‘Quincy’ and ‘Odd Couple’ star Jack Klugman dies at age 90
Emmy-winning actor Jack Klugman died Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E. star was 90.
Klugman’s career spanned 60 years, winning his first Emmy for his guest role on “The Defenders.”
He was best known for playing Oscar Madison on “The Odd Couple” and the titular medical examiner on “Quincy, M.E.”
He also starred as Juror no. 5 in the classic 1957 film “Twelve Angry Men.”
Carl Reiner, his longtime friend, told The Hollywood Reporter, “He was one of those people who was a welcome face on the screen every time he came on. He had that sad look on his face. He looked like a man who always needed someone to pat him and say ‘It’s all right, Jack.’ When he worked with Tony Randall it was just one of the best marriages ever.”
Jack Klugman: a fine actor who didn’t let throat surgery stop him from doing what he loved most–acting. Rest in peace – Leonard Maltin tweeted.
Few people remember it today, but he also played an instrumental role in passing critical health-care legislation, the Orphan Drug Act, through Congress in the early 1980s, using “Quincy” and his own celebrity to challenge Sen. Orrin Hatch (R), who was blocking the bill.