Oldest Working Actor Has Worked With Both Charlie Chaplin and Judd Apatow

At 101 years old, Norman Lloyd is the oldest working actor in Hollywood. He recently appeared in the Judd Apatow-Amy Schumer collaboration Trainwreck (2015) and is best known for playing Dr. Daniel Auschlander in St. Elsewhere. The fact that he is still appearing regularly in movies and TV shows is impressive in its own right, but over the last seven decades, Lloyd has also worked with some of the biggest writers, directors, and stars in Hollywood. 

In a recent interview with The A.V. Club, Lloyd describes working with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, and Robin Williams. The actor-director describes playing tennis with Charlie Chaplin, directing an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents written by famed children’s author Roald Dahl, and bringing the improvisation skills he learned working in the theater in the 1940s to his recent performance in Trainwreck.

The interview is worth reading in full, but we’ve pulled a few select quotes in which Lloyd weighs in on some of the legends he’s worked with over the years: 

On Alfred Hitchchock:

Hitch changed my life. I mean, I worked on and off with him over a period of 38 years. Not all the time, of course, but first with the picture Saboteur, and then I did Spellbound. Then I laid off for awhile, and then he’s the one who put me back on the television show.

On Roald Dahl:

I knew Roald. We did many of his stories on 'Hitchcock.' He was brilliantly talented and a pain in the ass. [Laughs.] But he was okay. I mean, what the hell, with the ability to write those stories, let him be what he is!

On Charlie Chaplin:

Oh, Charlie… You’re talking about a genius. That’s enough: a genius.

On working on St. Elsewhere: 

As far as 'St. Elsewhere' goes, I just loved that show. You know, even with all the pictures I’ve done—and there were some good ones, some of which I’ve just mentioned—that show is right up there with them in quality.

On Robin Williams and Peter Weir (Lloyd appeared alongside Williams in Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989)):

Peter Weir is remarkable. He can do anything. And I just loved making that picture with him, and with Robin and the kids.

On Amy Schumer:

I’m very fond of Amy Schumer. I think she’s terrific, an enormous talent. You know, I was brought up in classical theater, so I was rather startled when doing the improvisation at one point with Amy and she turned to another actor and said, “Well, fuck you!” And I thought, “Well, my goodness: I’ve really made it into modern society!”

The A.V. Club interview with Lloyd is phenomenally in-depth, and covers moments with some of the most important filmmakers of the last century. Check it out here.

[h/t: The A.V. Club]