Actor Tony Randall Dies at 84

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

(10:40 AM ET)

By Christy Lemire

Associated Press Writer

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.''

Tony Randall, shown in character in 1972, in the ABC television comedy series "The Odd Couple." Randall, the comic actor best known for playing fastidious Felix Unger on "The Odd Couple,'' died Monday night, May 17, 2004 in New York. He was 84.

Image Credit: AP / ABC Archives

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 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.''

Television's famed "Odd Couple," Tony Randall, left, and Jack Klugman, right, arrive at NBC's 75th anniversary celebration, on May 5, 2002, at New York's Rockefeller Center. Randall, the comic actor best known for playing fastidious Felix Unger on ``The Odd Couple,'' died Monday night, May 17, 2004 in New York. He was 84.

Image Credit: Ron Frehm -- AP Files

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.

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2004 © The Associated Press.

* Tony's Ode to Entertainment

* Rent Tony Randall Classics

* Randall Remembers 'Odd Couple'

* Tony's filmography, via the Internet Movie Database

"7 Faces of Dr. Lao" is a personal favorite, and the book is an excellent read.

Dan