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{{Short description|American actor (1930-1990)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Vic Tayback
| image              = Vic Tayback 1976.JPG
| caption            = Tayback in 1976
| alma_mater         = [[Glendale Community College (California)|Glendale Community College]]<br>[[Actors Studio]]
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1930|01|06}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1990|05|25|1930|01|06}}
| death_place        = [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], [[California]], U.S.
| known_for          = ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]''<br>''[[The Love Boat]]''
| resting_place      = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]]
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1955–1989
| spouse             = {{marriage|Sheila Maureen Barnard|1963}}
| children           = 1
}}

'''Victor Tayback''' (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples on the television sitcom ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' (1976–1985), as well as his multiple guest appearances on ''[[The Love Boat]]'' (1977–1987). The former earned him two consecutive [[Golden Globe Awards]] (for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series]]) and a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nomination for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]].

==Early life==
Tayback was born on January 6, 1930 in [[Brooklyn, New York]], to [[Syrian Americans|Syrian]] Catholic immigrant parents Helen (née Hanood; {{langx|ar| هيلين هنود تايباك}}) and Najeeb James Tayback ({{langx|ar| نجيب جيمس طيبك}}) . Both of his parents had emigrated to the United States from [[Aleppo]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oliver |first=Myrna |date=1990-05-26 |title=Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-26-mn-299-story.html |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1990-05-25 |title=TV'S 'MEL' DIES OF HEART ATTACK |url=https://greensboro.com/tvs-mel-dies-of-heart-attack/article_b29be03f-30fa-5bf4-9a6f-c2be274a7851.html |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Greensboro News and Record |language=en}}</ref> He moved with his family to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California during his teenage years and attended [[Burbank High School (Burbank, California)|Burbank High School]], from which he graduated in 1948.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Bob |title=Vic Tayback—More than Face in a Commercial |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-telegram-vic-tayback-1930-1990/179439855/ |work=Press-Telegram |date=January 2, 1977 |location=Long Beach, CA |page=59 |access-date=August 22, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Search on for All Burbank Grads |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-desert-sun-vic-tayback-1930-1990/179440010/ |work=The Desert Sun |date=April 25, 1978 |location=Palm Springs, CA |page=6 |access-date=August 22, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> He also attended [[Glendale Community College (California)|Glendale Community College]] and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting.<ref>{{Cite news |title=VIC TAYBACK, WHO PLAYED MEL IN 'ALICE' TV SERIES, DIES |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1990/05/26/vic-tayback-who-played-mel-in-alice-tv-series-dies/3442beac-3a41-48a0-bc5b-5728cd3ee684/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

==Career==
Tayback served in the [[United States Navy]] before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the [[Actors Studio]],<ref>{{cite book| first=David| last=Garfield| title=A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio| url=https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf| url-access=registration| year=1980| publisher=MacMillan| location=New York| isbn=978-0-0254-2650-4| page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/280 280]| chapter=Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980}}</ref> he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Here Come the Brides]]'', ''[[That Girl]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[The Partridge Family]]'', ''[[All in the Family]]'', ''[[Fantasy Island]]'', ''[[Columbo]]'', and ''[[The Love Boat]]''. He also appeared in many films such as ''[[Bullitt]]'' (1968), ''[[Papillon (1973 film)|Papillon]]'' (1973), ''[[The Gambler (1974 film)|The Gambler]]'' (1974), ''[[The Cheap Detective]]'' (1978), and ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' (1989), as well as more than 25 stage productions, including ''[[Twelve Angry Men (play)|Twelve Angry Men]]'', ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank (play)|The Diary of Anne Frank]]'', ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'', and ''[[Brighton Beach Memoirs]]''. He was the co-founder of the theatre troupe [[Company of Angels]].  He also appeared in television commercials,  notably in 1968 with [[Richard Dreyfuss]] for the [[AMC Javelin]].

Tayback's most famous role was as diner owner Mel Sharples in both the film ''[[Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore]]'' (1974) and the television series ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' (1976–1985). He was the only actor in the original film to reprise his role for the rest of the series.<ref>[[Diane Ladd]] joined ''Alice'' mid-series playing a different character and [[Alfred Lutter]] reprised his film role as Tommy for the pilot episode only.</ref> For the role, he was nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] in 1978 and won two consecutive [[Golden Globe Awards]] in 1980 and 1981. In 1971, he made a guest appearance as Dirks in season 16, episode 19 of the long-running [[CBS]] Western series ''[[Gunsmoke]]''.

==Personal life==
Tayback was married to Sheila Maureen Barnard (1932–2001) from March 16, 1963, until his death on May 25, 1990. They had one son.

