Jack Klugman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Klugman in 1972 | |
| Born | (1922-04-27)April 27, 1922 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 2012(2012-12-24) (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary inLos Angeles |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1949-2012 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2, includingAdam |
| Relatives | Brian Klugman (grand-nephew) |
| Awards |
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Technician fifth grade[1] |
| Battles / wars | |
Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film and television.
Klugman began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in12 Angry Men (1957) andCry Terror! (1958). During the 1960s, he guest-starred on numerous television series. Klugman won his firstPrimetime Emmy Award for his guest-starring role onThe Defenders in 1964.[2] He also made a total of four appearances onThe Twilight Zone from 1960 to 1963. In 1965, Klugman replacedWalter Matthau asOscar Madison in theBroadway playThe Odd Couple. Five years later, he reprised that role in the television adaptation ofThe Odd Couple oppositeTony Randall. The series aired from 1970 to 1975. Klugman won his second and third Primetime Emmy Awards and aGolden Globe Award for his work on the series.[2][3] From 1976 to 1983, he starred in the title role inQuincy, M.E., for which he earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Klugman was born inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania on April 27, 1922,[4] the youngest of six children ofRussian-Jewish immigrants Rochel “Rose” (née Chaikin), a milliner, and Mendel “Max” Klugman, a house painter.[5][6] Klugman served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II.[7][8]
He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, nowCarnegie Mellon University, inPittsburgh.[9] While there, his drama teacher told him, "Young man, you are not suited to be an actor. You are suited to be a truck driver."[10] After the war, he pursued acting roles in New York City while sharing an apartment with friend, and fellow veteran turned actor,Charles Bronson.[8]
Klugman was active in numerous stage, television, and film productions during this period. In early 1949 he took an unpaid role in an Equity Library Theatre production of the mid-1930s playStevedore, in whichRod Steiger andOssie Davis also appeared.[11] In 1950, he had a small role in theMr. Roberts road company production at theColonial Theatre in Boston. Later that same year, he made his television debut in an episode ofActors Studio. In March 1952, Klugman made his Broadway debut inGolden Boy as Frank Bonaparte.
In 1954, he played Jim Hanson on the soap operaThe Greatest Gift.[12] The following year, he appeared in the live television broadcast ofProducers' Showcase in the episode "The Petrified Forest" withHumphrey Bogart andHenry Fonda. Klugman later said the experience was the greatest thrill of his career. He went on to appear in several classic films, including as juror number five in12 Angry Men (1957), of which he was the last surviving cast member. In 1959, he returned to Broadway in the original production ofGypsy: A Musical Fable. In 1960, Klugman was nominated for aTony Award for Best Featured Actor (Musical) for his role in the show but lost toTom Bosley inFiorello!.[13] He remained withGypsy until it closed in March 1961.
From 1960 to 1963, Klugman appeared in four episodes ofThe Twilight Zone series: "A Passage for Trumpet" (1960), "A Game of Pool" (1961), "Death Ship" (1963), and "In Praise of Pip" (1963), tyingBurgess Meredith for the most appearances in a starring role on the series. In 1964, he won his firstPrimetime Emmy Award for his guest-starring role onThe Defenders. The same year, Klugman was cast in the starring role in the situation comedyHarris Against the World. The series was a part of an experimental block of sitcoms that aired onNBC entitled90 Bristol Court.Harris Against the World, along with the other sitcoms that aired in the block, were cancelled the following year due to low ratings.
Klugman continued the decade with multiple guest roles on television, including appearances onThe F.B.I.,Ben Casey,The Name of the Game,The Fugitive, andInsight. He also appeared on Broadway inTchin-Tchin from October 1962 to May 1963. From 1960 to 1963, Klugman appeared in two episodes of the seriesThe Untouchables: "Loophole" (1961) and "An Eye for an Eye" (1963).
