Sam Jaffe Autographs
Shalom "Sam" Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician, and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). He also appeared in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Ben-Hur (1959), and is additionally known for his roles as the titular character in Gunga Din (1939) and as the "High Lama" in Lost Horizon (1937).
Shalom Jaffe (Yiddish: שלום יפה) was born to Ukrainian Jewish parents Heida (Ada; Yiddish: אידאַ יאַפֿע; Ukrainian: Іда Яффе) and Barnett Jaffe (Yiddish: באַרנעט יאַפע; Ukrainian: Барнетт Яффе) at 97 Orchard Street (current location of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum) in New York City, New York. His mother was a Yiddish actress in Odesa, Ukraine, prior to moving to the United States; his father was a jeweller. He was the youngest of four children; his siblings were Abraham, Sophie, and Annie. As a child, he appeared in Yiddish theatre productions with his mother who, after moving to the United States, became a prominent actress and vaudeville star. He graduated from Townsend Harris High School and studied engineering at City College of New York, graduating in 1912. He later attended Columbia University for graduate studies. He also worked for several years as a teacher, and then dean, of mathematics at the Bronx Cultural Institute, a college preparatory school, before returning to acting in 1915.
As a young man, he lived in Greenwich Village in the same apartment building as a young John Huston. The two men became good friends and remained so for life. Jaffe was later to star in two of Huston's films: The Asphalt Jungle and The Barbarian and the Geisha. Jaffe's closest friends included Zero Mostel, Edward G. Robinson, Ray Bradbury, and Igor Stravinsky. In 1923 he appeared in the Broadway premiere of God of Vengeance (Got fun Nekome) by Sholem Asch, as Reb Ali. The production became notorious after the cast, producer, and theatre owner were indicted and found guilty on charges of indecency in May 1923. Jaffe began to work in film in 1934, rising to prominence with his first role as the mad Tsar Peter III in The Scarlet Empress. In 1938, Jaffe was forty-seven years old when he played the title role of bhisti (waterbearer) Gunga Din.
Read more about Sam Jaffe on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Sam Jaffe
The most expensive item with a signature of Sam Jaffe (‘Del Water Gap’ Signed ‘Self Titled’ Vinyl Album Beckett Sam Jaffe) was sold in November 2025 for $511.99 while the cheapest item (BEN CASEY Autographed TV Guide Cover Signed by Sam Jaffe COA 1963) found a new owner for $3.99 in July 2022. The month with the most items sold (7) was October 2025 with an average selling price of $104.99 for an autographed item of Sam Jaffe. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in November 2025 with $226.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $4.69 was September 2021. In average, an autographed item from Sam Jaffe is worth $40.00.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Sam Jaffe were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | SAM JAFFE (1891-1984) signed index card | "Day the Earth Stood Still" autograph | $19.49 |  |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH | $226.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH | $226.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH | $206.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH | $206.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH | $286.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH | $286.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - INSCRIBED ORIGINAL ART SIGNED | $226.99 | |
| SAM JAFFE - INSCRIBED ORIGINAL ART SIGNED | $226.99 | |
| Sam Jaffe Signed Autograph Book Page. Actor | $20.00 | |
| Sam Jaffe Signed Autograph Book Page. Actor | $20.00 | |
| Sam Jaffe SIGNED Photo Movie TV Actor Asphalt Jungle Gunga Din Lost Horizon | $43.50 | |
| Sam Jaffe SIGNED Photo Movie TV Actor Asphalt Jungle Gunga Din Lost Horizon | $43.50 | |
| Sam Jaffe SIGNED Photo Movie TV Actor Asphalt Jungle Gunga Din Lost Horizon | $43.50 | |
| Sam Jaffe SIGNED Photo Movie TV Actor Asphalt Jungle Gunga Din Lost Horizon | $43.50 | |
