Emmy-winning actor Tony Randall, best known as one of TV's "Odd Couple," dies at 84. Details soon.


Sad day.

CNN states he just died at the age of 84.

:(

(CNN) -- Tony Randall, the Emmy-winning actor who made the role of fussy neatnik Felix Unger his own in TV's "The Odd Couple," has died. Randall was 84.

The actor died in his sleep Monday evening at NYU Medical Center in New York, according to a statement from his publicist. The cause of death was "complications from a prolonged illness," the statement said.

Randall starred in a number of movies -- he performed in the Rock Hudson-Doris Day films "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Lover Come Back" (1961) and "Send Me No Flowers (1964) as well as the Jayne Mansfield comedy "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957) -- but he was probably best known for his television roles.

Besides "The Odd Couple," his series included "Mr. Peepers," "The Tony Randall Show" and "Love, Sidney" -- the latter the first show featuring an openly gay lead character.

Randall, an expert raconteur, was also a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show."

The actor was born Leonard Rosenberg in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 26, 1920.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/obit_randall

Actor Tony Randall Dies at 84

By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK - Tony Randall (news), the comic actor best known for playing fastidious photographer Felix Unger on "The Odd Couple," has died. He was 84.



Randall died in his sleep Monday night at NYU Medical Center of complications from a long illness, according to his publicity firm, Springer Associates.

He is survived by his wife, Heather Harlan Randall, who made him a father for the first time at age 77, and their two children, 7-year-old Julia Laurette and 5-year-old Jefferson Salvini.

Randall won an Emmy for playing Unger on the sitcom based on Neil Simon's play and movie. The show ran from 1970-75, but Randall won after it had been canceled, prompting him to quip at the awards ceremony: "I'm so happy I won. Now if I only had a job."

The show's charm sprang from Randall's chemistry and conflict with Jack Klugman (news) as sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison, with whom he's forced to share an apartment after both men get divorced.

Before that, Randall was best known as the fastidious "best friend" figure in several Rock Hudson (news)-Doris Day (news) movies, including 1959's "Pillow Talk" and 1961's "Lover Come Back."

The actor became a fixture on David Letterman's late-night talk shows, appearing a record 70 times on the "Late Show" alone. He made fun of his own prim image by taking part in Letterman's wacky antics, including allowing himself to be covered in mud.

And in 1993, when Conan O'Brien took over the time slot at NBC that Letterman had vacated for a new show at CBS, Randall was a guest on O'Brien's debut episode.

After "The Odd Couple," Randall had two short-lived sitcoms, one of which was "The Tony Randall Show," in which he played a stuffy Philadelphia judge, from 1976-78.

From 1981-83, he played the title role in the sitcom "Love, Sidney," as a single, middle-aged commercial artist helping a female friend care for her young daughter.

The show was based on a TV movie in which Sidney was gay; in the TV show, the character's sexual orientation was implied, but never specified. This occurred more than a decade before the much-hyped coming-out on "Ellen" in 1997, which made Ellen DeGeneres (news)' character the first openly gay central figure on a network series.

For his television work, Randall got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998.

In an effort to bring classic theater back to Broadway, Randall founded and was artistic director of the non-profit National Actors Theatre in 1991, using $1 million of his own money and $2 million from corporations and foundations. The company's first production was a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," starring Martin Sheen (news) and Michael York (news), which hadn't been staged on Broadway in 40 years.

The next year, Randall's production of Ibsen's "The Master Builder" didn't exactly draw raves. AP Drama Critic Michael Kuchwara called it "deadly earnest — and dull."

Subsequent performances included "Night Must Fall," "The Gin Game" and "The Sunshine Boys," in which Randall reunited with Klugman, in 1998. Randall also starred in his company's Tony Award-winning staging of "M. Butterfly."

The actor also was socially active, lobbying against smoking in public places, marching in Washington against apartheid in the '80s, and helping raise money for AIDS (news - web sites) research in the '90s.

Born Leonard Rosenberg on Feb. 26, 1920, Randall was drawn as a teenager to roadshows that came through his hometown of Tulsa, Okla.


"One night, the entire town turned out to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Swan Lake and Sheherezade," he wrote. "I — and most of the audience — had never seen a ballet before. We stood and cheered, thinking it was a 'once in a lifetime' event."

Randall attended Northwestern University before heading to New York at 19, where he made his stage debut in 1941 in "The Circle of Chalk."

After Army service during World War II from 1942-46, he returned to New York, where he appeared on radio and early television. He got his start in movies in 1957.

He was married to his college sweetheart, Florence Randall, for 54 years until she died of cancer in 1992.

"I saw her in a bank — I never saw another girl in my life. She was gorgeous, the most beautiful girl I ever saw," Randall said in a TV interview in 1995.

Later that year, he married Harlan, who was 50 years his junior. Randall met her through his National Actors Theatre; former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (news - web sites) performed the ceremony.

Harlan gave birth to their first child, Julia Laurette Randall, in April 1997. Their second child, Jefferson Salvini Randall, was born in June 1998.




D

very sad. what else is there to say. :(

R.I.P. Tony. You were one of the best.:(

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/MMPH/244132.jpg

Actor Tony Randall dies at 84
NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Randall, the comic actor best known for playing fastidious photographer Felix Unger on The Odd Couple, has died. He was 84.

Randall died in his sleep Monday night at NYU Medical Center, according to his publicity firm, Springer Associates.
By Ron Frehm, AP

Randall died in his sleep Monday night at NYU Medical Center of complications from a long illness, according to his publicity firm, Springer Associates.

He is survived by his wife, Heather Harlan Randall, who made him a father for the first time at age 77, and their two children, 7-year-old Julia Laurette and 5-year-old Jefferson Salvini.

