The son of Sicilian immigrants, Ben Gazzara grew up on New York City's tough Lower East Side in a cold-water flat with the bathtub in the kitchen, speaking Italian as his first language. While movies of the era fueled his dreams, it was the applause greeting his first performance in a play at the Boys Club when he was 12 that really sold him on the life of an actor. After studying engineering briefly, he dropped out of the City College of New York to attend (on scholarship) Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop of the New School for Social Research. Later as a member of the Actors Studio, he took
First professional stage appearance in "Jezebel's Husband" at Pennsylvania's Pocono Playhouse
1952
Early TV appearances include episodes of "Danger" (CBS) and "Kraft Television Theatre" (NBC)
1953
Broadway debut as lead of "End as a Man"
1955
Starred on Broadway in original productions of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (as Brick) and "A Hatful of Rain", receiving a Tony nomination for the his portrayal of Johnny Pope in the latter
1955
Film debut in bit role as a card player in "I'll Cry Tomorrow"