In 1965, Klugman replacedWalter Matthau in the lead role ofOscar Madison in the originalBroadway production ofThe Odd Couple.[14] He reprised the role when the play was adapted as atelevision series, which was broadcast onABC from 1970 to 1975. Over the course of the show's five-year, 114-episode run, Klugman won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the series. In 1973, during the run of the series, Klugman andOdd Couple co-star Randall recorded an album titledThe Odd Couple Sings forLondon Records.Roland Shaw andThe London Festival Orchestra and Chorus provided the music and additional vocals.[15]
After the cancellation ofThe Odd Couple in 1975, Klugman returned to television in 1976 inQuincy, M.E., initially broadcast as part of theNBC Mystery Movie umbrella series, before becoming a weekly program. Klugman portrayed Dr. Quincy, aforensic pathologist who worked for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and solved crimes. He was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the series and also wrote four episodes.[citation needed] A total of 148 episodes ofQuincy aired over eight seasons, ending in 1983. In 1984, Klugman starred inLyndon, a one-man show based on Prideaux's script, inspired in part by Merle Miller's taped conversations and directed by George Schaefer. In 1986, Klugman starred in the sitcomYou Again? co-starringJohn Stamos as Klugman's character's son. The series was broadcast on NBC for two seasons before being cancelled. During the show's run, Klugman also appeared on Broadway inI'm Not Rappaport. The show closed in 1988. The following year, he co-starred in the televisionminiseriesAround the World in 80 Days.[16]
In 1989, Klugman's throat cancer (with which he was first diagnosed in 1974) returned. His illness sidelined his career for the next four years. He returned to acting in a 1993 Broadway revival ofThree Men on a Horse, with Tony Randall.[17] That same year, he again reunited with Tony Randall in the television filmThe Odd Couple: Together Again. The next year, Klugman co-starred in the television filmParallel Lives.
In 1993, he appeared on a special "celebrity versus regulars" version of the British quiz showGoing for Gold, emerging as the series winner.[18]
In 1996, he co-starred inThe Twilight of the Golds and the comedy filmDear God. He resumed his television career with guest appearances onDiagnosis: Murder. He also starred inThe Outer Limits episode "Glitch" and appeared in an episode of the TV seriesCrossing Jordan. Klugman starred in both the 1997 Broadway revival and the 2007 off-Broadway revival ofThe Sunshine Boys.[19][20]
In 2005, Klugman co-starred in the comedy filmWhen Do We Eat?. That same year, he publishedTony and Me: A Story of Friendship, a book about his long friendship with hisThe Odd Couple co-star Tony Randall.[21][22] Klugman gave the eulogy at Randall's memorial service in 2004.[21] A fan of the New York Mets (whose cap he wore as Oscar Madison), Klugman started an MLB.com PRO Blog called Klugman's Korner to talk about baseball and Randall.[23]
In 2008, he sued NBC Television over missing profits from his showQuincy M.E.[24] The lawsuit was filed inCalifornia state court, with Klugman requesting NBC to show him the original contract.[24] Klugman argued that his production company, Sweater Productions, should have received 25% of the show's net profits. NBC Universal and Klugman settled the lawsuit on undisclosed terms in August 2010.[24]
His last on-screen role was in the 2010 horror filmCamera Obscura.[25] Klugman was originally supposed to play Juror #9 in a stage production ofTwelve Angry Men at theGeorge Street Playhouse that was set to open on March 13, 2012.[26] However, he had to withdraw from the production because of illness.[27]
Klugman married actressBrett Somers in 1953. The couple had two children,Adam (who had a cameo as Oscar Madison as a child in twoflashbacks onThe Odd Couple) and David. He had a stepdaughter, Leslie Klein, from Somers's first marriage. (Klein was married toJim Fyfe, an actor and theater director.) The couple separated in 1974 and divorced in August 1977; they did not make their divorce public.[28][29] In 2007, Somers died from cancer at age 83.[30] Because Klugman did not remarry until after Somers died (nor did Somers ever remarry), it was erroneously reported that the two had remained married but separated for the rest of Somers's life.[31]
Klugman's 18-year relationship with actress Barbara Neugass ended in 1992 and led to apalimony suit that Neugass ultimately lost.[32]
Klugman began living with Peggy Crosby in 1988. They married in February 2008, shortly after Somers’ death.[33][34]
Klugman was an avid Thoroughbred racing fan. He ownedJaklin Klugman, who finished third in the 1980 Kentucky Derby behind the great fillyGenuine Risk and Grade 1 stakes winner Akinemod. Klugman said Jaklin Klugman's success was the biggest thrill of his life.[35] His farm where he kept up to 100 horses was called El Rancho De Jaklin, named after his horse.[36]
In the 1980s, Klugman licensed his name for use by a popcorn franchise named "Jack's Corn Crib".[37]
Klugman was diagnosed withthroat cancer in 1974.[38] In 1988, he lost avocal cord to throat cancer surgery but continued to act on stage and television, though he was left with a quiet, raspy voice.[39] In later years subsequent to his operation, he regained limited strength in his voice.[40] This real-life health issue was central to the plot of the1993 Odd Couple reunion TV movie.
