was married to superstar Barbra Streisand from 1963-71.
Elliott Gould was one of the guests at the October 17 Hollywood Collectors Show in Chicago. I had already obtained an autographed photo through the mail back in 1998 when he signed the photo at the top of the posting (from S*P*Y*S; he told me so) – even though it did take over a year to get to me. So although I hate shelling out money just to get a photo with someone, I was willing to give his handler the $20 since he had already signed for me for free.
I didn’t have anything to ask him really, but he was quite friendly, telling me the origin of the photo that I brought along – in hopes of getting my photo for free. But since Trapper John wasn’t running the show, they got my money. Still worth it.
Celebs of the Fall 2009 Chicago Show will continue…
didn’t he used to be in Journey?
Eric Hubble
January 11th, 2010
Therapy ruined this unique actor. The clone that took over in the 80s pales in comparison to the genius who transformed movies like California Split and The Long Goodbye. I’m glad he sorted his problems out but I still miss the original version.
Paul Baines
March 15th, 2010