Randall won an Emmy for playing Unger on the sitcom based on Neil Simon's play and movie. The show ran from 1970-75, but Randall won after it had been canceled, prompting him to quip at the awards ceremony: "I'm so happy I won. Now if I only had a job."

The show's charm sprang from Randall's chemistry and conflict with Jack Klugman as sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison, with whom he's forced to share an apartment after both men get divorced.

Before that, Randall was best known as the fastidious "best friend" figure in several Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies, including 1959's Pillow Talk and 1961's Lover Come Back.

The actor became a fixture on David Letterman's late-night talk shows, appearing a record 70 times on the Late Show alone. He made fun of his own prim image by taking part in Letterman's wacky antics, including allowing himself to be covered in mud.

And in 1993, when Conan O'Brien took over the time slot at NBC that Letterman had vacated for a new show at CBS, Randall was a guest on O'Brien's debut episode.

After The Odd Couple, Randall had two short-lived sitcoms, one of which was The Tony Randall Show, in which he played a stuffy Philadelphia judge, from 1976-78.

From 1981-83, he played the title role in the sitcom Love, Sidney, as a single, middle-aged commercial artist helping a female friend care for her young daughter.

The show was based on a TV movie in which Sidney was gay; in the TV show, the character's sexual orientation was implied, but never specified. This occurred more than a decade before the much-hyped coming-out on Ellen in 1997, which made Ellen DeGeneres' character the first openly gay central figure on a network series.

For his television work, Randall got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998.

In an effort to bring classic theater back to Broadway, Randall founded and was artistic director of the non-profit National Actors Theatre in 1991, using $1 million of his own money and $2 million from corporations and foundations. The company's first production was a revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, starring Martin Sheen and Michael York, which hadn't been staged on Broadway in 40 years.

The next year, Randall's production of Ibsen's The Master Builder didn't exactly draw raves. AP Drama Critic Michael Kuchwara called it "deadly earnest — and dull."

Subsequent performances included Night Must Fall,The Gin Game and The Sunshine Boys, in which Randall reunited with Klugman, in 1998. Randall also starred in his company's Tony Award-winning staging of M. Butterfly.

The actor also was socially active, lobbying against smoking in public places, marching in Washington against apartheid in the '80s, and helping raise money for AIDS research in the '90s.

Born Leonard Rosenberg on Feb. 26, 1920, Randall was drawn as a teenager to roadshows that came through his hometown of Tulsa

"One night, the entire town turned out to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Swan Lake and Sheherezade," he wrote. "I — and most of the audience — had never seen a ballet before. We stood and cheered, thinking it was a 'once in a lifetime' event."

Randall attended Northwestern University before heading to New York at 19, where he made his stage debut in 1941 in The Circle of Chalk.

After Army service during World War II from 1942-46, he returned to New York, where he appeared on radio and early television. He got his start in movies in 1957.

He was married to his college sweetheart, Florence Randall, for 54 years until she died of cancer in 1992.

"I saw her in a bank — I never saw another girl in my life. She was gorgeous, the most beautiful girl I ever saw," Randall said in a TV interview in 1995.

Later that year, he married Harlan, who was 50 years his junior. Randall met her through his National Actors Theatre; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani performed the ceremony.

Harlan gave birth to their first child, Julia Laurette Randall, in April 1997. Their second child, Jefferson Salvini Randall, was born in June 1998.


http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2004/2004-05/18-RANDALL-inside.jpg

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! OMG what a shock!!!

I can't believe it. To be honest, I always thought Jack Klugman would go before Tony Randall would. So sad.

I am Sad that Tony Randall Has Died.

Originally posted by mr roper
R.I.P. Tony. You were one of the best.:(

I couldn't have said it better.

RIP:crying: :crying: :crying: peacesign:

84 - That was a full life, I didn't think he was that old.

RIP.

Sad. :(

His children are so so young

I had thought that Jack Klugman would go before Tony Randall did. Also, I never throught about Tony Randall being in his 80's. Every time I would see him, he seemed much younger than that.

Rest in Peace, Tony.

Signed,
Respectfully,
Dutch

I am stunned.

:(

Originally posted by MonarC
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/MMPH/244132.jpg

What a great pic MonarC!

Tony will be missed :(

:(

RIP

My sister woke me up this morning to tell me - she and I were both huge fans of his, especially his movies with Doris Day (kind of fitting that his last movie, Down With Love, was a homage to those movies). So so sad that he's gone, I miss him already. I remember hearing that he had remarried and we were so happy for him - it was great that he finally was able to become a father, even if it was for just a short amount of time.

RIP, Tony.

It's very sad. The era of greats is passing on. Tony Randall was an icon. It's too bad that he had his children so late in life.

R.I.P Tony :(

May God Bless you and watch over you always Tony!!

That's horrible news! I figured he would live to be at least 200. R.I.P. Tony

My first exposure to The Odd Couple was the TV show, so Tony Randall will always be Felix Unger to me.

I think Jack Lemmon was great in the movie version, but it had a different tone to it and Randall made the Felix Unger character his own.

It's sad that he passed away, but at least his final years were happy ones, with a new wife and family. I just wish he and Jack Klugman had teamed together once more as Oscar and Felix - that reunion movie they did in the '90s was kind of depressing.

God bless you, Tony - you won't be forgotten.

Oh, man. That's very sad. He made appearances on Letterman quite a bit, too. He was a wonderful, funny man. And, of course, a great actor.

He had two young children, didn't he?

Tonight on Larry King Live: Remembering a legend:


Tuesday, May 18
Exclusive: Tony Randall's wife, Heather, and "Odd Couple" co-star Jack Klugman and others join Larry to remember the TV icon. 9:00 pm EST


Letterman will most likely pay tribute to Tony tonight, and Conan might show clips of Tony tomorrow.

