Tige Andrews
Tige Andrews | |
---|---|
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Born | Tiger Andrews March 19, 1920 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 27, 2007 Encino, California, U.S. | (aged 86)
Alma mater | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1950–1991 |
Spouse(s) |
Josephine Bernice Phillips
(m. 1944; div. 1946)Norma Thornton
(m. 1950; died 1996) |
Children | 6 |
Tiger "Tige" Andrews[1] (March 19, 1920 – January 27, 2007) was an American character actor. He is best remembered for his law-enforcement roles as Captain Adam Greer and Lieutenant Johnny Russo in two ABC crime drama television series: The Mod Squad, and The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, respectively.
Life and career
Andrews was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Syrian parents Selma (née Shaleesh) and George E. Andrews, a shopkeeper. His family's surname was originally "Androwas".[2] His parents, following Syrian custom, named him after a strong animal to ensure good health.[3] His mother died when he was three years old, and his father later remarried.[4] Andrews moved with his family to Middlesex, New Jersey.[5]
Andrews was wounded in Sicily while serving in the United States Army during World War II and after returning home, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1946.[4]
Andrews made his Broadway debut in the original 1948 cast of Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan's war comedy Mister Roberts. Hollywood director John Ford saw the play while visiting New York and, remembering his performance in it, cast him in the 1955 film version of Mister Roberts.[4] Back in New York in 1955, Andrews won critical acclaim as The Streetsinger in the long-running revival of Marc Blitzstein's translation of the Brecht-Weill musical, The Threepenny Opera, off-Broadway. It featured German star Lotte Lenya and an ensemble cast of future stars, including Beatrice Arthur, Jo Sullivan, John Astin, Jerry Orbach, Ed Asner, and Jerry Stiller. He reprised the role in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, and went on to direct The Threepenny Opera in Arizona.
Andrews made frequent appearances on television in the 1960s. In addition to being a cast member of The Phil Silvers Show (1955–1957, as Tiger Andrews), Andrews appeared in such series as U.S. Marshal, The Lawless Years, Mr. Novak, Dundee and the Culhane, The Big Valley, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and Star Trek as Kras in the episode "Friday's Child", in which he was the first Klingon ever to die in that series.[6]
His best known roles were Lieutenant Johnny Russo on The Detectives and as Captain Adam Greer on The Mod Squad. For the latter role, he received both an Emmy and a Golden Globe award nomination and won a Logie Award. Andrews reunited with his fellow Mod Squad cast members for a 1979 made-for-television film, The Return Of Mod Squad; it was their last appearance together. After The Mod Squad ended, Andrews continued to make guest appearances on various television series, such as Kojak, Marcus Welby, M.D., Police Story, CHiPs, and Murder, She Wrote.[6]
His film career included roles in Onionhead (1958), A Private's Affair (1959), In Enemy Country (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), and Raid on Entebbe (1977, as Shimon Peres). He retired from acting in the early 1990s after having appeared in more than one hundred acting roles onstage, on film and on television.[7]
In addition to his acting career, Andrews was an accomplished painter and singer. His artwork has been shown in Los Angeles art galleries, and some of it was published in the book Actors As Artists by Jim McMullan and Dick Gautier. He collaborated with Sandy Matlowsky and Sid Kuller on two original songs on his Tiger Records label in Los Angeles, California. "The Modfather" and "Keep America Beautiful" were the A and B sides of the vinyl 45 single release.[8]
Personal life
Before moving to California, Tige married Norma Thornton, a ballerina who was a regular on The Ed Sullivan Show.[9] Norma Thornton Andrews died in 1996.[10] They had six children, three boys and three girls: Barbara, Gina, Julie, John, Steve and Tony, and eleven grandchildren.[5][11]
Death
Andrews died of cardiac arrest at his home in Encino, California, on January 27, 2007, aged 86.[12]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | Mister Roberts | Wiley | |
1957 | The Wings of Eagles | Arizona Pincus | Uncredited |
1957 | Until They Sail | US Marine, Store Customer | |
1958 | China Doll | Cpl. Carlo Menotti | |
1958 | Imitation General | Pvt. Orville Hutchmeyer | |
1958 | Onionhead | Charlie Berger | |
1959 | A Private's Affair | Sgt. Pickerell | |
1968 | In Enemy Country | Nicolay | |
1976 | The Last Tycoon | Popolos | |
1980 | Gypsy Angels | Ted |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Kraft Television Theatre | Episode: "Moon Over Mulberry Street" | |
1952 | The Hunter | Episode: "The Ghost Goes East" | |
1952–1953 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Sam | 2 episodes |
1953 | Suspense | 1st Thug | Episode: "The Quarry" |
1953 | Plymouth Playhouse | Episode: "Jetfighter" | |
1954 | Inner Sanctum | Reed | Episode: "The Hermit" |
1955–1956 | The Phil Silvers Show | Pvt. Gander | 22 episodes |
1957–1968 | Gunsmoke | Jose Santillo / Mike Postil | 2 episodes |
1958 | The Walter Winchell File | Frank | Episode: "The Box Men: File #38" |
1958 | U.S. Marshal | Sam | Episode: "Mechanic" |
