Joe Mantell, 94, an Oscar-nominated actor who co-starred in “Marty” and delivered one of movies’ most famous lines in “Chinatown,” has died, his family said.
Mantell died Wednesday at a medical center in Tarzana, Calif., according to a statement from his son, Robert Mantell. The statement said the death followed a long illness, but it did not elaborate.
Mantell was a character actor with more than 70 film and TV credits who received an Academy Award nomination in 1956 for his performance as Angie, the best friend of Ernest Borgnine in “Marty.”
In 1974’s “Chinatown,” he played the partner of Jack Nicholson’s detective character, Jack Gittes. Mantell spoke the film’s famous last line: “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
Mantell’s other notable credits include “The Birds.” The Associated Press
