David Anthony "Tony" Roberts (born October 22, 1939) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. He is known for his roles in six

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

movies—most notably '' Annie Hall''—often playing Allen's best friend.

Early life

Roberts was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, the son of Norma (née Finkelstein), an animator, and CBS radio announcer Ken Roberts. His family is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He had a sister, Nancy, and is the cousin of late actor

Everett Sloane Everett H. Sloane (October 1, 1909 – August 6, 1965) was an American character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films, and television. Early life Sloane was born in Manhattan on October 1, 1909, to Nathaniel I. Sloane and Rose (Gerst ...

. Roberts attended the High School of Music & Art"Notable Alumni,"
Alumni & Friends of LaGuardia High School website. Accessed Feb. 29, 2016. and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, and made his Broadway debut in 1962, with a role in the play '' Something About a Soldier''.

Career

Film

Roberts is best known for his collaborations with

. In '' Annie Hall'', he portrayed Alvy Singer's best friend Rob. Other Allen films and/or plays in which he has appeared include both the Broadway and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

versions of '' Play It Again, Sam'' (directed by

Herbert Ross Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. He is known for directing ...

), '' Radio Days'' (in which his father had a voice role), '' Stardust Memories'', ''

Hannah and Her Sisters ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, w ...

'', '' A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'', and Woody Allen's segment for ''

The Concert for New York City The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11 attacks. Aside from performing for charity, the c ...

''. Roberts memorably portrayed the badgering Deputy Mayor Warren LaSalle in '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three''. He also appeared in the Sidney Lumet films '' Serpico'' and ''

Just Tell Me What You Want ''Just Tell Me What You Want'' is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. It stars Ali MacGraw, Peter Weller and Alan King, and was also Myrna Loy's final film. The screenplay by Jay Presson Allen, adapted from her novel, won he ...

''. Roberts was in the 1983 horror film '' Amityville 3-D'' portraying John Baxter, the owner of the infamous possessed house. Roberts was featured in 2014's '' The Longest Week'' opposite Jason Bateman.

Theater

Roberts's Broadway credits include '' Barefoot in the Park''; '' How Now, Dow Jones''; '' Murder at the Howard Johnson's''; '' Promises, Promises''; ''

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

'' (the musical version of the movie '' Some Like It Hot''); '' The Sisters Rosensweig''; '' They're Playing Our Song''; '' Victor/Victoria''; '' The Tale of the Allergist's Wife''; '' Arsenic and Old Lace''; and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

''. In 1998 he played Buddy Plummer in

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's '' Follies'' at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. In 2007, Roberts returned to Broadway in the roller-disco

rock musical A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and con ...

'' Xanadu''.

Television and radio

On television, Roberts was the third actor to play Lee Pollock on '' The Edge of Night''. He has appeared in numerous series such as '' The Carol Burnett Show'', '' Matlock'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

''. In 1977, he starred in the short-lived series '' Rosetti and Ryan'' with

Squire Fridell Squire Fridell (born February 9, 1943) is an American retired actor, author, and winemaker who appeared in over three thousand television commercials; he also appeared as Ronald McDonald in McDonald's commercials from 1985 to 1991. Early life ...

. In 1978, he guest starred on '' The Love Boat''. Roberts and Lauren Tewes's character, cruise ship director Julie McCoy, fall in love but don't pursue a relationship. He starred (with Penny Fuller, who had played his wife on ''The Edge of Night'') on the ABC comedy '' The Thorns''. ( Millee Taggart, who had succeeded Fuller in the role on ''The Edge of Night'' was the co-creator and co-producer of the series.) He was a regular performer on the '' CBS Radio Mystery Theater''. Roberts also provides the narration on many of the audiobooks in

Stuart Woods Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile * Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...

's Stone Barrington novels.

Filmography

*'' The Trials of O'Brien'' (1965) - Charlie *'' The Edge of Night'' (1965–1966) - Lee Pollock *'' A Guide for the Married Man'' (1969, TV Movie) *''Men at Law'' (1970) - Jack Halbert *''

The Million Dollar Duck ''The Million Dollar Duck'' (also titled as ''$1,000,000 Duck'') is a 1971 American comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions based on the goose that lays golden eggs scenario. It was directed by Vincent McEveety, and stars Dean Jones, S ...

'' (1971) - Fred Hines *''

Star Spangled Girl ''Star Spangled Girl'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Paris and based on the 1966 Neil Simon play ''The Star-Spangled Girl''. It stars Sandy Duncan, Tony Roberts, Todd Susman, and Elizabeth Allen. Plot In a Los A ...

'' (1971) - Andy Hobart *'' Play It Again, Sam'' (1972) - Dick *'' Serpico'' (1973) - Bob Blair *'' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' (1974) - Warren LaSalle *'' Le Sauvage'' (1975) - Alex Fox *'' Annie Hall'' (1977) - Rob *'' The Girls in the Office'' (1979, TV Movie) - Mike Holden *''

'' (1980) - Mike Berger *'' Stardust Memories'' (1980) - Tony *'' A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982) - Maxwell *'' Amityville 3-D'' (1983) - John Baxter *'' Key Exchange'' (1985) - David Slattery *''

'' (1986) - Norman - Mickey's Ex-partner (uncredited) *'' Seize the Day'' (1986) - Bernie Pell *'' Radio Days'' (1987) - 'Silver Dollar' Emcee *'' 18 Again!'' (1988) - Arnie Watson *''Fist Fighter'' (1989) *''

'' (1991–2010) - Senator Bryce Peterson, Paul Redfield, Nicholas Bennett, Lucas Pollard *''

Popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

'' (1991) - Mr. Davis *'' Switch'' (1991) - Arnold Freidkin *''

Our Sons ''Our Sons'' is a 1991 American made-for-television drama film starring Julie Andrews and Ann-Margret as two mothers of gay sons, one of whom is dying of AIDS. It was inspired by Micki Dickoff's 1987 documentary, ''Too Little, Too Late'', about t ...

'' (1991) - Harry *''Apologies to Bunuel'' (1996) - Steve *''Dead Broke'' (1998) - Walter *''

'': "Sounds from a Town I Love" (2001) - Man on Bench *''My Best Friend's Wife'' (2001) - Mr. Epstein *'' Twelve and Holding'' (2005) - Doctor *'' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2008) - Ziggy Gold *'' The Longest Week'' (2014) - Barry the Therapist *'' Dirty Dancing'' (2017) - Max Kellerman

References

External links

* * *
Tony Roberts
at Internet Off-Broadway Database
Tony Roberts
- ''Downstage Center'' interview at American Theatre Wing.org * Tony Robert
article in ''The New York Observer''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Tony 1939 births Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Living people People from Manhattan Northwestern University School of Communication alumni The High School of Music & Art alumni American male comedy actors 21st-century American Jews