Val Avery

Val Avery, born Sebouh Der Abrahamian on July 14, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American character actor whose career in film, television, and theater spanned five decades. He appeared in more than 100 films and over 300 television episodes before his death on December 12, 2009, at age 85, at his home in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.

Avery was born to Armenian parents, Megerdich and Arousiag Der Abrahamian. His father, originally from Sebastia, had emigrated to the United States in 1907. During the Armenian genocide, Avery's grandfather Bedros Der Abrahamian, a priest at the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Sebastia, was killed. In his youth, Avery performed in plays through the Armenian Youth Federation. Following his service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, he studied at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama in Philadelphia.

Throughout his career, Avery was frequently cast as policemen, thugs, mobsters, bartenders, and blue-collar workers. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in The Harder They Fall (1956), the final film of Humphrey Bogart. He went on to appear in a wide range of notable productions, including The Long, Hot Summer (1958), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Hud (1963), Papillon (1973), The Wanderers (1979), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Cobra (1986), and Donnie Brasco (1997). He appeared in five films directed by John Cassavetes: Too Late Blues (1961), Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), and Gloria (1980).

On television, Avery accumulated an extensive list of credits. He appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "The Night of the Meek" in 1960 and in four episodes of Columbo: "Dead Weight" (1971), "The Most Crucial Game" (1972), "A Friend in Deed" (1974), and "Identity Crisis" (1975). His other television appearances included The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, The Asphalt Jungle, The Investigators, Mission: Impossible, Daniel Boone, The Munsters, Mannix, The Odd Couple, Kojak, Quincy M.E., Cannon, Friday the 13th: The Series, and Law & Order.

On Broadway, Avery appeared in productions between 1962 and 1969, including Cafe Crown and Nowhere to Go But Up, and starred in a 1969–70 revival of The Front Page. In his personal life, Avery was married to actress Margot Stevenson from 1953 until his death. Their daughter, Margot Avery, is also an actress.