Men In Black actor Mike Nussbaum is dead at the age of 99. He was the oldest working actor in the country according to The Chicago Tribune. Fans might remember Nussbaum’s performances from other movies like Field of Dreams. In his home of Illinois, his daughter Karen told TMZ that he passed away from natural causes today. Over the course of 2023, Nussbaum was in hospice care. The Gentle Rosenburg actor endeared himself to millions with a workman-like effort over the past half a decade. There were so many projects he appeared in. Some viewers might remember Bob Drimmer from Fatal Attraction, but could easily see that face ad go “Hey, I know that guy!”
For the Chicago acting community, it feels like a real loss. “He was a great dad and a good man,” Karen Nussbaum told The Tribune. “He loved acting and he also loved turning the spotlight on other people. He hated fascism from boyhood and he raised three children who cared about justice.”
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He Loved Acting All The Way Until The End
Back in 2021, the actor spoke to The Washington Post about his long career. When the question of why Nussbaum was out there working came up, and he clarified that the thought of learning new material and making something still excited him a lot. This was a man driven to community and acting provided that outlet.
“Well, partly because it’s still fun for me. And partly because I can still memorize. Although I move with difficulty now, memory is not a factor — yet. And I enjoy working with other people, particularly young — well, in my case, they’re all younger than I am,” he laughed. “I did a play recently where the youngest was, like, 19. And for me, it was a joy just to be a peer of these guys and not some old man on a mountain.
“Also, I live in a city where I’m a part of a theatrical history. And the people who run the theaters all know me. And they know that people will come to see me if I’m in one of their plays. And so they cast me a lot,” Nussbaum added. “For instance, the last play that I did before the pandemic, I played the gravedigger in ‘Hamlet.’ It was a perfect part for me. I even had a song, at the end of which I said something to the effect of, ‘The longer you live, the sooner you bloody well die.’ And, of course that’s true, but so far, it hasn’t hit me.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike Nussbaum’s family and friends at this time.
