Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman (born April 27, 1922, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died December 24, 2012, Los Angeles, California) was an American actor who was best known for his work on television, most notably The Odd Couple (1970–75) and Quincy, M.E. (1976–83).

Klugman attended Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), where he studied drama, and he later acted in theatre productions. He appeared on Broadway in Clifford Odets’s Golden Boy in 1952. In the 1950s he began appearing on television shows, including Inner Sanctum, Studio One, and Playhouse 90. Klugman made his feature film debut in Grubstake (1952) and later appeared in the crime drama Time Table (1956). In 1957 he starred as a juror in Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men, a critically acclaimed film that focused on jury deliberations in a murder trial. Klugman returned to the theatre in 1959 to star in the Broadway production of Gypsy. In 1962 he portrayed an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor in the award-winning movie Days of Wine and Roses, which focused on alcohol addiction.

Although Klugman continued to act on screen and stage, much of his work was on television. In the 1960s he appeared in several episodes of Naked City and The Twilight Zone, and his recurring role on The Defenders earned him an Emmy Award in 1964. In 1970 he was cast as the carefree and disorderly sports journalist Oscar Madison in the television adaptation of Neil Simon’s play The Odd Couple; he had earlier replaced Walter Matthau in the role in the Broadway production. Klugman starred opposite Tony Randall as Felix Unger and earned two Emmys (1971 and 1973) for his portrayal. The show ended in 1975, and the following year Klugman made his debut as a Los Angeles medical examiner in Quincy, M.E. The popular drama ran until 1983, earning him several Emmy nominations.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

In 1989 Klugman underwent surgery for throat cancer, and he was unable to speak for several years. He eventually returned to acting, and his later work included the reunion show The Odd Couple: Together Again (1993), a Broadway revival of The Sunshine Boys (1997), and appearances on the TV series Diagnosis Murder and Crossing Jordan.