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Veteran actor Norman Lloyd, who worked with Alfred Hitchcock, dies at 106: 'Thought he'd live forever'

'I knew this day would come but I'm awfully sad about it,' tweeted journalist Mark Harris, as Lloyd's death was mourned by millions worldwide

Actor Norman Lloyd, whose debut in acting dated way back to 1923 and spanned for decades, has died at the age of 106 years. The veteran actor worked with many legendary actors and filmmakers in his long career - from Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir, Orson Welles to Martin Scorsese. He famously starred in Hitchcock's 'Saboteur' and 'Spellbound', besides working in 'Limelight', 'Dead Poets Society', 'The Age of Innocence'. He worked in more than 60 films and TV shows in his lifetime. 

Lloyd was married to stage actress and director Peggy Craven who was famous for her works on Broadway. The duo got married in 1936 and stayed together until Craven's death in 2011. Lloyd is survived by his two children, including actress Josie Lloyd. 

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Who was Norman Lloyd?

Norman Lloyd hailed from a Jewish family and grew up in Brooklyn after his birth on November 8, 1914, in New Jersey. His father Max Perlmutter was an accountant-turned-salesman while his mother was a bookkeeper. It was his mother Sadie Horowitz Perlmutter who took young Norman to singing and dancing lessons. He became a child performer who professionally performed at benefits and women's clubs by the age of nine. 

After high school, Lloyd attended New York University but dropped out after his sophomore years due to the Great Depression. His stint in theatre acting was marked by his first Broadway show - Andre Obey's Noah in 1935. While working in social theatre, Lloyd met his future wife Peggy Craven. 

Lloyd was brought to the Federal Theatre Project by Joseph Losey. Legendary filmmaker Orson Welles and actor-producer John Houseman were part of the project initially but left to form their own independent theatre company - Mercury Theatre, where Lloyd was invited. He worked in iconic projects like 'The Shoemaker's Holiday', 'The Merchant of Venice', 'Everywhere I Roam', and others with Welles at Mercury.

His Hollywood debut could have happened in late 1939 when he was invited to join the cast of 'Heart of Darkness'. However, the project never happened in the end. Later, in 1942, Lloyd played a Nazi spy in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Saboteur'. Soon, he worked with French director Jean Renoir in the film 'The Southerner'. 

Post the Second World War, Lloyd went on to star in more films with Hitchcock, who even hired him as an associate producer and director on the TV series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. He continued to act in films, theatre, and TV shows over the next decades. His last film appearance was in the 2015 movie 'Trainwreck'. 

'He was intent on 107'

The Centenarian actor was mourned by celebrities and millions of fans across the world, who poured in their condolences after the news of his death surfaced. "My dear friend Norman Lloyd has died. He was 106. He would quote things Chaplin, Hitchcock, and Judd Apatow said to him - in the same sentence. He saw a his first World Series game in 1928 (“Babe Ruth tore his pants! We roared!”) and his last in 2017. He was intent on 107," tweeted commentator Keith Olbermann. 

TV critic Alan Sepinwall wrote, "RIP, Norman Lloyd. Lived to 106, worked with directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Judd Apatow, and was an indispensable part of one of the great TV drama ensembles ever made as Dr. Auschlander on St. Elsewhere."

"Norman Lloyd, R.I.P. I thought he'd live forever—and I wish he had," tweeted playwright Terry Teachout.

"I knew this day would come but I'm awfully sad about it. Norman Lloyd was one of the first people I interviewed for the Mike Nichols book. I wanted to talk to him early, for obvious reasons. He had a story to tell, and he told it delightfully. >" wrote journalist Mark Harris.