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Tony Randall

Tony Randall

Tony Randall (February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) is an American actor, producer, and director, best known for his role as Felix Unger in the television adaptation of Neil Simon's play, The Odd Couple. Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tony Randall graduated from Tulsa Central High School and attended Northwestern University for a year before going to New York City to study at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner and Martha Graham 1938-1940.His first major role in a Broadway hit was in Inherit the Wind in 1955 portraying Newspaperman E. K. Hornbeck. In 1958, he played the leading role in the musical comedy Oh, Captain! which he received a Tony Award nomination for his legendary dance turn with prima ballerina Alexandra Danilova. His first major television role was as history teacher Harvey Weskit in Mr. Peepers (1952–1955). Mr. Randall starred as nearly all of the leading characters in the 1964 classic film 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and his many film credits include: Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), The Mating Game (1959), Pillow Talk (1959), Let's Make Love (1960), Lover Come Back (1961), Boys' Night Out (1962), The Brass Bottle (1964), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Hello Down There (1969), Scavenger Hunt (1979), The King of Comedy (1983) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). In 1970 Randall portrayed a role which would earn him lasting recognition as Felix Unger in The Odd Couple, opposite Jack Klugman, a role lasting for five years. Later he starred in The Tony Randall Show, playing a Philadelphia judge, and Love, Sidney. In 1991, he founded the National Actors Theatre where he starred in A Christmas Carol (1994), The Inspector General (1994), Three Men on a Horse (1993), and gave his final stage performance in Luigi Pirandello's Right You Are/If You Think You Are (2003). 

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