# Vic Tayback
**Vic Tayback** (Victor Tayback; January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American character actor best known for playing the gruff diner owner and fry cook Mel Sharples in Martin Scorsese's 1974 film *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore* and in the CBS sitcom *[Alice](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-american-tv-series)* from 1976 to 1985.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) He won two consecutive [Golden Globe Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-globe-awards) for the television role and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/vic-tayback/bio/3000262628/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1930, Brooklyn, New York City[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851861/bio/) |
| Died | May 25, 1990, Glendale, California, of a heart attack, aged 60[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-mn-429-story.html) |
| Signature role | Mel Sharples in *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore* (1974) and *Alice* (1976–1985, 200 episodes)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) |
| Awards | Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor, 1980 and 1981; Primetime Emmy nomination, 1978[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/vic-tayback/bio/3000262628/) |
| Other known films | *Bullitt* (1968), *Papillon* (1973), *The Choirboys* (1977), *All Dogs Go to Heaven* (1989, voice of Carface)[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-mn-429-story.html) |
| Background | Son of immigrants from Aleppo, Syria; served in the United States Navy before acting[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) |
| Burial | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills[6](https://www.nndb.com/people/144/000043015/) |
## Early life
Tayback was born in Brooklyn to Helen and Najeeb James Tayback, immigrants from Aleppo, Syria; a Japanese-language source describes the family as Syrian Catholic.[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) His father worked for years as a fry cook, a detail Tayback later noted when explaining how natural he looked behind a diner counter: "My mother much preferred to say that he was a chef, but what he was, was a fry cook."[7](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/44128/vic-tayback-alice-mel-sharples-injury/$%7BSA_APP_NEXUS_IMP_TRACKERS_2_SEC/) As a teenager he moved with his family to [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), where he attended Burbank High School.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback)
He served in the [United States Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-navy) before turning to acting; a 2026 profile reports that he had originally aspired to be a football player, and that a failed surgery during his Navy service led him to use the GI Bill to study sportscasting at the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting.[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) • [7](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/44128/vic-tayback-alice-mel-sharples-injury/$%7BSA_APP_NEXUS_IMP_TRACKERS_2_SEC/) Before acting full time he worked as a bank teller and a cab driver.[8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1990/rt9005/900526/05260085.htm)
## Television and film career
For nearly the first 20 years of his career Tayback landed mostly one-off television appearances, on shows including *Mission: Impossible*, *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.*, *Star Trek: The Original Series*, *Bonanza*, *Barney Miller*, *Bewitched*, and *Get Smart*, along with supporting film roles.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) • [5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) His film work of the period included [Pete Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-ross) in *Bullitt* (1968), a sergeant in *Papillon* (1973), Ralph Negri in *The Don Is Dead* (1973), and Lt. DiMaggio in *The Cheap Detective* (1978).[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) In 1973 he won his first regular series role, as Captain Barney Marcus on the drama *Griff*, and in 1975 he played Lt. Gubbins in *Khan!*.[9](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/)
**Mel Sharples.** In 1974 Martin Scorsese cast Tayback as Mel Sharples, the owner and cook of a Tucson diner, in *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*, a comedy-drama starring [Ellen Burstyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellen-burstyn) that won Burstyn an Academy Award.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/d2fd2a9ffc3f4c078ea4d86da877d538) When CBS adapted the film as a sitcom, Tayback was the only member of the original cast brought over, starring opposite [Linda Lavin](https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-lavin) as Alice Hyatt.[8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1990/rt9005/900526/05260085.htm) The series ran for 200 episodes from 1976 through 1985 and became the work he is most remembered for.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) Mel's penny-pinching and poor cooking were running jokes on the show, and the poor-cooking gag earned Tayback a commercial contract for Heinz 57 Sauce.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-mn-429-story.html) The role brought Golden Globe wins in 1980 and 1981 and an Emmy nomination in 1978.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/vic-tayback/bio/3000262628/)
## Later work
After *Alice* ended in 1985, Tayback returned to the stage, where he had begun his career in the mid-1950s, appearing in plays including *12 Angry Men*, *Death of a Salesman*, and *Brighton Beach Memoirs*.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-mn-429-story.html) • [8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1990/rt9005/900526/05260085.htm) He had earlier been a founding member, with [Sally Kellerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/sally-kellerman) and [Richard Chamberlain](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-chamberlain), of the Los Angeles theater group Company of Angels in the Silver Lake area, and was a member of the [Actors Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-studio) for 20 years.[8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1990/rt9005/900526/05260085.htm)
His later screen roles included [Long John Silver](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-john-silver) in a 1985 *Treasure Island*, Sgt. Burdge in *Weekend Warriors* (1986), and the voice of the dog Carface in the animated *All Dogs Go to Heaven* (1989).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback) His last film role was as George Samsa in *Horseplayer* (1990).[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php) He also appeared in a well-remembered Aqua Velva commercial with baseball star [Pete Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-rose).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback)
## Personal life and death
Tayback married Sheila McKay Barnard on March 16, 1963, and the couple had one son, [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher), who became a Los Angeles deputy district attorney.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851861/bio/) • [9](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/)
He had a history of heart trouble and underwent triple bypass surgery in 1983.[9](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/) On May 25, 1990, he suffered a heart attack at his home in [Glendale, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/glendale-california), at about 1 a.m.; his wife called paramedics, who found him in full cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at Glendale Adventist Medical Center at 1:56 a.m.[9](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/) His agent, Fred Amsel, said Tayback had experienced chest pains since the surgery and had recently resumed smoking after quitting a few years earlier.[9](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/) He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the [Hollywood Hills](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-hills).[6](https://www.nndb.com/people/144/000043015/)
## References
1. [Vic Tayback | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vic_tayback)
2. [Vic Tayback Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards | TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/vic-tayback/bio/3000262628/)
3. [Vic Tayback - Biography - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851861/bio/)
4. [SOUTHLAND: Actor Vic Tayback of 'Alice' Dies - Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-mn-429-story.html)
5. [Vic Tayback Biography - The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vic-tayback-43462.php)
6. [Vic Tayback - NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/144/000043015/)
7. [How Vic Tayback Became Mel on 'Alice' After a Life-Changing Injury - Remind Magazine](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/44128/vic-tayback-alice-mel-sharples-injury/$%7BSA_APP_NEXUS_IMP_TRACKERS_2_SEC/)
8. [ACTOR VIC TAYBACK, 'ALICE' SERIES' MEL, DIES OF HEART ATTACK - Roanoke Times / Los Angeles Daily News](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1990/rt9005/900526/05260085.htm)
9. [Vic Tayback of 'Alice' fame dead at 60 - UPI Archives](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/25/Vic-Tayback-of-Alice-fame-dead-at-60/3707643608000/)
10. [Linda Lavin, Tony-winning Broadway actor who starred in the landmark sitcom 'Alice,' dies at 87 - AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d2fd2a9ffc3f4c078ea4d86da877d538)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Sw to T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license