Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman in August 2005
Born	Jacob Joachim Klugman
Years active	1950 – Present
Spouse(s)	Brett Somers (1953–2007) Peggy Crosby (2008-present)

Jack Klugman (born April 27, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American television and film actor, known primarily for his roles in sitcoms, movies and television. He is best-known for his role as Tony Randall's sloppy roommate, Oscar Madison, in The Odd Couple in the 1970s, and for his starring role in Quincy, M.E., in the 1970s and 1980s. He attended Carnegie Mellon University and graduated in 1948.

Early life

Born as Jacob Joachim Klugman, Jack Klugman began acting after serving in the United States Army during World War II. A struggling actor in New York City, Klugman was a roommate of another starving actor, Charles Bronson, before the two became successful.

Acting career

Klugman starred in several classic films including 12 Angry Men (which he says is his favorite), Goodbye, Columbus, and Days of Wine and Roses. He also won an Emmy Award for his work on the television series The Defenders and appeared in four episodes of the acclaimed series The Twilight Zone (tied with Burgess Meredith for the most appearances by any actor on the series). Klugman says his greatest thrill was appearing with Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in a 1954 live television broadcast of The Petrified Forest.

He is best known for his starring roles in two popular television series of the 1970s and early 1980s: The Odd Couple (1970–1975) and Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983). Jack also starred in the original Broadway production of The Odd Couple, before being replaced by Walter Matthau due to other commitments. He won two Emmy Awards for the T.V. version of The Odd Couple.

Quiz show appearances

In 1993, Klugman appeared on a special 'celebrity versus regulars' version of the UK quiz show Going for Gold. The special episode was mostly made up of actors and actresses that appeared in programmes that were on around the same time slot as Going for Gold competing against past series winners. Klugman was invited to participate as the show Quincy, M.E., in which he starred, was often on afterwards. Klugman won this special airing and then actually went on to win the entire 1993 series.

Writing

In 2005, Klugman published Tony And Me: A Story of Friendship, a book about his long friendship with his Odd Couple co-star Tony Randall.

Personal life

Klugman is the father of two children: Adam and David, both from his marriage to Match Game regular Brett Somers. Klugman and Somers were married in 1953 and remained married until her death in 2007 at the age of 83. They had been legally separated since 1974, but never divorced. They only lived together as husband and wife for 21 years of their 54 year marriage. Klugman later joked that he never divorced Somers so that he would not make the mistake of marrying again. It was Klugman, who appeared on the first week of Match Game in 1973, who asked the show's production company, as a stipulation to his appearance, that they give Somers a guest slot on the panel. She fitted in so well with the panelists (particularly Charles Nelson Reilly), that she stayed with the show for its entire nine-year run (ending in 1982). Klugman continued to appear on other episodes of Match Game until he and Somers separated, although he would make guest appearances infrequently. Klugman has lived with Peggy Crosby (the ex-wife of Bing Crosby's son, Phillip Crosby) since 1988; however, it was not until February 2008, after Somers's death, that Klugman and Crosby finally married.

Health issues

In the early 1990s, Klugman, a heavy smoker, lost a vocal cord to cancer, but he continued to act on stage and on television. He survived the cancer, though the lost vocal cord has left Klugman with a raspy, scratchy voice. During the 1990s his television credits included a guest starring role in Diagnosis Murder. His cancer was written into his character, where Klugman played a detective who had terminal cancer and had to solve an outstanding case before he died.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Klugman's character on the Odd Couple television show was a fan of thoroughbred horse racing. In real life, Klugman is a horse racing fan as well. One of his horses, Jaklin Klugman, was voted the 1980 California Horse of the Year after winning several races, including the 1980 California Derby and Jerome Handicap, and finishing third in the Kentucky Derby. He is well known for his role in a commercial for Aksarben race track. [[1]]

Filmography

• Grubstake (1952)
• Time Table (1956)
• 12 Angry Men (1957)
• Cry Terror! (1958)
• The Velvet Alley (Playhouse 90) (1959)
• A Passage for Trumpet episode of The Twilight Zone (1960)
• A Game of Pool episode of The Twilight Zone (1961)
• Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
• The Yellow Canary (1963)
• I Could Go On Singing (1963)
• Act One (1963)
• Death Ship episode of The Twilight Zone (1963)
• In Praise of Pip episode of The Twilight Zone (1963)
• Hail, Mafia (1965)
• The Detective (1968)
• The Split (1968)
• Goodbye, Columbus (1969)
• Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow? (1971)
• Two-Minute Warning (1976)
• Challenge of the Tiger (1980)
• The Odd Couple: Together Again (1993)
• Dear God (1996)
• Brothers Keeper (1999)
• Diagnosis Murder (1990s)
• Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool (2001) (documentary)
• Crossing Jordan (2002)
• When Do We Eat? (2005)
• America's Top Sleuths (2006)

External links

• Jack Klugman at IMDb
• Jack Klugman profile
• The Quincy Examiner - Online Home to Fans of Quincy M.E.
• Tony and Me, A Story of Friendship. By Jack Klugman
• Jack Klugman's Blog