==Death==
Tayback died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at age 60 on May 25, 1990.<ref name=LATIMES>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-26-mn-299-story.html| title=Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in 'Alice' TV Series| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]| first=Myrna| last=Oliver| date=May 26, 1990|access-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/26/obituaries/vic-tayback-dies-actor-60-was-mel-in-the-alice-series.html|title=Vic Tayback Dies; Actor, 60, Was Mel In the 'Alice' Series| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=May 26, 1990| access-date=July 3, 2020| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1990/05/26/vic-tayback-who-played-mel-in-alice-tv-series-dies/3442beac-3a41-48a0-bc5b-5728cd3ee684/| title=Vic Tayback, Who Played Mel In 'Alice' TV Series, Dies| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=May 26, 1990| access-date=July 3, 2020| url-access=subscription}}</ref> Tayback was pronounced dead at 1:56&nbsp;a.m. at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he was taken after his wife called paramedics. She said he had climbed out of bed, taken a few steps and collapsed.<ref name=LATIMES/> Tayback was a lifelong smoker and had a history of heart problems. He underwent a triple bypass in 1983.<ref name=LATIMES/>

He is buried at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]].

==Filmography==
=== Film ===
{{Div col}}
* ''[[The Power of the Resurrection]]'' (1958) – Simon the Canaanite
* ''[[T-Bird Gang]]'' (1959) – Cop #1 at gas station 
* ''[[Gangster Story]]'' (1959) – Norm, Resort Guard (uncredited)
* ''[[North to Alaska]]'' (1960) – Roustabout (uncredited)
* ''[[Five Minutes to Live]]'' (1961) – Fred Dorella
* ''[[With Six You Get Eggroll]]'' (1968) – Truck Driver 
* ''[[Bullitt]]'' (1968) – Pete Ross
* ''[[Blood and Lace]]'' (1971) – Calvin Carruthers
* ''[[Emperor of the North Pole]]'' (1973) – Yardman
* ''[[The Blue Knight (film)|The Blue Knight]]'' (1973) – Neil Grogan
* ''[[The Don Is Dead]]'' (1973) – Ralph Negri
* ''[[Papillon (1973 film)|Papillon]]'' (1973) – Sergeant
* ''[[Thunderbolt and Lightfoot]]'' (1974) – Mario Pinski
* ''[[The Gambler (1974 film)|The Gambler]]'' (1974) – One
* ''[[Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore]]'' (1974) – Mel Sharples
* ''[[Report to the Commissioner]]'' (1975) – Lieutenant Seidensticker
* ''[[Lepke (film)|Lepke]]'' (1975) – Lucky Luciano
* ''[[No Deposit, No Return]]'' (1976) – Big Joe
* ''[[The Big Bus]]'' (1976) – Goldie
* ''[[Special Delivery (1976 film)|Special Delivery]]'' (1976) – Wyatt
* ''[[Mansion of the Doomed]]'' (1976) – Detective Simon
* ''[[The Shaggy D.A.]]'' (1976) – Eddie Roschak
* ''[[The Choirboys (film)|The Choirboys]]'' (1977) – Zoony
* ''[[The Cheap Detective]]'' (1978) – Lieutenant DiMaggio
* ''[[Treasure Island (1986 film)|Treasure Island]]'' (1986) – Silver
* ''[[Weekend Warriors (1986 film)|Weekend Warriors]]'' (1986) – Sergeant Burdge
* ''[[The Underachievers (film)|The Underachievers]]'' (1987) – Coach
* ''[[Loverboy (1989 film)|Loverboy]]'' (1989) – Harry Bruckner
* ''[[Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers]]'' (1989) – Lou
* ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' (1989) – Carface Caruthers (voice)
* ''Horseplayer'' (1990) – George Samsa (final film role)
{{div col end}}

