Tony Randall
February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004
When an actor has the fortune of landing a successful and iconic role, it’s never entirely fair when the public places said actor into the pigeonhole of that role for the rest of his/her career. Despite any other accomplishments, the actor is constantly equated to that one role and is often forced to accept the public’s unwillingness to move on in order to continue to make a livelihood. Tony Randall is one of the prime examples of spending an entire career in the shadow of an iconic role. And that role, of course, was….the voice of the brain gremlin in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
Kidding, of course. Randall, despite his many accomplishments on Broadway (Inherit the Wind, Oh, Captain!) and in film (Pillow Talk, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?) found his biggest success playing Felix Unger opposite Jack Klugman’s Oscar Madison in the 1970’s television version of the Neil Simon classic The Odd Couple. Not that Tony minded. He would happily reprise the role alongside Klugman many times, for many reasons, in the many years afterward. He was no one-trick-pony, though. He found success throughout his career in different projects and guest appearances and he remained busy up until the end. Tony Randall contracted pneumonia following heart surgery in 2004 and died during the recovery.
Burial
Westchester Hills Cemetery – Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Specific Location
Wind your way up the hill toward the back of the cemetery until you reach a white, family mausoleum on your right with the name CHAIKIN on it. Tony is buried about 4 rows behind/below this mausoleum, a few feet to the northwest of a large tree.
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