That's so weird, because just the other night I was watching a VH1 special about celebs marrying much younger people and it had him with his young wife and children. That was the first I heard about him. Now he's dead. Those poor little children won't remember their dad very much.

Originally posted by jpnoyes
Tonight on Larry King Live: Remembering a legend:


Tuesday, May 18
Exclusive: Tony Randall's wife, Heather, and "Odd Couple" co-star Jack Klugman and others join Larry to remember the TV icon. 9:00 pm EST


Letterman will most likely pay tribute to Tony tonight, and Conan might show clips of Tony tomorrow.

Thanks. I'll definitely tune in to all three shows.

Originally posted by jpnoyes
Tonight on Larry King Live: Remembering a legend:


Tuesday, May 18
Exclusive: Tony Randall's wife, Heather, and "Odd Couple" co-star Jack Klugman and others join Larry to remember the TV icon. 9:00 pm EST


Letterman will most likely pay tribute to Tony tonight, and Conan might show clips of Tony tomorrow.

Ill definately be watching those.
Ill record if I can.


This is a HUGE shock, and an even bigger blow to the world.

Farewell, Tony. You will be missed. I hope TV Land will do some kind of a tribute that involves Odd Couple episodes in the near future.

Originally posted by FamilyTiesGOP
Farewell, Tony. You will be missed. I hope TV Land will do some kind of a tribute that involves Odd Couple episodes in the near future.

Me too.
Or better yet.... acquire the series all together.

I know this is a selfish thing to say -- but I hope this promotes Paramount into releasing the show on DVD.
What better way to honor one of the greatest actors and comedians of all time -- that to watch his show??

Originally posted by barwars88
Me too.
Or better yet.... acquire the series all together.

I know this is a selfish thing to say -- but I hope this promotes Paramount into releasing the show on DVD.
What better way to honor one of the greatest actors and comedians of all time -- that to watch his show??

Yeah, TV Land had it a little while back and it was fun to watch. I really hope they bring it back ATLEAST with a farewell marathon.

Originally posted by barwars88
Me too.
Or better yet.... acquire the series all together.

I know this is a selfish thing to say -- but I hope this promotes Paramount into releasing the show on DVD.
What better way to honor one of the greatest actors and comedians of all time -- that to watch his show??

They are going to have a tribute that includes Odd Couple episodes on May 20 @9pm on TV Land. More info is on the General Sitcom Board.

From NYtimes.com:

Tony Randall, Half of the 'Odd Couple,' Dies at 84
By RICHARD SEVERO

Published: May 18, 2004

Tony Randall, the sardonic actor with the commanding voice who played the fussbudget Felix Unger in "The Odd Couple," the classic television series about mismatched Manhattan roommates, and who spent a career doing light comedic roles in Hollywood and on the New York stage, died Monday, his publicity firm said today.


He was 84 years old and had lived for most of his career on Manhattan's West Side.

Mr. Randall died in his sleep with his wife, Heather, by his side, said Joe Trentacosta of Springer Associates, the publicity firm. Mr. Trentacosta said Mr. Randall had been hospitalized since December, when he underwent a triple heart bypass and later contracted pneumonia.

Mr. Randall was a multifaceted actor who felt at home in Shakespeare and Shaw, as well as in expounding the virtues of Verdi and other operatic composers, which he did on many occasions. But mostly he got comedy work, and the public remembered him with considerable affection even when it did not care very much for the parts written for him.

He had so many frothy parts in the movies and on television that John Leonard wrote in The New York Times in 1976 that Mr. Randall "slips into sitcoms ... as if into a warm bath, to play with the rubber ducks the writers have provided. Dignity is his washrag. He is so talented that one wouldn't blame him for a hint of disdain, even of contempt, for many of the lines he has had to speak, the predicaments to be endured. There has never been any such hint. He somehow civilizes the material." Suave, urbane, his rich baritone voice the vehicle for the clipped diction of the demanding elocution professor that Mr. Randall easily could have been, Mr. Randall said he had been pleased to play Felix Unger, whose roommate and temperamental opposite was Oscar Madison, the slovenly, unkempt, cigar-smoking sportswriter played by Jack Klugman. These two heterosexual New York males were thrown together by the vicissitudes of life (mostly their wives) and made the worst of it, to the delight of television viewers.

But Mr. Randall, who won an Emmy Award for his portrayal, made clear that he didn't want to be always or only thought of as Felix Unger, because he could do so many other things.

He had a great love of repertory theater and in 1991 founded, with a million dollars of his own money and much more from the moneyed sources who backed his commercial acting, the National Actors Theater in New York. Its purpose was to keep the works playwrights like Ibsen, Chekhov and Arthur Miller before the public, and at a reasonable prices.

Mr. Randall was performing as recently as December. He starred in the National Actors Theater's production of Luigi Pirandello's "Right You Are," playing the role of Lamberto Laudisi.

In a review in the Times, Ben Brantley said that Mr. Randall "is certainly a trouper. Scampering playfully about the set while dispensing tantalizing bits of wisdom, his Laudisi brings to mind a Mr. Rogers in an existentialist neighborhood."

But the critics were not especially kind to the works by Mr. Randall's theater company,, and he said more than once that he was especially disappointed in the reviews his company got from The New York Times. Still, he stuck with it, saying he refused "to be brushed aside" by The Times or any other newspaper.

He made clear, whenever he was asked, that his favorite role in more than 50 years of acting was that of a middle-aged American diplomat in the Broadway stage production of "M. Butterfly," David Henry Hwang's 1988 Tony winner. In it, Mr. Randall falls in love with a gorgeous Japanese woman who turns out to be a male spy in disguise.