=== Television ===
{{Div col}}
* ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' (1976–1985) as Mel Sharples
* ''[[Griff (TV series)|Griff]]'' as Captain Barney Marcus
* ''[[Khan! (TV series)|Khan!]]'' (1975) as Lieutenant Gubbins
* ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'' as Turhan (episode: "This Is Murder")
* ''[[Buckskin (TV series)|Buckskin]]'' (episode: "The Battle of Gabe Pruitt") – Claude
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (season 4 episode 7: "A Man with a Problem") (1958) – Man Talking to Cab Driver
* ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'' (episode: "Trouble in the Middle East") (1960) - Bearded Rebel
* ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' (episode: "The Gray Rock Hotel") (1965) – Monte
* ''[[F Troop]]'' (episode: "Corporal Agarn's Farewell To The Troops") (1965) – Bill Colton
* ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (episode: "The Re-Collectors Affair") (1965) – Sargent
* ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'' (episode: "Onatha") (1966) – Hongas
* ''[[Family Affair]]'' (episode 8 season 1: "Who's Afraid of Nural Shpeni?") (1966) – Policeman
* ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (episode: "Ladies From St. Louis") (1967) – Gaines; (episode: "The Fugitives S18E7") (1972) – Bill Hankins
* ''[[Get Smart]]'' (episode: "Appointment in Sahara") (1967) – Jamal
* ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' (1966-1967) - George / Rocco / Chuche
* ''[[Here Come the Brides]]'' (1968–1970)
* ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' (1968) (episode: "[[A Piece of the Action (Star Trek: The Original Series)|A Piece of the Action]]") – Jojo Krako
* ''[[That Girl]]'' (season 3 episode 12) (1968) – Max   
* ''[[Lancer (TV series)|Lancer]]'' (episode: "Devil's Blessing") (1969) – Porter
* ''[[The Bill Cosby Show]]'' (episode: "The Fatal Phone Call") (1969) – Calvin
* ''[[Bonanza]]'' (episode: "Caution, Easter Bunny Crossing") (1970) – Everett Gaskell
* ''[[The Partridge Family]]'' (episode: "Danny and the Mob") (1971) – Rocco
* ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' (episode: "Second Story Story") (1971) – Officer Jackson
* ''[[Bewitched]]'' (episode: "The Good Fairy Strikes Again") (1971) – Officer #1
* ''[[Columbo]]'' (episode: "Suitable for Framing") (1971) – Sam Franklin
* ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'' (1971-1972) – Ed Larch / Neil Parks
* ''[[Arnie (TV series)|Arnie]]'' (episode: "Boom or Bust") (1972) – Sergeant
* ''[[The Bold Ones: The New Doctors]]'' (episode: "Is This Operation Necessary?") (1972) – Frank Wells
* ''[[The Rookies]]'' (episode: The Commitment) (1972) - Gus Caldwell
* ''[[Emergency!]]'' (episode: "Boot") (1973) – Truck Driver
* ''[[All in the Family]]'' (episode: "Et Tu, Archie?") (1974) – Joe Tucker
* ''[[Barney Miller]]'' (episodes: "Stakeout", "The Social Worker") (1975) – Mr. Savocheck / Master Forger
* ''[[The Practice (1976 TV series)|The Practice]]'' (episode: "The Choice") (1976) – Frankie Nyles
* ''[[Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman]]'' (episode 29, season 1) (1976)
* ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' (episodes: "Bones of Contention"; "Angel in Blue") (1975–1978) – Martin Lynch / Parmel
* ''[[The Eddie Capra Mysteries]]'' (episode: "How Do I Kill Thee?") (1978) – Logan
* ''Getting Married'' (1978) – Burt Carboni
* ''[[Sweepstakes (TV series)|$weepstake$]]'' (episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore") (1979) – Sergeant Yarbrough
* ''[[Flo (TV series)|Flo]]'' (episode: "What Are Friends For?") (1981) – Mel Sharples
* ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' (1979–1983) – George Walters / Laura Walters / Norman Atkins / Chet Nolan / Melvyn Mews
* ''[[T. J. Hooker]]'' (episode: "Hooker's War") (1982) – Lieutenant Pete Benedict
* ''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]'' (episode: "Relative Loss") (1983) – Wallace Egan
* ''[[Finder of Lost Loves]]'' (episode: "Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot") (1984) – Thomas Velasco
* ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''  (episode: "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder") (1986) – Sal Domino
* ''[[Crazy like a Fox (TV series)|Crazy Like a Fox]]'' (episode: "The Duke Is Dead") (1986) – Pete Ross
* ''[[The Love Boat]]'' (1977–1987) – Himself / Jack Hamilton / Shelley Sommers / 'Dutch' Boden / Sergeant Harry Beluski / Harry Stewart
* ''[[Adderly]]'' (1987) – Gregorin
* ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'' (episodes: "The New Man" (as Alan Coombs), Season 1, 1984, and "Basher Malone" (as Tippy Ryan), Season 4, 1988)
* ''[[MacGyver (1985 TV series)|MacGyver]]'' (1990, episode: "Jenny's Chance") – George Henderson (final television appearance)
{{div col end}}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Year
! Category
! Work
! Result
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]]
| [[37th Golden Globe Awards|1980]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series]]
| rowspan="4" |''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]''
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[38th Golden Globe Awards|1981]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film]]
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[39th Golden Globe Awards|1982]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award]]
| [[30th Primetime Emmy Awards|1978]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]]
| {{Nom}}
|-
|}

== See also ==

* [[Syrian Americans in New York City]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
Putt, Jr., Barry M. (2019). ''Alice: Life Behind the Counter in Mel's Greasy Spoon (A Guide to the Feature Film, the TV Series, and More)''. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. {{ISBN|978-1629334264}}.

==External links==
* [https://www.alicehyatt.com/cast-biographies/vic-tayback-mel Vic Tayback biography, as cast member from "Alice"]
* {{IMDb name|0851861}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes-person|vic_tayback}}
* {{Find a Grave|5444}}
{{Memory Alpha|Vic Tayback}}

{{GoldenGlobeSupportingActorTV 1970-1989}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tayback, Vic}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American people of Syrian descent]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners]]
[[Category:Burbank High School (California) alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors from Glendale, California]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Brooklyn]]