Bio of TV Actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr
The Son of Famous Musicians Gluck and Zimbalist Also a Composer
Zimbalist has a fine reputation as an actor, but few people know that he is a trained classical musician and has composed works that have been performed in concert.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is the son of world-famous musicians...the soprano Alma Gluck (1884-1938) and the concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist (1889-1985). As a child young Efrem was exposed to many artistic and sophisticated friends of his parents and much of this is evident in his refined and cultured persona.
Zimbalist was born in New York City on November 30,1918, and in the early 1940's he met and married the aspiring actress Emily McNair, with whom he had two children, Nancy and Efrem III, known as 'Skip." World War 2 found him in the service and he was mustered out with a Purple Star. Life was idyllic and Efrem was a happy man, pursuing his career and enjoying a very blissful marriage. Tragically, Emily passed away from cancer in 1950, and her grief-stricken husband moved with his children to Philadelphia, where he became connected with the Curtis Institute of Music, of which his father was director. He also became involved in the productions of Gian-Carlo Menotti's operas "The Medium" and "The Telephone."
Television and Film
Zimbalist had received musical training as a normal part of his cultural education and spent nine years studying the violin. "I wasn't bad," he relates, but the lure of the theatre was too much and he turned to the career which made him a household name by his starring roles in "77 Sunset Strip," and "The FBI." The public has enjoyed his performances in movies, on the stage and on television for over sixty years. He was especially excited to work in television with his daughter, the talented actress Stephanie Zimbalist, child of his second marriage to Stephanie Spaulding.
Compositions
Although Zimbalist did not pursue a career in music, he did compose...and one of his compositions, the Sonata for Violin and Piano in g minor, has been recorded twice and performed in public several times. The sonata is in the traditional three movements, and is a difficult piece for both musicians, but well worth the effort to master it. The first movement is in 6/8 time and is marked "Moderato," (at a moderate tempo). The dissonances, usual in mid-twentieth century compositions, are neither jarring nor unpleasant. The second movement, "Grave," (slow and solemn), begins with a haunting melody for the piano and weaves in and out of various time signatures. The last movement, "Giojosamente," (merrily), is a rollicking rondo with twists and turns in the final key of C Major. It is a very worthwhile work and deserves a place in the concert violinist's repertoire.
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. makes his home in California.
For further reading about composers see:
Violinist-Composer Efrem Zimbalist
Sources
"My Dinner of Herbs," by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., First Limelight Edition, 2003.
Personal conversations with Mr.Zimbalist.
