Val Avery was born on July 14, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Amityville Horror (1979) and Cobra (1986). He was married to Margot Stevenson. He died on December 12, 2009 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he also studied drama at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama in post-war Philadelphia after his discharge from the Army. The son of Mgerdich der Abrahamian, a revolutionary Armenian and a founder of the Republic of Armenia, and Arousiak Abrahamian, an Armenian actress. As a young man, he acted in productions of the Armenian Youth Theater in Philadelphia. After the war, he attended drama school. He worked in live television productions, which led to roles in westerns and crime dramas on TV and in movies. He was an Army flight instructor during WWII. He made a career of playing tough guys on both sides of the law. He was cremated. His ashes were given to his daughter, Margot. He played a bartender in The Twilight Zone: The Night of the Meek (1960), The Hallelujah Trail (1965), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975), and Easy Money (1983). He appeared in five films directed by John Cassavetes: Too Late Blues (1961), Faces (1968), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Gloria (1980).