Prolific Chicago Stage Actor Mike Nussbaum Dies At 99

He died of old age at his Chicago home on Saturday, just days before his 100th birthday, his daughter, Karen Nussbaum, told The Associated Press.

CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Nussbaum, reputed as the oldest professional actor in America with a prolific stage career and roles in films including “Field of Dreams” and “Men in Black,” has died. He was 99.

He died of old age at his Chicago home on Saturday, just days before his 100th birthday, his daughter, Karen Nussbaum, told The Associated Press.

“He was a good father and a good man who raised us to care about other people and respect other people and care about justice,” she said.

Mike Nussbaum was acknowledged by the Actor’s Equity Association union multiple times in the past several years as the oldest professional actor in the country. When asked about his status as a working nonagenarian over the years, Nussbaum said he simply enjoyed the work.

“I am gifted and lucky to still be able to do the thing that is the most fun for me in life,” he told WBEZ Chicago in 2019 when he was 94 years old. “As long as I can do it, I will.”