"It was the closest I ever came to being the kind of actor I believe in," he informed reporters on more than one occasion.

Much to Mr. Randall's dismay, most of the television-watching public did not often, if ever, go to stage productions, and many did not recall "M. Butterfly." But they certainly remembered Felix Unger. Even 20 years after "The Odd Couple" went off the air in 1974, Mr. Randall was forever being stopped on the streets of New York (he loved to walk and when he didn't, he almost always took public transportation) by people who never forgot Felix and were convinced that Unger and Randall had to be the same.

"It was fun for the first 15 years," Mr. Randall said.

Tony Randall was born Leonard Rosenberg in Tulsa, Okla., on Feb. 26, 1920. He was the son of Mogscha Rosenberg, a dealer in artworks and antiques, and the former Julia Finston.


He was drawn to acting as a child. He had a most expressive, elastic face and used it in class when he was not expected to, with the result that one of his grade school teachers sent a note home, asking his parents to order him to stop making funny faces. He appeared in his first production in grade school and liked it so much that he decided acting was what he would do with the rest of his life.


But when he went to Tulsa's Central High School, he was unsuccessful when he tried out for parts in school plays, perhaps because he then had a childhood stammer he was in the process of overcoming.

As a teenager, he went to see plays whenever he could and on one occasion, the renowned Katharine Cornell came to town in a touring company production of "Romeo and Juliet." Mr. Randall went backstage to get her autograph, for which he was asked to pay 25 cents (Miss Cornell informed him that such money went to charity). She borrowed the boy's pen to write her name.

"Someday," Mr. Randall said, "I'll give you mine."

"Autograph or pen?` Miss Cornell tartly inquired.

After high school, Mr. Randall enrolled as a speech and drama major at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., but dropped out after a year and moved to New York, where he began to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. His teachers there included Sanford Meisner, a fine actor but stern taskmaster, and Martha Graham, the dancer, who gave him lessons on how to move about the stage gracefully.

His childhood stammer finally went away in the early 1940's and he was able to find work in radio. One of his first parts was on a weekly show called "I Love a Mystery," which revolved around three adventurers named Jack, Doc and Reggie. Mr. Randall was Reggie. His voice was also heard on such radio soaps as "Portia Faces Life," `When a Girl Marries" and "Life's True Story."

In 1941, he made his New York stage debut in an adaptation of the 13th- century Chinese fantasy, "A Circle of Chalk," and later that year appeared in Shaw's "Candida." He was in rehearsal for a part in Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" in 1942 when he was drafted into the Army. He quickly rose from private to first lieutenant but saw no combat. His last job with the Army was delivering classified documents to various offices in Washington.

After his discharge in 1946, he returned to New York and made appearances on a radio show then presided over by Henry Morgan, the satirist. Over the next two years he renewed his acquaintance with Katharine Cornell, with parts in a touring production of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" and on Broadway in "Antony and Cleopatra."

Eva Wolas wrote what was then described as a "sex comedy" in 1948, called "To Tell the Truth," and Mr. Randall got a part in it. He was noticed by Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times who wrote that he gave an "excellent performance." There was evidence that those lessons from Miss Graham paid off because Mr. Atkinson said that Mr. Randall moved about the stage "with the grace of a dancer." That led to his appearance in 1950 in "Caesar and Cleopatra," which starred Lilli Palmer and Sir Cedric Hardwick.

Two years later he landed a role on television that in a sense would presage his Felix Unger portrayal in that people began to feel that Mr. Randall and this first character — a schoolteacher named Harvey Weskit — were really the same. The show was called "Mr. Peepers." Produced by Fred Coe for NBC, it starred Wally Cox as Peepers, a sweet, shy, somewhat befuddled teacher. As Weskit, Mr. Randall was cast as Peepers' posturing, swaggering sidekick. It lasted for four years and earned Mr. Randall an Emmy nomination. In later years, Mr. Randall said he had fond memories of the writing and directing that made the show work. The role made both Mr. Cox and Mr. Randall sought-after stars.

By the late 1950's, Mr. Randall was swamped with work, appearing in some of Max Liebman's television spectaculars and briefly substituting for Steve Allen on the Tonight Show and for Arthur Godfrey, who then had a popular daytime show. There were also a great many television plays.


Throughout all of this, he maintained his connection to the legitimate theater. In 1954, he played the part of a boozing movie star in "Oh, Men! Oh, Women!" and he got the role of E.K. Hornbeck, the iconclastic reporter in "Inherit the Wind," a dramatization of the 1925 Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution in Tennessee. Walter Kerr, writing in the New York Herald Tribune, said that Mr. Randall played the role well, "uttering juicy sarcasms with great finesse."



He started to make Hollywood pictures, too. He appeared in the film version of "Oh, Men! Oh, Women!" and he was an advertising man in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" That same year, 1957, Twentieth Century-Fox asked him to appear as an alcoholic car salesman in Jerry Wald's "No Down Payment," a soaper about young marrieds.

In the early 60's, he appeared prominently in three Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies, "Lover Come Back," "Pillow Talk" and "Send Me No Flowers." He was cast as the foil to Mr. Hudson's romantic lead. He had roles of a similar vein in such movies as "Let's Make Love" (with Marilyn Monroe), and "Boys Night Out" (with Kim Novak). Among his other television credits are "The Tony Randall Show" (1977-78), in which he played a judge, and "Love, Sidney" (1981-83), in which he played a middle-aged man who took in an unwed mother and offered to help raise her child.

