12 Angry Men is considered one of the greatest American films of all time. The 1957 classic was directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Reginald Rose, who also wrote the teleplay the film was based on. Being a courtroom drama, the film actually takes place in the deliberation room with 12 jurors. These men take up the entire runtime discussing a murder case, especially when skepticism arises in its inconsistencies.
What drives this film along is its cast and the powerful dialogue which draws the audience into a production similar to something on Broadway. The cast of jurors is the most important factor which made this film so crucial to popular culture and cinema history, so what have they done since? Where are they today?
12 Martin Balsam as Juror 1
New York City native, Martin Balsam was a part of numerous and prestigious projects following 12 Angry Men. His performance as Juror 1, also known as the Foreperson, takes control of the room in times of decision and voting. After his role as the juror, Balsam went on to receive an Academy Award in 1966 for his supporting role in A Thousand Clowns. Balsam also played supporting roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and played alongside his fellow Juror 7 in Alan J. Pakula’s film All the President’s Men in 1976. Balsam died in 1996 of a stroke in Italy.
11 John Fiedler as Juror 2
Juror 2 provides a voice of reason and a bit of awkward ignorance to the slate of jurors. Although he is a bit reserved and shy, he does contradict the bigoted viewpoints of Jurors 3 and 7, who play the bullies in the story. Following his performance as Juror 2, John Fiedler went on to lead a substantial career and became a prominent voice in popular culture. He voiced Piglet in the many films and television interpretations of Winnie the Pooh until his death in 2005. Fiedler also appeared on an episode of The Golden Girls in 1989.
10 Lee J. Cobb as Juror 3
Juror 3 is the last one to change his vote, the final piece to the puzzle of justice. Lee J. Cobb delivered a notable performance as Juror 3 and is one of the standouts of the film, and one might argue the main antagonist as he is the first and last to budge his vote. He also has a personal connection to the case in a negative way.
Cobb had quite a career prior to and after 12 Angry Men. Perhaps his most popular performance after the film was the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist, where Cobb portrayed a detective investigating the murder surrounding the supernatural. Cobb passed three years later only to be nominated for an Academy Award for his work in On the Waterfront and The Brothers Karamazov.
9 E.G. Marshall as Juror 4
Juror 4 is one of the holdouts to vote not guilty, but he provides reasonable and unbiased approaches to his reasoning. E.G. Marshall had an expansive career over the course of thirty years. After his role as Juror 4, he appeared in popular films such as Nixon and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation which is played every year and is considered a holiday classic. Marshall continued his career until his death in 1998 at the age of 84.
8 Jack Klugman as Juror 5
Jack Klugman had a long career as a character actor, he made his mark on Primetime television. Klugman starred in the popular drama Quincy M.E. from 1976-1983, earning him four Emmy nominations. Klugman won an Emmy for his performance as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple in 1971 and 1973. Klugman also was featured on an episode of The Blacklist, earning him a guest Emmy as well. He passed away in 2012 at age 90.
7 Edward Binns as Juror 6
Edward Binns portrays some moments of genuine humanity and integrity as Juror 6. Binns continued featuring as supporting characters in films such as The Verdict, directed by Sidney Lumet, Patton, and North by Northwest. Binns died in 1990 at the age of 74 in New York.
6 Jack Warden as Juror 7
Juror 7, played by Jack Warden, has perhaps the most dislikable qualities in the entire deliberation room. He is obsessed with just leaving and going to a baseball game and not taking the case seriously. He acts unprofessionally and portrays himself as a warm body in the room and not present. Warden does deliver a good performance as the juror, and he continued to appear in popular films such as Problem Child 1 &2, Sunset Boulevard, and And Justice For All.
He was nominated for two Academy Awards for films such as Heaven Can Wait and Shampoo,but never won the gold. Warden died in 2006 at the age of 85. His last film was a small performance in the film The Replacements, released in 2000.
5 Henry Fonda as Juror 8
Henry Fonda is without a doubt the film’s protagonist and standout. He is the ultimate catalyst to suede votes and deliberate much more than the baseline elements of the case. He is the ultimate voice of the film and much can be said about Fonda’s performance.
Henry Fonda also acted as one of the film’s producers and was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar along with his fellow producers for the film. Fonda went on to lead a substantially impactful career in American cinema. He starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man, and other important projects such as his Oscar-winning performance in On Golden Pond. His son Peter Fonda and daughter Jane Fonda went on to lead powerful careers in the entertainment industry. Henry Fonda passed away in 1982 at the age of 77, leaving a legendary career that inspired young actors to follow in his footsteps.
4 Joseph Sweeney as Juror 9
Juror 9 is the oldest member and provides the wise voice of reason to the group. He contributed much to the deliberation and is a highlight of the film. Although Joseph Sweeney's career did not surpass his inclusion in Lumet’s courtroom drama, he was featured in popular series such as The United States Steel Hour and Armstrong Circle Theatre. Sweeney was born in 1884 and died in New York City in 1963.
3 Ed Begley as Juror 10
Perhaps Ed Begley portrayed one of the firecrackers of the juror group. He frequently gave off explosive but reasonable remarks about the prosecution and his perspective on a potential guilty verdict. However, it was his bigoted and sometimes harsh remarks that got him shunned by his own fellow jurors. Begley’s career continued after his role in the courtroom drama. He earned an Academy Award for his performance in Sweet Bird of Youth in 1963. Afterward, Begley appeared in television series and films until his death in 1970.
2 George Voskovec as Juror 11
George Voskovec portrayed Juror 11 in the middle of his career. This juror surely did have a moment of powerful delivery questioning the integrity of his fellow voters, especially Juror 7. This goes as one of the film’s powerhouse moments and is quite underrated. Voskovec delivered quite the performance in 12 Angry Men, and this broadened his career outside Czechoslovakia. He appeared in grand projects such as The Iceman Cometh. Nevertheless, Voskovec never ascertained high accolades for his work and he died of a heart attack in 1981.
1 Robert Webber as Juror 12
Juror 12 does not contribute much to the story or the script. There needs to be 12, and he is the 12th. Robert Webber continued his career in small roles in military productions such as The Dirty Dozen in 1967 and Midway in 1976. Webber passed away in 1989 in his home state of California.
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