newsmakers

newsmakers

Veteran character actor Eli Wallach dies

NEW YORK

Eli Wallach, the raspy-voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and Broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career and earned film immortality as a conniving, quick-on-the-draw bandit in the classic Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” has died. He was 98.

Wallach’s son, Peter Wallach, confirmed Wednesday that his father passed away Tuesday evening in New York from natural causes.

“The best way to honor him is to put on one of his movies,” he said. “Put on ‘Baby Doll’ or ‘Magnificent Seven.’ Those live forever.”

Wallach and his wife, Anne Jackson, were a formidable duo on the stage, appearing in several plays dating back to the 1940s. He won a Tony Award for his supporting role in Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo” in 1951, was an original member of the Actors Studio, and was still starring in films well into his 90s.

Diane Sawyer to leave ABC’s ‘World News’

NEW YORK

Diane Sawyer is stepping down as anchor of ABC’s “World News” in September after nearly five years in the job, to be replaced by her regular substitute, David Muir.

The network also said Wednesday that George Stephanopoulos will add the role of chief anchor for live news events to his current jobs as “Good Morning America” co-host and host of the Sunday-morning “This Week” political show.

The exit of Sawyer, 68, is not unexpected. She will remain at ABC News to concentrate on landing big interviews and doing prime-time specials. “World News” was a steady second to Brian Williams at NBC during her tenure, although the ABC broadcast has made gains among younger viewers.

Muir, 40, has been groomed for the job. He steps in when Sawyer is away, and traveled to China to report with her in 2010.

Muir, from Syracuse, N.Y., swept floors as a teenager in a local television newsroom. He is a graduate of Ithaca College, just like Bob Iger, head of ABC’s parent Walt Disney Co.

Behind him, ABC is expected to make a strong bid to replace Williams at the top of the evening news ratings, hoping to repeat the success it has had in the morning with “Good Morning America.”

The evening news switch will take place Sept. 2, said James Goldston, ABC News president.

Associated Press