As he gained fame as an actor, Mr. Randall became active in a number of causes, including a futile effort to save the old Metropolitan Opera building. He wrote a letter to The Times in which he asked, "Why not save the Met at least until we have heard the new house?" After the new house was finally built, Mr. Randall became a frequent visitor, showing up at the stage door for rehearsals and happily sitting through them when he wasn't working himself. He had a fine baritone voice but disparaged it, explaining, "I have a nice, healthy tone but it's not terribly musical. Musicality is something that can't be taught." Mr. Randall, who studied voice for 32 years with Henry Jacobi, added, "If beautiful voices are golden, mine is aluminum." But there were nevertheless occasions during interviews when he'd launch into "La Traviata" or some other Verdi opera, to the delight of reporters.

During this same period, he became national chairman of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, a post he occupied for some 30 years. Myasthenia gravis is an incurable neuromuscular disease that incapitates its victims and kills them. He was a compassionate man who detested maudlin pronouncements of any kind and so when he was asked why he became involved with the foundation, he replied, "My agent told me I needed a disease."

Mr. Randall married Florence Gibbs in 1939. She died of cancer in 1992. They had no children. He married Heather Hanlan, a former intern with the National Actors Theatre, in 1995 when he was 75 and she was 24. They had two children — Julia Laurette Randall, born in April 1997, named after Mr. Randall's mother and Laurette Taylor, a Broadway actress who died in 1946; and Jefferson Salvini Randall, born in June 1998, who was named after Tommaso Salvini, an Italian Shakespearean actor in the 19th century.

Mr. Randall actively fought the aging process. When he was approaching his 80th year, his wife introduced him to Rollerblading, which he thoroughly enjoyed until some young woman passed him, turned around and yelled, "You must be out of your mind." He decided she was right and immediately turned to bicycle riding.

Maria Newman contributed reporting for this article.

What a shame another beloved and very talented actor is gone. I loved Tony Randall. :( I feel especially bad for his young wife and two young children.

Anyone remember the series of Eagle Snacks commercials Tony Randall and Jack Klugman did? Man they were great. It was so much fun seeing them together years after their "Odd Couple" days.

;)

Originally posted by TJL
Anyone remember the series of Eagle Snacks commercials Tony Randall and Jack Klugman did? Man they were great. It was so much fun seeing them together years after their "Odd Couple" days.

;)

I remember those! My favorite was the one where they were playing Nintendo's "Duck Hunt."

Thanks for reminding me of those, TJL!

RIP Tony :( This is a big shock

Originally posted by AKA
I remember those! My favorite was the one where they were playing Nintendo's "Duck Hunt."

Thanks for reminding me of those, TJL!

I know they did one or two of those commercials after Jack Klugman lost his voice, but they were still funny because Tony would ramble on about Eagle Chips or something, and Jack would just stare at him, then dump the chips all over the table. A classic Odd Couple bit.

:lol:

Originally posted by TJL
I know they did one or two of those commercials after Jack Klugman lost his voice, but they were still funny because Tony would ramble on about Eagle Chips or something, and Jack would just stare at him, then dump the chips all over the table. A classic Odd Couple bit.

:lol:

I thought they were all after Jack Klugman lost his voice. I'm probably wrong, though.

Originally posted by AKA
I thought they were all after Jack Klugman lost his voice. I'm probably wrong, though.

I think they did some before, and some after.

That's really sad :(

RIP, Tony!

Originally posted by TJL
I think they did some before, and some after.

Ah, okay. Makes sense.

You know, I can't really trust my memory from when I was ten. :lol:

That's sad :( Pretty soon there won't be any good ones left.

Originally posted by AKA
I remember those! My favorite was the one where they were playing Nintendo's "Duck Hunt."

Thanks for reminding me of those, TJL!


I can't count the number of hours I spent playing Duck Hunt. There was another gun game too, I think it was Hogan's Alley. I miss the old Nintendo.

The biggest blow to the entertainment business this year.
Thanks for the laughs!!

:( :( :( :(
My mom and I used to watch The ODD COUPLE all the time.
It was a great show. Tony Randall was a really good actor.
I have a rare Brady Bunch Variety show with him as a guest star.

R.I.P. Tony - you will be missed greatly :(

That was very sad. Tony Randall was a good actor.:( I remember Max Schmid's hosting "The Golden Age of Radio" on WBAI a long time ago. He still plays old time radio and I remember Tony Randall doing a cigarette disclaimer by saying these words:

Hi, this is Tony Randall and since smoking is a no-no. We want you know that the following program contains commercials of a purely historic nature.

I love that line before the opening of each radio show with cigarette commercials. I also have a cassette of Jack Shug interviewing Tony Randall about a radio show called "I Love a Mystery" and other stuff. Does anybody remembered a radio show back in the 40's called "I Love a Mystery"? A young Tony Randall played Reggie York. I missed this poor guy. RIP

Watch this clip from WNBC's Feedroom:
http://cf.wnbc.com/ny/sh/videoplayer/video.cfm?id=3320357&owner=ny

Originally posted by jpnoyes
Tonight on Larry King Live: Remembering a legend:

Tuesday, May 18
Exclusive: Tony Randall's wife, Heather, and "Odd Couple" co-star Jack Klugman and others join Larry to remember the TV icon. 9:00 pm EST

You know, I really like Larry King and he normally does some very good tributes, but I can't believe him sometimes. Interviewing the man's wife right after he died? I remember when Kate Hepburn went and he was in such a hurry to do a show that he had her only surviving brother on, and he was so broken up about it he could hardly keep his voice from shaking. The media really needs to give people their space when they've lost someone. Remember how sad Joyce DeWitt looked when they did the tribute to John Ritter? :(

I met him in 1998 when I saw "The Sunshine Boys" on broadway.

He did the play with Jack Klugman. We waited around the back of the theater and got their autographs on the playbill when they came out.
He was pretty cool

In Tony Randalls' book, there is an entire chapter on epitaphs
and Tony jokes about it.

