{{Short description|American actor (1926–1994)}} {{Infobox person | name = Fred Sadoff | image = Fred_Sadoff_in_Magnum_P.I._1987.jpg | caption = Fred Sadoff in ''Magnum, P.I.'' 1987 | birth_name = Frederick Edward Sadoff | birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|10|21}} | birth_place = California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1994|5|6|1926|10|21}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1949–1990 }}
'''Frederick Edward Sadoff''' (October 21, 1926 – May 6, 1994) was an American film, stage and television actor.
== Early years == Frederick Edward Sadoff was born on October 21, 1926, in California<ref name="i" /> to Russian-Jewish parents Bertha ({{née}} Leib) and Henry Sadoff. He had two older brothers, Sidney{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} and Robert.<ref name="t" />
== Career == Sadoff began working in show business as a teenager, when he performed with stock theater companies.<ref name="t" /> His Broadway debut came in the musical ''South Pacific'' (1949).<ref name=":0" /> He was a founding member<ref name="t" /> and a life 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=978-0025426504 |page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/278 278] |chapter=Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980}}</ref> Sadoff also appeared in ''Camino Real'' and ''Wish You Were Here'', among other Broadway productions.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Fred Sadoff |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/fred-sadoff-21937 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |accessdate=January 12, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112030344/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/fred-sadoff-21937 |archivedate=January 12, 2019}}</ref>
Sadoff moved to London to form a production company with Sir Michael Redgrave under the name F.E.S. Plays, Ltd.,<ref name="i">{{cite news |last1=Eyre |first1=Peter |title=Obituary: Fred Sadoff |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-fred-sadoff-1412398.html |accessdate=January 12, 2019 |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=July 8, 1994 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112025927/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-fred-sadoff-1412398.html |archivedate= January 12, 2019}}</ref> which presented works including ''The Importance of Being Oscar'' which had a short run on Broadway in 1961. While in England, he also worked as a director for the BBC and Rediffusion.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} In 1958 he became the first American to be assistant director for the Shakespeare Memorial Theater in Stratford on Avon.<ref name="t" />
Eventually returning to the United States, he found success as an actor in ''The Poseidon Adventure'' in 1972 when he was cast as Linarcos, the company representative who ordered Captain Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) full ahead. He also acted in other films, including ''Papillon'' (1973), ''Cinderella Liberty'' (1973) and ''The Terminal Man'' (1974).
On television, he appeared in guest roles on such series as ''Quincy, M.E.'', ''The Streets of San Francisco'' (in 9 episodes), ''Barney Miller'' (in 6 episodes), ''Barnaby Jones'' (in 3 episodes), ''The Rockford Files'' (in 2 episodes) and ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. He also acted in several soap operas, including ''Ryan's Hope'', ''All My Children'' and ''Days of Our Lives''.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
== Death == Sadoff died of AIDS on May 6, 1994 at his Los Angeles home, aged 68.<ref name=t>{{cite news |title=Fred Sadoff, Actor And Director, 68 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/07/obituaries/fred-sadoff-actor-and-director-68.html |access-date=May 11, 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=May 7, 1994 |page=29 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1952|| ''Viva Zapata!'' || Soldier || Uncredited |- |1957|| ''Appointment with a Shadow'' || || Uncredited |- |1958|| ''The Quiet American'' || Dominguez || |- |1972|| ''The Poseidon Adventure'' || Linarcos || |- |1973|| ''Marco'' || Niccolo Polo || |- |1973|| ''Papillon'' || Deputy Warden || |- |1973|| ''Cinderella Liberty'' || Dr. Osgood || |- |1974|| ''The Terminal Man'' || Police Doctor || |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Portal|Biography|California|Film|Television|Judaism}} * {{IMDb name|id=0755589|name=Fred Sadoff}} * {{IBDB name}} * [http://mrslinarcos.lbbhost.com/sadoff.html A Personal Tribute to Fred Sadoff] a fan site * [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14995930/fred-sadoff Grave of Frederick Sadoff]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadoff, Fred}} Category:1926 births Category:1994 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American male musical theatre actors Category:American male soap opera actors Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:AIDS-related deaths in California Category:Jewish American male actors Category:20th-century American male actors Category:20th-century American singers Category:Male actors from California Category:20th-century American male singers Category:20th-century American Jews