Innate around Brooklyn, New York. In the 1950s, he was blacklisted on account of his leftist political beliefs, which he late drew upon for his role when Hecky Dark brown in the film, The Front. He was known as to testify prior to a House Un-American Activities Committee on October 14, 1955. He denied that he was the member of the Communist Party, but refused to cooperate by having a committee's investigation. Later, he was basically banned from either film roles for many years. His longtime friend (& fellow HUAC target) Burgess Meredith helped him land a few Off-Broadway theater work to keep his career afloat.

Around 1962, his career recovered with his Tony Award winning performance in the musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (a role he reprised in the 1966 film version). Within 1964, he joined the original cast of the Broadway musical theater Fiddler on the Roof, for which he won a Tony around 1965.

Mostel won an Obie Award for his 1958 role as Leopold Bloom in Ulysses in Nighttown, a stage adaptation by Marjorie Barkentin of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. He reprised his role inside 1974. His best known film role wwhen probably as Max Bialystock inside Mel Brooks' The Producers (1968).

He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Front, the 1976 film sustaining Woody Allen that presented one perspective of the blacklisting time period inside Hollywood.

He guest-appeared on The Muppet Show, and has a ghastly distinction of existence a exclusively guest to die prior to their episode aired. His previous film appearance wwhen as a voice of Kehaar in the alive adaptation of Watership Down.

He married Kathryn Harkin in July 2, 1944, and it got 2 sons: Josh Mostel, also the film actor, born 1946, and Tobias, born 1949.

Stage Appearances
Cafe Crown (1942) (made occasionally spontaneously appearances in stage, however wasn't officialy a share of cast.) ''Keep 'em Laughing (1942) Top-Notchers (1942) Concert Varieties (1945) Beggar's Holiday (1946) Flight Into Egypt (1952) Lunatics and Lovers (1954) (replaced Buddy Hackett during his vacation) Good as Gold (1957) Ulyssed in Nighttown (1958) The Good Soup (1960) (was replaced before opening by Jules Munshin due to an accident which broke his leg) Rhinoceros (1961) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) Fiddler on the Roof (1964) Ulysses in Nighttown (1974) (revival) Fiddler on the Roof (1976) (revival)

Filmography
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) Panic in the Streets (1950) The Enforcer (1951) Sirocco (1951) Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) The Guy Who Came Back (1951) The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Children of the Exodus (1967) (short subject) (narrator) The Producers (1968) Great Catherine (1968) The Great Bank Robbery (1969) The Angel Levine (1970) The Hot Rock (1972) Once Upon a Scoundrel (1973) Marco (1973) Rhinoceros (1974) Fore Play (1975) Journey Into Fear (1975) Mastermind (1976) The Front (1976) Hollywood on Trial (1976) (documentary) Watership Down (1978) (voice) Best Boy'' (1979) (documentary)