I scanned the page from the book

The back cover of the book tells alot about Tony's personality.
I think he really thought he was going to live forever (or at least a very long time)

So long Tony....thanks for the laughs.

thanks for sharing that

I was soooooo shocked when I read that this morning! I didn't even know he was ill.

I should dig out my Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies.

Originally posted by jpnoyes
Tonight on Larry King Live: Remembering a legend:


Tuesday, May 18
Exclusive: Tony Randall's wife, Heather, and "Odd Couple" co-star Jack Klugman and others join Larry to remember the TV icon. 9:00 pm EST


Letterman will most likely pay tribute to Tony tonight, and Conan might show clips of Tony tomorrow.

Oh....I forgot to watch Letterman!

Originally posted by FamilyTiesGOP
Farewell, Tony. You will be missed. I hope TV Land will do some kind of a tribute that involves Odd Couple episodes in the near future.

I hope GSN does a tribute too. He was on a lot of game shows, and they often do tributes...even if it is during Black and White Overnight at 3am...but then GSN sucks anyway.

Originally posted by barwars88
I know this is a selfish thing to say -- but I hope this promotes Paramount into releasing the show on DVD.
What better way to honor one of the greatest actors and comedians of all time -- that to watch his show??

I hope so too! Nice tribute if they do it right. Maybe even put a tribute on the First Season set.

Originally posted by Liza
You know, I really like Larry King and he normally does some very good tributes, but I can't believe him sometimes. Interviewing the man's wife right after he died? I remember when Kate Hepburn went and he was in such a hurry to do a show that he had her only surviving brother on, and he was so broken up about it he could hardly keep his voice from shaking. The media really needs to give people their space when they've lost someone. Remember how sad Joyce DeWitt looked when they did the tribute to John Ritter? :(

Although I enjoyed the tribute, I guess you are right. I don't know how he's able to convince someone who is in mourning to come on his show.

My first exposure to "The Odd Couple" was also through the TV show. We get the reruns here in Canada on TV Land Canada every second month (January, March, May, etc.) plus every day on WB-11 New York (which we get on various Canadian cable and satellite providers). I also saw the 1968 movie.

P.S.: It has been a long time since I last posted here.

Originally posted by Liza
You know, I really like Larry King and he normally does some very good tributes, but I can't believe him sometimes. Interviewing the man's wife right after he died?

I agree. Larry King asking Tony's widow for a moment by moment account of how he died was a bit offsides in my opinion.
He should have just expressed his condolences, and let her say a few words about her husband and leave it at that.

On the plus side of the Larry King tribute, Jack Klugman had some wonderful stories and reflections about Tony Randall.

I can't believe Odd Couple did so poorly in the ratings when it originally aired in prime time (Klugman mentioned that she show rarely cracked the top 50 programs!) It just goes to show you how a show can grow in popularity (especially here in New York, where Odd couple reruns are an institution on channel 11) through years of syndication.

Although I'm belated in posting this, it was such a shock to hear! Very sad indeed. He will be missed. I can't believe how many greats we have been losing in the past two years. And it's also a shame his children are so young and he had them so late in life :(

Originally posted by dawsongirl
I hope GSN does a tribute too. He was on a lot of game shows, and they often do tributes...even if it is during Black and White Overnight at 3am...but then GSN sucks anyway.

The old Game Show Network probably would. But, I doubt the new GSN will. I hope they will though, it would be nice.

That's sad to hear about Tony Randall. I watch The Odd Couple on TV Land Canada all the time.

R.I.P Mr. Randall!! :(

According to this morning's papers, the cause of death was pneumonia that floowed triple bypass heart surgery in December (2003).

I will miss him too. I used to love watching "The Odd Couple" as a child every Friday night when ABC actually had some GOOD shows on that night. If you ask me, I believe that his greatest achievement wasn't playing Felix Unger---and he was brilliant in that role---nor was it his extensive and impressive work in movies, stage, and television that spanned over 6 decades, including his first sitcom role in "Mr. Peepers", which some of you may have heard of. What amazed me most of all about him is the fact that he became a father for the first time at age 77 and died just when he would have been starting to enjoy his fatherhood. But as long as "The Odd Couple" continues to run in syndication, whether it be on TV Land, TV Land Canada, WGN, WPIX, or wherever, his legacy will be a proud one for his children to follow and emulate. He may have lived a full life at 84, but for many of his friends, fans, and family, he still died much too soon.

God bless you, Tony!


Incidentally, A & E will feature a Tony Randall Biography tonight at 8:00 pm. Don't miss it!

sad, i like the odd couple even though i haven't seen it in a long time. r.i.p.

Originally posted by jpnoyes
I can't count the number of hours I spent playing Duck Hunt. There was another gun game too, I think it was Hogan's Alley. I miss the old Nintendo.

Yep, Hogan's Alley. I had that game for the NES, as well. MAN, I miss NES so much!

Originally posted by Liza
You know, I really like Larry King and he normally does some very good tributes, but I can't believe him sometimes. Interviewing the man's wife right after he died? I remember when Kate Hepburn went and he was in such a hurry to do a show that he had her only surviving brother on, and he was so broken up about it he could hardly keep his voice from shaking. The media really needs to give people their space when they've lost someone. Remember how sad Joyce DeWitt looked when they did the tribute to John Ritter? :(

I totally agree with you. Even though I'm not too familiar with Odd Couple (I watched a few eps when they reran TOC here a couple of years ago, but didn't like it) and Tony Randall, I couldn't agree more. Sheesh. Here's an idea for Larry King- he needs to retire, and SOON.

I can't believe it's been almost a year since John passed away. :(

Brian Damage, how do you like my avatar?:)

I'm still shocked by the news of his death.. may he rest in peace. :(


Originally posted by Brian Damage
I can't believe it. To be honest, I always thought Jack Klugman would go before Tony Randall would. So sad.

