Randall, Tony (1920-2004), was an American actor best known for his comic roles on television. Randall gained his greatest success as the fussy Felix Unger in the television series “The Odd Couple” (1970-1975). He also played a featured role in “Mr. Peepers” (1952-1955), one of the most popular of the early TV comedy series.
Randall was born on Feb. 26, 1920, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His original name was Leonard Rosenberg. He studied acting with the famous acting teacher Sanford Meisner in New York City from 1938 to 1940. Randall appeared in The Circle of Chalk (1941) on Broadway and then served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946, during and after World War II. After his discharge from the Army, Randall performed on radio and then entered television. He made his motion-picture debut in Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957). His other movies include Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961), The Brass Bottle (1964), Send Me No Flowers (1965), The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (1965), and King of Comedy (1983).
Randall also starred in the two TV series “The Tony Randall Show” (1976-1978) and “Love, Sidney” (1981-1983). His wit and scholarly knowledge of such subjects as opera made him a popular guest on TV talk shows. In 1991, Randall founded the National Actors Theatre, a company dedicated to reviving classics of drama. Randall directed several of the company’s productions. With Michael Mindlin, he wrote Which Reminds Me (1989), a collection of humorous anecdotes about acting. Randall died on May 17, 2004.
