Wallach made a career of playing the villain in films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and The Magnificent Seven. He died Tuesday at the age of 98. Wallach talked with Terry Gross in 1990.
Actor Eli Wallach will receive a lifetime achievement Oscar this weekend in Los Angeles. Fresh Air pays tribute to the 95-year-old star of The Good, the Bad and The Ugly and The Magnificent Seven with highlights from a 1990 interview.
The stage and screen actor's career has spanned nearly 50 years. One of his most well-known films is the Magnificent Seven. Wallach is currently touring the country in the play Love Letters with his wife Anne Jackson, and also has a role in the upcoming film, Godfather Part III.