Neil Elliot

Neil Elliot, of Los Angeles, California, passed away on February 28, 2025 after more than a year of declining health as a result of a fall at home. Born 82 years ago in New York City, as Neil Elliott Goldfarb, to Ethel (Kutcher) and Frank Goldfarb, his early years were marked by his mother's long absence while in treatment for tuberculosis. During that time, Neil and sister Rona were cared for by their adoring grandparents, Benny, Molly and Anna, along with their loving Aunt Sylvia. From that time on, Neil's devotion to his extended family never waned.

Neil's childhood was also marked by a nomadic existence owing to his father's work as a sales manager for retail chains. The family spent years in many cities across America, from New York, to Denver, Portland, Burbank and San Diego. Perhaps because of a combination of these early life experiences as well as an inherent gift for drama, Neil sought attention by becoming the family entertainer and the class clown, much to the chagrin of his shy, younger sister. This cemented his future as a performer, acting in school plays beginning at the early age of eight. He attended UC Berkeley during the tumultuous Free Speech movement of the 60's, where he appeared in a production of O'Neill's A Touch of The Poet, with Stacy Keach. He then went on to get his Masters in Theater Arts at UCLA, where he made a number of lifelong friendships. His first taste of travel came with a seminal experience acting in a UCLA production of Carousel, sponsored by the USO for military troops stationed in Japan and Korea.

With numerous theater credits in local, regional, and national productions, he also branched out into television and film, beginning with being cast in his first movie, Doctor, You've Got To Be Kidding!, with Sandra Dee in 1967. The following year, he was cast in French director Jacques Demy's only American film, Model Shop, with Anouk Aimée, thus beginning a long friendship with Demy and his director wife Agnes Varda. His first TV credit was on Get Smart, with Don Adams, followed by a memorable episode of The Carol Burnett Show, in which he played the stereotypical hippie come to date the daughter (played by Vicki Lawrence) of Carol and her husband (Harvey Korman). Neil had several happy relationships with directors, including Carl Reiner, for whom he appeared in both All of Me, with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, and The Man With Two Brains; and with Australian director Richard Franklin, starring in his CBS pilot for Beauty and The Beast, as well as his film sequel FX2, with Bryan Brown.

When acting work became less frequent and reliable, Neil first got into casting, then dialogue coaching on an English television series on William Tell, Crossbow, which took him to the south of France. He later turned to writing plays and screenplays, and then got another Masters Degree, this time in Marriage and Family Therapy. He found deep satisfaction working with appreciative patients, where his acting, writing and directing skills would serve his new profession in a distinctively different way until his retirement eight years later.

Family and friends will remember Neil for his big, expressive personality and his passion for the theater and cinema. He had a propensity to burst into song, entertaining all with Broadway show tunes. He was a veritable encyclopedia of show business lore and also housed an amazing collection of entertainment memorabilia.

His many friends, both in the U.S. and abroad, along with surviving cousins and his caring medical professionals, will remember his good humor, warm heart, and commitment to nurturing relationships. He had many battles with health issues in his later years, but despite some depression and irascibility, he rarely lost his ability to savor life and pursue his interests. Those who knew him well can share memories of great mutual travel adventures, and the warm comfort of a friend with whom loyalty and devotion remained forever present - unspoken, but understood.