The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast - S2E32: “THAT Guy”

S2E32: “THAT Guy”

04/11/23 • 68 min

This week’s guest on the podcast is a world famous character actor who works all over the world in TV, film and video games from Thailand to South Africa to Berlin to Israel to good ol’ Los Angeles. Mark Ivanir works everywhere in between, too.

A sampling of Mark

Movies! TV! Video Games!

Among Mark’s feature films – Schindler’s List, The Good Shepherd, The Terminal, Undisputed, 7 Days In Entebbe. On TV, he’s been in Babylon Berlin, Barry, Homeland and a kajillion other shows. Same goes for video games. If you’ve ever played Call Of Duty, you’ve fought alongside Mark. Or fought against him.

Mark’s Story

Mark’s own story is as fascinating as any show he’s been in. He was born in the Soviet Union. Well, in part of the USSR we now call Ukraine. His family migrated to Israel when Mark was seven. Like most Israelis, Mark served in the military. In his case, he served in an intelligence unit of the IDF (the Israeli Defense Force).

Mark’s unit took part in “Operation Moses”, a secret operation wherein the Mossad helped the Black Jews of Ethiopia – the Bet Israel – escape refugee camps in the Sudan for Israel. The Bet Israel’s story could be a TV series unto itself. Ironically, Mark would later end up acting (as the Mossad’s chief) in a movie – The Red Sea Diving Resort – about that very military operation!

Eventually, Mark found his way into the theatre world in Tel Aviv. Steven Spielberg hired Mark after his wife Kate Capshaw saw Mark’s face whizzing by on a video tape.

Robert DeNiro hired Mark for a very tough part in “The Good Shepherd”. We’ve got a piece of Mark’s performance here in the podcast (check out our YouTube channel!). Mark’s work is haunting!

Mark also worked with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Katherine Keener on The Last Quartet. He tells a great story about taking a cigarette break one day in Toronto with Hoffman and Walken and what happened when a fan rolled up.

On TV, it’s hard to find a show Mark hasn’t done. We’ll talk about his work in Israeli TV (and the golden age it’s enjoying), on Homeland and as twin assassins on HBO’s Barry.

Who’s That Guy?

By the time you get to the end of this episode, you won’t have to wonder anymore “who that guy is” – the familiar one you’ve seen a thousand different times.

You’ll know who he is and his name: Mark Ivanir!

A sampling of Mark

Movies! TV! Video Games!

Mark’s Story

Eventually, Mark found his way into the theatre world in Tel Aviv. Steven Spielberg hired Mark after his wife Kate Capshaw saw Mark’s face whizzing by on a video tape.

Robert DeNiro hired Mark for a very tough part in “The Good Shepherd”. We’ve got a piece of Mark’s performance here in the podcast (check out our YouTube channel!). Mark’s work is haunting!

On TV, it’s hard to find a show Mark hasn’t done. We’ll talk about his work in Israeli TV (and the golden age it’s enjoying), on Homeland and as twin assassins on HBO’s Barry.

Who’s That Guy?

By the time you get to the end of this episode, you won’t have to wonder anymore “who that guy is” – the familiar one you’ve seen a thousand different times.

You’ll know who he is and his name: Mark Ivanir!

Previous Episode

S2E31: “Who’s The Boss, Part 2”

Who’s the boss on a film or TV set? Ask the First AD. They’ll know.

A bunch of episodes back (Season Two, Episode 18), we asked “Who’s really the boss on any movie or TV set?” One of the answers: why, it’s the first assistant director, of course! On a TV set, that’s pretty true. There, the first AD works for the producers.

On a movie set, by contrast, the first may be paid by the producers, but, in their mind, they work for the director.

Meet Leigh Webb

Leigh Webb was a first AD for three seasons of Tales From The Crypt – seasons three through six – and for Demon Knight. So, mostly, he worked for us – Crypt’s producers.

Pretty much everyone who worked on Crypt felt the same way about doing the show. It was special. Really, really special. Leigh is no different.

As I’ve said before, one of the great benefits of doing this podcast and having deep, nuts-n-bolts conversations with friends and co-workers is that I get to learn so much more about my friends and co-workers. They’re even more amazing than I thought they were.

Leigh Webb checks every one of those boxes. His own story is as compelling as any Crypt episode. Leigh acted in the Partridge Family and The Waltons. For three years, he drove an ambulance – which turned out to be his vehicle back into show biz and – eventually – into becoming a first.

What’s more? Leigh’s a great storyteller!

Along the way, we’ll dish on big names. There’ll be love for Tom Hanks. Not so much love for Don Johnson. We’ll talk about working with John Frankenheimer, Raul Julia, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and Tobe Hooper. Yes – more Tobe Hooper stories!

And Leigh will talk about his passion for skydiving. While Leigh worked on Crypt, I very nearly took up his offer to teach me. He can be very persuasive. Alas, Leigh had to quit skydiving recently – just shy of four thousand jumps. He’ll also talk about his current gig as a City Councilor in Franklin, New Hampshire (it’s Daniel Webster’s home town!).

This episode covers a lot of territory and (we’re biased) all of it is glorious!

When Leigh was in the biz, he was boss on every set he worked on.

Next Episode

S2E33: “Malcolm McDowell Sings In The Rain”

For a film buff, Malcolm McDowell is a kind of movie god.

He played Alex Delarge, “hero” of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece “Clockwork Orange”. Most critics agree: Clockwork is one of the hundred best movies ever made. Malcolm’s portrayal of Alex is iconic. So are the stories from behind the scenes. Kubrick wasn’t known for being warm and fuzzy with actors. He kinda saw them as useful cogs in his master vision. What was it like working with and for Kubrick? Malcolm will discuss!

Malcolm also appeared in what is arguably the best example ever of “how NOT to make a movie” – The Bob Guccionne-produced catastrophe “Caligula”. Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren and John Gielgud all believed Caligula was going to be a serious movie made by serious film makers. No one expected Bob Guccione to cut a porno movie into their historical drama.

“Caligula” might be an even better example of how NOT to make a movie than Bordello Of Blood.

We’ll talk to Malcolm about “If...” the Lindsay Anderson master work that both introduced Malcolm to cinema and got him the Alex Delarge role. As Kubrick said when he saw Malcolm’s entrance in “If...”, “We’ve found our Alex!” On the one hand, getting the role of a lifetime early in his career helped make Malcolm’s career. On the other, playing Alex typecast Malcolm. He got few leading men parts (other than Time After Time) but plenty of villains.

He played Sauron in Star Trek: Generations – that’s the guy who killed Captain James T. Kirk! You don’t get more villainous than that. Of course, we’ll talk also about Tales From The Crypt. Malcolm appeared in “The Reulctant Vampire”, one of Crypt’s most beloved episodes.

Malcolm McDowell is truly iconic. The good news is he’s finally found a modicum of peace with the role that made him.