I did, too.

Tony Randall, along with Jack Klugman, made one of TV's best comedy teams. His portrayal of Felix Unger was outstanding. He was also known for his many appearances on David Letterman and his extensive knowledge of opera. His opera knowledge was equivalent with my baseball knowledge. Randall was also a staunch antismoking activist.

What many people don't know about Randall is that his real name was Leonard Rosenberg.

1920-2004

Originally posted by howilu
What many people don't know about Randall is that his real name was Leonard Rosenberg.

1920-2004

I did not know that.

I Was very saddened to hear of his death on the news the other night. :(

R.I.P Tony Randall.

Felix's son in the series was named Leonard.

Probably a concious decision by the writing staff :)

Originally posted by BrooklynGuy78
Brian Damage, how do you like my avatar?:)

I love it

I was looking at a picture of Tony in USA Today with his kid.Is it me or does he kind of look like Mr.Roper from Three's Company?

Eulogy

By JACK KLUGMAN

People would go on about the "chemistry" between TONY RANDALL and me on The Odd Couple. But the chemistry really came out of the work. By the time the show began in 1970, we had 65 years of experience on the stage between us. We knew what we were doing. We'd start with a script every Monday, and maybe out of 40 pages only six would remain by week's end. We'd improvise, and the writers would rewrite, and the next day we'd go with what they had written. At the end of every season, we'd hear we were canceled. We'd be in the bottom 10 or in 52nd place. That went on for five years.

The Felix Unger role gave Tony a kind of recognition he liked. But he hated when people asked him if, like Felix, he was really neat. He'd get very sarcastic and say, "Oh, what a wonderful question!" Of course, the answer is no. But Tony was one of those guys who could buy a pair of pants for $2 and they would look like they came from Brooks Brothers. Whereas if I bought pants at Brooks Brothers, they would look like they cost $2. Whatever refinement I have was placed there by Tony.

If Tony resented the Felix Unger label, it was because he had done so many other things. His dream was to bring good, classic theater to America through repertory companies. He was outraged that it was not subsidized by the government. He said he would set up the National Actors Theater in New York, and nobody believed him, including me. And by God, he did it. He was like Don Quixote fighting the windmills, and thank God he did. During his last few years, he was the happiest actor I ever knew.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040531-641133,00.html

Even though I miss Tony randall very dearly, I just want to say this: I despise Tony Randall. He was such a queer in the final decade of his life. I don't like him becoming a father for the first time in your late 70s. I don't even like becoming a father at that age. If I did, I would be called a f@9. I dislike his widow Heather as well. They had a 50-year age disparity. I don't like any kind of marriage that has an age disparity of more than 21 years.

Even though I miss Tony randall very dearly, I just want to say this: I despise Tony Randall. He was such a queer in the final decade of his life. I don't like him becoming a father for the first time in your late 70s. I don't even like becoming a father at that age. If I did, I would be called a f@9. I dislike his widow Heather as well. They had a 50-year age disparity. I don't like any kind of marriage that has an age disparity of more than 21 years.

You miss him dearly yet you despise him?

What Tony Randall did in the final years of his life is nobody's business. From everything I've read, He and Heather were very happy together and her parents approved of Tony so why not let the man have some happiness in his final years? I would never marry someone 50 years younger than myself but that doesn't give me the right to bash someone just because they did and speaking of bashing, I believe this is still a condolence thread even though it's nearly 4 years old. As for becoming a father at that age, As long as he and Heather could provide for that child then I say good for the both of them.

You should know that I dislike the marriage mainly because of the age difference. If a senior citizen becomes a father, there is a chance that he may be dead before the child reaches the age of 10 or becomes a teenager. I liked Tony Randall's first wife better. Mr. Randall would have married Heather's mother instead if she got a divorce. I used to like Tony Randall until the mid 90s and I refused to watch the Odd Couple until after his death. Since Heather became a widow, I hope she remarried, but this time to a man that is less than 10 years her senior. One last fact, if one of my parents had married somebody old enough to be their parent or grandparent, I would dislike the new spouse so much I would either move away from my residence or just die.

I really hate too hear that, he will be missed.:rip:

You miss him dearly yet you despise him?

What Tony Randall did in the final years of his life is nobody's business. From everything I've read, He and Heather were very happy together and her parents approved of Tony so why not let the man have some happiness in his final years? I would never marry someone 50 years younger than myself but that doesn't give me the right to bash someone just because they did and speaking of bashing, I believe this is still a condolence thread even though it's nearly 4 years old. As for becoming a father at that age, As long as he and Heather could provide for that child then I say good for the both of them.
I totally agree. You don't bash a guy in his condolence thread. Even though I don't understand marrying someone 50 years younger than you it's a free country and it was their lives and they seemed very happy together.

I don't agree with what Zoneboy said. I don't care how happy they were. I'm glad the marriage ended. He was wrong for that. This is considered a fad marriage and it should be against the law. Face it, there are millions of other Americans out there who dislike the idea of a marriage having a more than 25 year age disparity. If I were married to someone old enough to be my child or grandchild as a matter of fact. I myself would be hated because of this. I would have saw a woman in her 70s give birth while she was married to a man in her 80s. The dead celebrity Anna Nicole Smith married a 89-year-old man at age 26. The man died within a year. so that proves that if a person is married to somebody old enough to be their grandparent, It would end up with the latter person being dead within a certain amount of time. Thank God Anna never had any children with that man. I'm sorry I forced you to act like Negative Nancies about this issue. I am also sorry that you two like married couples with a 25+-year age disparity. Let's drop this fad marriage issue before I end up picturing myself in one, M'kay?