Klugman died fromprostate cancer at his home inWoodland Hills, Los Angeles on December 24, 2012, aged 90.[9] ANew York Times profile described him as an "extraordinary actor ennobling the ordinary."[41] His obituary in theHuffington Post referred to him as a "character actor titan."[42] Klugman's ashes are interred in acolumbarium atWestwood Memorial Park cemetery in Los Angeles.[9]
| Date | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|
| March 12 – April 6, 1952 | Golden Boy | Frank Bonaparte |
| November 14 – 17, 1956 | A Very Special Baby | Carmen |
| May 21, 1959 – March 25, 1961 | Gypsy: A Musical Fable | Herbie |
| Apr 22, 1963 – May 18, 1963 | Tchin-Tchin | Caesario Grimaldi (Replacement) |
| November 8, 1965 – July 2, 1967 | The Odd Couple | Oscar Madison (Replacement) |
| December 18, 1968 – December 21, 1968 | The Sudden & Accidental Re-Education of Horse Johnson | Horse Johnson |
| February 26, 1984 – March 11, 1984 | Lyndon[43] | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| November 19, 1985 – January 17, 1988 | I'm Not Rappaport | Nat Moyer (Replacement) |
| April 13 – May 16, 1993 | Three Men on a Horse | Patsy |
| December 8, 1997 – June 28, 1998 | The Sunshine Boys | Willie Clark |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Grubstake | Alternative title:Apache Gold | |
| 1956 | Time Table | Frankie Page | |
| 1957 | 12 Angry Men | Juror No. 5 | |
| 1958 | Cry Terror! | Vince, a thug | |
| 1962 | Days of Wine and Roses | Jim Hungerford | |
| 1963 | I Could Go On Singing | George | |
| 1963 | The Yellow Canary | Lt. Bonner | |
| 1963 | Act One | Joe Hyman | |
| 1965 | Hail, Mafia | Phil | Alternative title:Je vous salue, mafia! |
| 1968 | The Detective | Dave Schoenstein | |
| 1968 | The Split | Harry Kifka | |
| 1969 | Goodbye, Columbus | Ben Patimkin | |
| 1971 | Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow! | Barney Morovitz | |
| 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | Sandman | |
| 1996 | The Twilight of the Golds | Mr. Stein | |
| 1996 | Dear God | Jemi | |
| 2005 | When Do We Eat? | Artur | |
| 2010 | Camera Obscura | Sam | (final film role) (demon hunting web series)[44][45][46] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Suspense | Louie | Episode: "Murder at the Mardi Gras" |
| 1953 | Colonel Humphrey Flack | 2 episodes | |
| 1954 | Rocky King Detective | Episode: "Return for Death" | |
| 1954 | Inner Sanctum | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1954–1956 | Justice | 4 episodes | |
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | Jackie | Episode: "The Petrified Forest" |
| 1955 | Treasury Men in Action | Episode: "The Case of the Betrayed Artist" | |
| 1955–1956 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | 2 episodes | |
| 1955–1956 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | 2 episodes | |
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | George Benedict | Season 3 Episode 2: "Mail Order Prophet" |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater | Peter Tong | Episode: "A New Girl In His Life" |
| 1958 | Gunsmoke | Earl Ticks | Episode: "Buffalo Man" |
| 1958 | General Electric Theater | Murphy | Episode: "The Young and Scared" |
| 1958 | Kiss Me, Kate | Gunman | Television film |
| 1959 | The Walter Winchell File | Allie Sunshine | Episode: "Death Comes in a Small Package: File #37" |
| 1959 | Naked City | Mike Greco | ABC-TV, S1-Ep 19: "The Shield" |
| 1960–1963 | The Twilight Zone | Joey Crown, Jesse Cardiff, Captain Ross, Max Phillips | Episode #32: "A Passage for Trumpet" Episode #70: "A Game of Pool" Episode #108: "Death Ship" Episode #121: "In Praise of Pip" |
| 1961 | Follow the Sun | Steve Bixel | Episode: "Busman's Holiday" |
| 1961 | Target: The Corruptors! | Otto Dutch Kleberg, Greg Paulson | 1x02 Pier 60, 1x18 Chase the Dragon |
| 1961 | Straightaway | Buddy Conway | Episode: "Die Laughing" |
| 1962 | The New Breed | Floyd Blaylock | Episode: "All the Dead Faces" |
| 1962 | Cain's Hundred | Mike Colonni | Episode: "Women of Silure" |
| 1962 | Naked City | Peter Kannick | Episode: "King Stanislaus and the Knights of the Round Stable" |
| 1963 | The Untouchables | Solly Girsch | Episode: "An Eye for An Eye" |
| 1963 | Naked City | Arthur Crews | Episode: "Stop the Parade! A Baby Is Crying!" |
| 1963 | Arrest and Trial | Celina | Episode: "The Quality of Justice" |
| 1963 | The Fugitive | Buck Harmon | Episode: "Terror at High Point",Season 1, Episode 13 |
