Tony Roberts, a flexible, Tony Award-nominated theatre performer at dwelling in each performs and musicals and who appeared in a number of Woody Allen motion pictures – usually as Allen’s finest good friend – has died. He was 85. Roberts’ loss of life was introduced to the New York Instances by his daughter, Nicole Burley.
Roberts had a genial stage persona excellent for musical comedy and he originated roles in such numerous Broadway musicals as How Now, Dow Jones (1967); Sugar (1972), an adaptation of the film Some Like It Scorching; and Victor/Victoria (1995), during which he co-starred with Julie Andrews when she returned to Broadway within the stage model of her standard movie. He additionally appeared in campy roller-disco Xanadu in 2007 and The Royal Household in 2009.
“I’ve by no means been notably fortunate at card video games. I’ve by no means hit a jackpot. However I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate in life,” he wrote in his memoir, Do You Know Me? “In contrast to a lot of my buddies, who didn’t know what they needed to turn out to be once they grew up, I knew I needed to be an actor earlier than I obtained to highschool.”
Roberts appeared on Broadway in Woody Allen’s 1966 comedy Don’t Drink the Water, repeating his position within the movie model, and in Allen‘s Play It Once more, Sam (1969), for which he additionally appeared within the film. Different Allen movies during which Roberts appeared have been Annie Corridor (1977), Stardust Reminiscences (1980), A Midsummer Night time’s Intercourse Comedy (1982), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Radio Days (1987).
Roberts first met Allen backstage when he was starring in Barefoot within the Park, having changed Robert Redford. Roberts had unsuccessfully auditioned 4 instances for Allen’s first Broadway play, Don’t Drink the Water. Seeing Roberts carry out in Barefoot within the Park satisfied Allen that Roberts was value casting. In line with his memoir, Allen instructed him, “You have been nice. How come you’re such a awful auditioner?”
“Roberts’ assured onscreen presence – to not point out his tall body, broad shoulders and brown curly mane – was the proper foil for Allen’s numerous neurotic characters, making them extra humorous and pleasurable to look at,” the Jewish Every day Ahead wrote in 2016.
In Eric Lax’s ebook Woody Allen: A Biography, Roberts recalled a sophisticated scene in A Midsummer Night time’s Intercourse Comedy that Allen shot time and again – even after the movie had been edited – to get his supposed impact. “If you return to see [Allen‘s work] two, three, 4 instances, you start to see the superb quantity of artwork in it, that nothing is unintended,” Roberts mentioned.
Amongst his different motion pictures have been Serpico (1973) and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). He was nominated twice for a Tony Award — for How Now, Dow Jones and Play It Once more, Sam, when he was billed as Anthony Roberts.
One in all Roberts’ greatest Broadway successes was Charles Busch’s hit comedy The Story of the Allergist’s Spouse (2000), during which he performed the title character’s husband.
Roberts made his Broadway debut in 1962 within the short-lived One thing A couple of Soldier, and was a alternative in a few of its longest-running hits together with Barefoot within the Park, Guarantees, Guarantees, They’re Enjoying Our Track, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, The Sisters Rosensweig and the 1998 Roundabout Theatre Firm revival of Cabaret.
“I used to be fortunate sufficient to get in on the final years of the Golden Age of Broadway. In that period there was much more happening that appeared to have top quality about it and nice conviction,” he instructed Broadway World in 2015.
In London, he starred with Betty Buckley within the West Finish manufacturing of Guarantees, Guarantees, enjoying the Jack Lemmon position on this stage model of The House.
Roberts’ tv credit embody the short-lived sequence The 4 Seasons (1984) and The Lucie Arnaz Present (1985) in addition to visitor spots on such well-known reveals as Homicide, She Wrote and Regulation & Order.
Roberts was born in New York on 22 October 1939, the son of radio and tv announcer Ken Roberts. “I used to be raised in the course of numerous actor discuss,” he instructed the AP in 1985. “My cousin was Everett Sloane, who was a really effective actor. My father’s mates have been largely actors. I’m positive that not directly I wanted to show myself of their eyes.”
He attended the Excessive Faculty of Music and Artwork in New York and graduated from Northwestern College in Illinois. His marriage to Jennifer Lyons led to divorce. He’s survived by his daughter, actor Nicole Burley.
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