Tony Randall Biography (1920-2004)

Born Leonard Rosenberg, February 26, 1920, in Tulsa, OK; died May 17, 2004, in New York City, NY; son of Mogscha (an art dealer) and Julia (maiden name, Finston) Rosenberg; married Florence Gibbs, 1939 (died April 18, 1992); married Heather Harlan (an actress), November 17, 1995; children: (second marriage)Julia Laurette, Jefferson Savlvini. Addresses: Agent: National ActorsTheatre, 1560 Broadway, Suite 409, New York, NY 10036.; Office: 1 West 81 St., Suite 6D, New York, NY 10024.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, director, producer
Birth Details: 1920; Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Death Details: May 17, 2004; New York City, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Mac, One Man's Family, NBC, 1950-52
Harvey Weskitt, Mr. Peepers, NBC, 1953-55
Felix Unger, Oscar's father, and Oscar's grandfather, The Odd Couple, ABC, 1970-75
Host, Top of the Month, syndicated, 1972
Judge Walter O. Franklin, The Tony Randall Show, ABC, 1976-77, then CBS, 1977-78
Sidney Shorr, Love, Sidney, NBC, 1981-83
Voice, The Magic School Bus, PBS, 1994
Also appeared as host, Live from the Met.
Pilots
Lord Seymour Devery, Kate Bliss and the Ticker-Tape Kid, ABC, 1978
Title role, Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend (also known as Sidney Shorr), NBC, 1981
Movies
Rambaba Organimus, Off Sides (also known as Pigs vs. Freaks), NBC, 1974
Putzi, Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil, NBC, 1985
Uncle Bill, Sunday Drive, ABC, 1986
Oliver Bishop, Save the Dog!, The Disney Channel, 1988
Reverend Edward Chichester, Agatha Christie's "The Man in the Brown Suit" (also known as The Man in the Brown Suit), CBS, 1989
Felix Unger, The Odd Couple: Together Again (also known as TheOdd Couple: One More Time), CBS, 1993
Specials
Panorama, NBC, 1956
Host, Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl, NBC, 1956
Holiday in Las Vegas, NBC, 1957
The Sid Caesar Special, CBS, 1959
Ernest, So Help Me Aphrodite, NBC, 1960
Hooray for Love, CBS, 1960
The Man in the Moon, NBC, 1960
Sounds of the Sixties, NBC, 1961
The Chevrolet Golden Anniversary Show, CBS, 1961
Jonathan Brewster, "Arsenic and Old Lace," Hallmark Hall of Fame,NBC, 1962
The Bob Hope Show, NBC, 1964 and 1965
The Alan King Show, ABC, 1969
Democritus, "The Littlest Angel," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1969
The Wonderful World of Aggravation, ABC, 1972
The Bob Hope Show, NBC, 1973
Cos: The Bill Cosby Comedy Special, CBS, 1975
Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes I, CBS, 1977
The Paul Lynde Comedy Hour, ABC, 1977
Host, La Boheme, 1977
Battle of the Network Stars IV, ABC, 1978
Bob Hope on Campus, NBC, 1979
Bob Hope for President, NBC, 1980
Doug Henning: Magic on Broadway, NBC, 1982
Parade of Stars, ABC, 1983
Circus of the Stars #9, CBS, 1984
Voice, My Little Pony (animated), syndicated, 1984
The 38th Annual Tony Awards, 1984
The Night of 100 Stars II, 1985
Host, Curtain's Up, 1985
International Championship of Magic, 1985
Himself, Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz, 1985
Bob Hope Lampoons the New TV Scene, NBC, 1986
The 40th Annual Tony Awards, 1986
Mr. LaTort, NBC Investigates Bob Hope, NBC, 1987
Bob Hope's Christmas Special (also known as Bob Hope WinterfestChristmas Show), NBC, 1987
Host, Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus, 1987
Himself, The Great American Quiz Show, 1987
Happy Birthday Bob--Fifty Stars Salute Your Fifty Years with NBC,NBC, 1988
Hope News Network, NBC, 1988
Narrator and Signor Valenti, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile--The Musical: "TheHouse on 88th Street" (animated), 1988
Bob Hope's Easter Vacation in the Bahamas, NBC, 1989
Himself, "Sanford Meisner: The Theatre's Best Kept Secret," American Masters, PBS, 1990
The Night of 100 Stars III, NBC, 1990
Doris Day: A Sentimental Journey, PBS, 1991
Narrator, Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II, syndicated, 1991
Master of ceremonies, Spotlight Colorado, Arts and Entertainment,1991
The Creative Spirit, PBS, 1992
The 46th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1992
More of the Best of the Hollywood Palace, ABC, 1993
Bob Hope: The First 90 Years, NBC, 1993
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1994
Kathie Lee ... Looking for Christmas (also known as The KathieLee Gifford Christmas Special), CBS, 1994
The 48th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1994
Himself, Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is, HBO, 2000
Episodic
"Mrs. Hargraves," Studio One, CBS, 1952
"To Whom It May Concern," Short, Short Drama, NBC, 1953
"A Little Something in Reserve," Philco Television Playhouse, NBC,1953
"The Badger Game," The Web, CBS, 1953
"In Albert's Room," Kraft Television Theatre, NBC, 1953
"When, Lovely Woman?," Pepsi Cola Playhouse, ABC, 1953