| 1964 | The Virginian | Charles Mayhew | Episode: "Roar from the Mountain" |
| 1964 | The Defenders | Joe Larch | Episode: "Blacklist" |
| 1964 | The Great Adventure | John Brown | Episode: "The Night Raiders" |
| 1964 | Insight | Carny | Episode: "The Kid Show" |
| 1964–1965 | Harris Against the World | Alan Harris | 13 episodes |
| 1965 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Ozzie Keefer | Episode: "Won't It Ever Be Morning? " |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Dr. Bill Justin | Episode: "A Slave Is on the Throne" |
| 1965 | The Fugitive | Gus Hendricks | Episode: "Everybody Gets Hit in the Mouth Sometimes",Season 2, Episode 24 |
| 1965 | Insight | Weiss | Episode: "The Prisoner" |
| 1966 | Fame Is the Name of the Game | Ben Welcome | Television film |
| 1967 | Garrison's Gorillas | Gus Manners | Episode: "Banker's Hours" |
| 1969 | Then Came Bronson | Dr. Charles Hanrahan | Episode: "The Runner" |
| 1970 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Leland Rogers | Episode: "The Diamond Millstone" |
| 1970 | The Name of the Game | Captain Garrig | Episode: "The Time Is Now" |
| 1970–1975 | The Odd Couple | Oscar Madison | 114 episodes |
| 1972 | Banyon | Episode: "The Lady Killers" | |
| 1973 | Poor Devil | Burnett J. Emerson | Television film |
| 1974 | The Underground Man | Sheriff Tremaine | Television film |
| 1976 | One of My Wives Is Missing | Inspector Murray Levine | Television film |
| 1976–1983 | Quincy, M.E. | Dr. R. Quincy, M.E. | 147 episodes |
| 1979 | Password Plus | Himself | Game Show Participant / Celebrity Guest Star |
| 1979 | Insight | Packy Rowe | Episode: "Rebirth of Packy Rowe" |
| 1986–1987 | You Again? | Henry Willows | 26 episodes |
| 1989 | Around the World in 80 Days | Capt. Bunsby | Miniseries |
| 1993 | The Odd Couple Together Again | Oscar Madison | Television film |
| 1994 | Parallel Lives | Senator Robert Ferguson | Television film |
| 1995 | Shining Time Station: Second Chances | Max Okowsky | Television film |
| 1997 | Diagnosis: Murder | Dr. Jeff Everden | Episode: "Physician, Murder Thyself" |
| 1999 | Diagnosis: Murder | Lt. Harry Trumble | Episode: "Voices Carry" |
| 1999 | Brother's Keeper | Jack | Episode: "An Odd Couple of Days" |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Joe Walker | Episode: "Glitch" |
| 2000 | Third Watch | Stan Brandolini | Episode: "Run of the Mill" |
| 2002 | Crossing Jordan | Dr. Leo Gelber | Episode: "Someone to Count On" |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Goodbye, Columbus | Nominated | [47] |
| 1971 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | The Odd Couple | Nominated | [48] |
| 1973 | Won | ||||
| 1964 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | The Defenders | Won | [49] |
| 1971 | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series | The Odd Couple | Won | ||
| 1972 | Nominated | ||||
| 1973 | Won | ||||
| 1974 | Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1975 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1977 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Quincy, M.E. | Nominated | ||
| 1978 | Nominated | ||||
| 1979 | Nominated | ||||
| 1980 | Nominated | ||||
| 1960 | Tony Awards | Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical | Gypsy | Nominated | [50] |
| 2004 | TV Land Awards | Quintessential Non-Traditional Family | The Odd Couple (Shared withTony Randall) | Won |
For his contributions to television, Klugman was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard.[51][52]
Jack Klugman, the rubber-mugged character actor who leapt to television stardom in the 1970s as the slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison on 'The Odd Couple' and as the crusading forensic pathologist of 'Quincy, M.E.', died on Monday at his home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. He was 90. ... Mr. Klugman's path to success was serendipitous. He was born in Philadelphia on April 27, 1922, the youngest of six children of immigrants from Russia. Most sources indicate that his name at birth was Jacob, though Mr. Klugman said in an interview that the name on his birth certificate is Jack.
... 1965 playThe Odd Coupleand the subsequent 1967 movie starring Walter Matthau as the sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison... In the television series, Oscar was played by Jack Klugman (who had taken over the role from Matthau on Broadway)...
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