1958 | Steve Canyon | Sgt. Bagdasarian | Episode: "Operation Jettison" |
1958–1959 | Playhouse 90 | Bassi / Frank Nitti | 2 episodes |
1959 | Zorro | Nava | Episode: "The Iron Box" |
1959 | The Lawless Years | Tony Morelli | Episode: "The Tony Morelli Story" |
1959 | Grand Jury | Ben | Episode: "Fire Trap" |
1959–1962 | The Detectives | Det. Lt. John Russo / Lt. John Russo | 97 episodes |
1961 | The Best of the Post | C.P.O. Jacobsen | Episode: "Band of Brothers" |
1961 | Adventures in Paradise | Jay Jay Jenkins | Episode: "Wild Mangoes" |
1961 | The Dick Powell Show | Paul Manzuk | Episode: "Somebody's Waiting" |
1962 | Alcoa Premiere | Gaby Lasalle | Episode: "Flashing Spikes" |
1962 | Ensign O'Toole | Soilman | Episode: "Operation: Holdout" |
1962–1965 | Ben Casey | Dave McClusky / Cash Burdock | 2 episodes |
1963 | Sam Benedict | Bill Yohler | Episode: "Green Room, Grey Morning" |
1963 | Mr. Novak | Lt. Charles Green | Episode: "A Single Isolated Incident" |
1964 | Dr. Kildare | Roy Winters | Episode: "The Middle of Ernie Mann" |
1965 | Slattery's People | Horse | Episode: "Question: Who You Taking to the Main Event, Eddie?" |
1965 | Twelve O'Clock High | Master Sgt. Tony Podesta | Episode: "R/X for a Sick Bird" |
1965 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Chief Petty Officer | 3 episodes |
1966 | Jericho | Francois Leboult | Episode: "Wall to Wall Kaput" |
1966 | Run for Your Life | Sam Miller | Episode: "A Game of Violence" |
1967 | The Big Valley | Bodos | Episode: "Wagonload of Dreams" |
1967 | The Fugitive | Buck Leonard | Episode: "The Walls of Night" |
1967 | The F.B.I. | John Forno | Episode: "Force of Nature" |
1967 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Det. Owens | Episode: "Deadlock" |
1967 | Dundee and the Culhane | Nicasio | Episode: "The Jubilee Raid Brief" |
1967 | Star Trek: The Original Series | Kras | Episode: "Friday's Child" |
1968 | Premiere | Albert Sanchez | Episode: "The Freebooters" |
1968–1973 | The Mod Squad | Capt. Adam Greer | 123 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (1971) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1970) |
1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Fred Pulaski | Episode: "For Services Rendered" |
1974 | Skyway to Death | Sam Nichols | Television film |
1974–1975 | Police Story | Blodgett / Sergeant Kidder | 3 episodes |
1974–1978 | Kojak | Sergeant Geno Polucci / Joe Paxton / Aaron Fisk | 4 episodes |
1975 | The Wide World of Mystery | Bert / the Werewolf | Episode: "The Werewolf of Woodstock" |
1975 | Amy Prentiss | Adams | Episode: "Profile in Evil" |
1975 | Barbary Coast | Phineas T. James | Episode: "An Iron-Clad Plan" |
1975 | Police Woman | Lieutenant McKay | Episode: "The Purge" |
1976 | Good Heavens | Jack McMann | Episode: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" |
1977 | Raid on Entebbe | Shimon Peres | Television film |
1978 | Flying High | Blakely | Episode: "The Marcy Connection" |
1978–1981 | CHiPs | Charley Davis / Charley | 3 episodes |
1979 | The Return of the Mod Squad | Adam Greer | Television film |
1980 | Vegas | Benson | Episode: "Lost Monday" |
1982 | Quincy, M.E. | Victor Ramsey | Episode: "Expert in Murder" |
1982 | Tucker's Witch | Terry Porter | Episode: "Big Mouth" |
1982 | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | Merlin Palmer | Episode: "Christmas Song" |
1984 | Hawaiian Heat | Dan McGreedy | Episode: "Old Dues" |
1985 | Street Hawk | Morgan Hartmann | Episode: "Fire on the Wing" |
1985 | Misfits of Science | Bill | Episode: "Fumble on the One" |
1987 | Sledge Hammer! | Hugo Victor | Episode: "Jagged Sledge" |
1991 | Murder, She Wrote | Carmine Abruzzi | Episode: "Family Doctor" |
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Playbill News, 02/05/2007 - ^ Aaker, Everett (2006). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 18. ISBN 0-7864-2476-1.
- ^ [1] Obituary in the Halifax The Chronicle Herald, Last accessed 2/12/2007
- ^ a b c [2] Obituary on The Hollywood Reporter, last accessed 2/07/2007
- ^ a b Nelson, Valerie J. (February 3, 2007). "Tige Andrews, 86; character actor played Capt. Greer in 'Mod Squad'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ a b "'Mod Squad's' Andrews dies". Variety. February 2, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Linan, Steve (March 29, 1999). "FIRST MOD SQUAD IS ALL GROWN UP NOW". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Tige Andrews, Klingon from "Friday's Child", Mourned", Startrek.com website, last retrieved 02/12/2007
- ^ "Norma Thornton; Actress, Dancer on 'Ed Sullivan Show'". Los Angeles Times. July 18, 1996. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ "'Mod Squad' Actor Tige Andrews, 86, Dies". The Washington Post. February 5, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ "Tige Andrews, 86, 'Mod Squad' Actor, Dies". The New York Times. February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Obituary
External links
- 1920 births
- 2007 deaths
- American people of Arab descent
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American army personnel of World War II
- Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
- People from Brooklyn
- People from Greater Los Angeles
- People from Middlesex, New Jersey
- American people of Syrian descent
- Male actors from New Jersey
- Male actors from New York City
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
- United States Army soldiers
- Middle Eastern Christians
- 20th-century American male actors