Jack Klugman

Biography

Jack Klugman (Philadelphia, 1922 – Northridge, California, 2012) was an American actor who built most of his career on television, though he also worked on Broadway and in film. He became best known for a handful of hit comedies and dramas from the 1970s and 1980s.

Born in Philadelphia to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Klugman served in the United States Army during the Second World War. He studied at what is now Carnegie Mellon University, and after the war he settled in New York, where he took small roles on stage and in early television. He made his Broadway debut in Golden Boy in 1952.

His film career took off with 12 Angry Men (1957), in which he played juror number five. Through the 1960s he balanced feature work with a long run of guest appearances on series such as The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables and The Fugitive. In 1964 he won his first Primetime Emmy for a guest role on The Defenders.

His most famous part was Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, the Neil Simon comedy he later adapted for television opposite Tony Randall. He had first played the role on Broadway in 1965, replacing Walter Matthau. The television series ran from 1970 to 1975 and earned him two Emmys. He then starred in Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983) as a Los Angeles County forensic pathologist, a role that brought four Emmy nominations.

In the 1990s he reunited with Randall in a 1993 television film and appeared in films such as Dear God. After a bout of throat cancer kept him away from acting for several years, he returned to work, and his last on-screen role came in the 2010 horror film Camera Obscura. He wrote a 2005 book about his friendship with Randall. He died in 2012, and his legacy rests largely on his television work.

Key films

• 12 Angry Men (1957). His role as juror number five was one of his early breakthroughs on film.
• The Detective (1968). A late-1960s feature that forms part of his big-screen work.
• Goodbye, Columbus (1969). A film in which he combined comedy with a more dramatic register.
• The Odd Couple (1970–1975). The television series that made him a household name as Oscar Madison.
• Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983). He starred as Dr. Quincy, a forensic pathologist who solves crimes.