"The Antique Touch," Kraft Television Theatre, NBC, 1954
"The Huntress," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1954
"Nightmare in Algiers," Motorola Television Hour, ABC, 1954
"The Beautiful Wife," Armstrong Circle Theatre, NBC, 1954
"The Pirate's House," Appointment with Adventure, CBS, 1955
"One Mummy Too Many," Philco Television Playhouse, NBC, 1955
"Man on a Tiger," Alcoa Hour, NBC, 1956
"The Hollywood Complex," Studio One, CBS, 1957
"The Playroom," Playhouse 90, CBS, 1957
"Weekend in Vermont," The Alcoa Hour, 1957
Willie Coogan, "Coogan's Reward," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1959, repeated on Vacation Playhouse, CBS, 1965
Person to Person, CBS, 1959
"Martin's Folly," Desilu Playhouse (also known as WestinghouseDesilu Playhouse), CBS, 1959
"The Second Happiest Day," Playhouse 90, CBS, 1959
"Hello, Charlie," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1959
"The Secret of Freedom," Sunday Showcase, NBC, 1960
"Strictly Solo," General Electric Theatre, CBS, 1960
Luther Gage, "The Button-Down Break," Checkmate, CBS, 1961
Hadley Purvis, "Hangover," The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, CBS, 1962
Hippodrome, CBS, 1966
Inspector Berry and Geoffrey Judge, "The Wide Open Door," Stage '67, ABC, 1967
Rodney Wonderful, That's Life, ABC, 1969
Himself, The Flip Wilson Show, NBC, 1970
Boss, "Love and the Big Night," Love, American Style, ABC, 1970
Rudolph Springer III, "Lucy and the Mountain Climber," Here's Lucy, CBS, 1971
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, CBS, 1972
(Uncredited) Vampire in movie, "Not With My Sister, You Don't," HappyDays, 1974
Narrator, "The Second Revolution," The American Parade, ABC, 1976
The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour, NBC, 1978
Guest host, The Big Show, NBC, 1980
Himself, The Muppet Show, 1980
Himself, "The Big Apple: Part 2," Gimme a Break!, 1984
"Rock Hudson: Tall, Dark, and Handsome," Crazy about the Movies, Cinemax, 1989
Host, "Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening," The Magical Worldof Disney, NBC, 1989
"Jayne Mansfield," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1994
"Debbie Reynolds," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1995
Tony, "An Odd Couple of Days," Brother's Keeper, ABC, 1999
Also appeared in The Carol Burnett Show, CBS; The Brady Bunch Hour; as Grandpa Unger, "Where's Grandpa?," The Odd Couple; GrandpaUnger, "What Makes Felix Run," The Odd Couple; Morris Unger, "Our Fathers," The Odd Couple; and Radius Ulna Humerus, "Flexes Its Muscles,"The Magic School Bus, PBS.
Film Appearances
How to Be Very, Very Popular, 1955
Grant Cobbler, Oh, Men! Oh, Women!, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957
Rockwell P. Hunter/himself, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (alsoknown as Oh! for a Man), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957
Jerry Flagg, No Down Payment, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957
Jonathan Forbes, Pillow Talk, Universal, 1959
Lorenzo Charlton, The Mating Game, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1959
The king, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (also known as Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1960
Howard Coffman, Let's Make Love (also known as The Billionaire and The Millionaire), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1960
Peter Ramsey, Lover Come Back, Universal, 1961
George Drayton, Boys' Night Out, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962
(Uncredited) Ad libin lounge, Two Weeks in Another Town, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962
Paul Ferris, Island of Love (also known as Not on Your Life), Warner Bros., 1963
(Uncredited) Hood, Robin and the Seven Hoods, Warner Bros., 1964
Arnold Nash, Send Me No Flowers, Universal, 1964
Harold Ventimore, The Brass Bottle, Universal, 1964
Dr. Lao, Merlin the Magician, Pan, the Abominable Snowman, Medusa, the giant serpent, Apollonius of Tyana, and audience, The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (also known as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and The Secret World of Dr.Lao), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1964
Daniel Potter, Fluffy, Universal, 1965
Hercule Poirot, The Alphabet Murders (also known as The ABC Murders), MGM, 1966
Andrew Jessel, Bang, Bang, You're Dead (also known as Our Man in Marrakesh, Bang Bang!, Bang, Bang, Bang! Marrakesh, ISpy, You Spy, and Marrakesh), American International, 1966
Fred Miller, Hello, Down There (also known as Sub-a-Dub-Dub), Paramount, 1969