I don't agree with what Zoneboy said. I don't care how happy they were. I'm glad the marriage ended. He was wrong for that. This is considered a fad marriage and it should be against the law. Face it, there are millions of other Americans out there who dislike the idea of a marriage having a more than 25 year age disparity. If I were married to someone old enough to be my child or grandchild as a matter of fact. I myself would be hated because of this. I would have saw a woman in her 70s give birth while she was married to a man in her 80s. The dead celebrity Anna Nicole Smith married a 89-year-old man at age 26. The man died within a year. so that proves that if a person is married to somebody old enough to be their grandparent, It would end up with the latter person being dead within a certain amount of time. Thank God Anna never had any children with that man. I'm sorry I forced you to act like Negative Nancies about this issue. I am also sorry that you two like married couples with a 25+-year age disparity. Let's drop this fad marriage issue before I end up picturing myself in one, M'kay?
You know if you want to discuss this you should start another thread. I never said I approved. I said this is a free country and they are both adults and they didn't break any laws. What more do you want? I don't hate Tony Randall because he married someone 50 years younger than him. It's not any of my business.

I am also sorry that you two like married couples with a 25+-year age disparity. Let's drop this fad marriage issue before I end up picturing myself in one, M'kay?

I never said I liked marriages of any age disparity. As a matter of fact, I said that I would never marry someone with that big of an age difference. Also, 50 years is a far cry from 25 and I've known a few couples with at least that many years between them. My Father's second wife was 20 years younger than himself & she's only a year older than I am.

All that I have said in this thread just explains the trouble with May-December marriages, whom I keep saying are a fad. I used to call anyone who has been involved in these marriages a f@g, a maggot, and several other terms that rhyme with these words. You think if Randall were in the Odd couple, Heather may have been a fan of that show since she was just a baby..

All that I have said in this thread just explains the trouble with May-December marriages, whom I keep saying are a fad

May-December marriages have been around for many years and that doesn't sound like a fad to me.

All that I have said in this thread just explains the trouble with May-December marriages, whom I keep saying are a fad. I used to call anyone who has been involved in these marriages a f@g, a maggot, and several other terms that rhyme with these words.


You mean like "Bob Saget"? :lol:

Even though I miss Tony randall very dearly, I just want to say this: I despise Tony Randall. He was such a queer in the final decade of his life. I don't like him becoming a father for the first time in your late 70s. I don't even like becoming a father at that age. If I did, I would be called a f@9. I dislike his widow Heather as well. They had a 50-year age disparity. I don't like any kind of marriage that has an age disparity of more than 21 years.

Wow. I'm so sorry that Tony didn't consult you before proposing to Heather. he must have been so upset to know that his personal decision to marry and procreate upset a veritable stranger such as yourself.

:rolleyes:

Wow. I'm so sorry that Tony didn't consult you before proposing to Heather. he must have been so upset to know that his personal decision to marry and procreate upset a veritable stranger such as yourself.

:rolleyes:
exactly.

It really amazes me when people talk about celebrities as if they know them, or as if they have any say as to what they do with their personal lives.

All that matters to me is that I enjoyed Tony Randall's work - whether it be The Odd Couple or any of his other shows or movies.

So sad to hear about Tony Randall, he was such a fine actor. He will certainly be missed.

137074

To be honest, I always thought Jack Klugman would go before Tony Randall would.

I think everybody thought that.

I think everybody thought that.
I know I did!!

I never said I liked marriages of any age disparity. As a matter of fact, I said that I would never marry someone with that big of an age difference. Also, 50 years is a far cry from 25 and I've known a few couples with at least that many years between them. My Father's second wife was 20 years younger than himself & she's only a year older than I am.

Lawler, you father's second wife is old enough to be your sister. If your father was involved in a May-December relationship, both he and the wife are in trouble. Be glad there is a zero-tolerance policy against those kind of relationships. I myself am court-ordered not to marry anyone 18 years younger than myself. I want to start a thread on May-December relationships in the chit-chat section of this message board.

Forget what I said about me despising Tony Randall, I also admire his work, and it's a shame his work was marred by a May-December relationships.

I will make this quotation: "Don't hate the actor, hate the spouse."

Lawler, you father's second wife is old enough to be your sister. If your father was involved in a May-December relationship, both he and the wife are in trouble. Be glad there is a zero-tolerance policy against those kind of relationships. I myself am court-ordered not to marry anyone 18 years younger than myself. I want to start a thread on May-December relationships in the chit-chat section of this message board.

Forget what I said about me despising Tony Randall, I also admire his work, and it's a shame his work was marred by a May-December relationships.

I will make this quotation: "Don't hate the actor, hate the spouse."
What did you do?

Don't believe me, just read my signature.

Don't believe me, just read my signature.
Yea but you said that you were court-ordered not to Marry anyone 18 years younger than you. I've never heard that before if you are both over age.

If someone doesn't believe that people 20 or so years apart shouldn't marry, then fine, they can practice that.

But don't tell others they can't. They shouldn't force others to comply with their beliefs just because they feel it's wrong.

I don't understand why anyone would be ordered by a court not to marry someone 18 to 23 years younger than them. There's something we're not being told here.

If someone doesn't believe that people 20 or so years apart shouldn't marry, then fine, they can practice that.

But don't tell others they can't. They shouldn't force others to comply with their beliefs just because they feel it's wrong.

I don't understand why anyone would be ordered by a court not to marry someone 18 to 23 years younger than them. There's something we're not being told here.
I agree. I never heard anything like that before. That's why I wanted to know what he had done. It's strange.

IMO, I don't think that people should be marrying someone that is old enough to be their own child but I oppose laws that try to say that one cannot do that. It is more about morality than law.