Operator, Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (also known as Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex), United Artists, 1972
Henry Motley, Mr. Parker's brother-in-law, Scavenger Hunt, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
Peddicord, Foolin' Around, Columbia, 1980
Himself, The King of Comedy, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
Himself, Sanford Meisner--The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret(documentary), Columbia, 1984
Voice of Moonchick, My Little Pony (animated; also known as MyLittle Pony: The Movie), De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, 1986
Himself, The Fantasy Film World of George Pal, 1986
Voice, The Gnomes' Great Adventure, 1987
Himself, Going Hollywood: The War Years, 1988
It Had to Be You, 1988
Host, That's Adequate, 1989
Voice of "Brain" Gremlin, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Warner Bros.,1990
Narrator, The Boss, 1992
Judge Skanky, Fatal Instinct, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
Himself, Saturday Night Live: Game Show Parodies, NBC Studios, 1998
Stage Appearances
Brother, The Circle of Chalk, New School for Social Research, 1941
Marchbanks, Candida, North Shore Players, Marblehead, MA, 1941
(Broadway debut) Scarus, Antony and Cleopatra, Martin Beck Theatre, 1947
Adam, To Tell You the Truth, New Stages, New York City, 1948
Major-Domo, Caesar and Cleopatra, National Theatre, New York City,1949
Arthur Turner, Oh, Men! Oh, Women!, Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, 1954
E. K. Hornbeck, Inherit the Wind, National Theatre, 1955
Captain Henry St. James, Oh, Captain!, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1958
Arms and the Man, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT, 1960
J. Francis Amber, UTBU (also known as Unhealthy to Be Unpleasant), Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City, 1966
Frank Fay, Parade of Stars Playing the Palace, Palace Theatre, NewYork City, 1983
The Night of 100 Stars II, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1985
Two into One, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, 1988
Rene Gallimard, M. Butterfly, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1989
The Night of 100 Stars III, Radio City Music Hall, 1990
Felix Unger, The Odd Couple, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1991
Benoit Pinglet, A Little Hotel on the Side, Belasco Theatre, 1992
Deputy Governor Danforth, The Crucible, Belasco Theatre, 1992
Erwin Trowbridge, Three Men on a Horse, Lyceum Theatre, 1993
Fatal Instinct, 1993
Ivan Khlestakov, government clerk, The Government Inspector, Lyceum Theatre, 1994
Sir Peter Teazle, The School for Scandal, Lyceum Theatre, 1995
Henry Drummond, Inherit the Wind, Royale Theatre, New York City, 1996
Willie Day, Sweet Adeline, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1997
Al Lewis, The Sunshine Boys, Lyceum Theatre, 1997
The devil, Damn, Yankees, Florida production, 2000
Made stage debut at Upper Ferndale Country Club, Upper Ferndale, NY, 1939; appeared in summer theatre productions of Goodbye Again, Detroit, MI, and Chicago, IL, both 1961; also appeared in The Sea Gull, The Master Builder, and Waitin' in the Wings.
Major Tours
Miner, The Corn Is Green, New York and New Jersey cities, 1942
Octavius Moulton-Barrett, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, U.S. cities, 1947
Felix Unger, The Odd Couple, various tours of U.S. cities, 1970-76
Professor Harold Hill, The Music Man, U.S. cities, 1978
The Odd Couple, 1994
Stage Work
Director, The Master Builder, Belasco Theatre, 1992
Producer, The Sea Gull, Lyceum Theatre, 1992
Producer, Three Men and a Horse, National Actors Theatre, New YorkCity, 1993
Producer (with Duncan C. Weldon), Saint Joan, National Actors Theatre, 1993
Producer (with Michael Langham), Timon of Athens, National ActorsTheatre, 1994
Other plays include The Government Inspector, National Actors Theatre, then Lyceum Theatre, both 1994.
Radio Appearances
Appeared as Reggie in the series I Love a Mystery; also performedin Portia Faces Life, When a Girl Marries, and Life's True Story.
RECORDINGS
Albums
(With Jack Klugman) The Odd Couple Sings, London, 1973
Other albums include Vo, Vo, De, Oh, Do, 1967.
WRITINGS
Autobiography
(With Michael Mindlin) Which Reminds Me, Delacorte Press, 1989

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

People Weekly, December 4, 1995, p. 54
U.S. New & World Report, December 16, 1991, p. 38

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