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Vale: Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman, best known for The Odd Couple & Quincy M.E., has died, aged 90.

2012-12-25_2309Actor Jack Klugman, best known for The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E., has died, aged 90.

Klugman passed away at home after being in declining health for the last year.

It was as sloppy roommate Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, that Klugman attracted worldwide acclaim. He played the role from 1970-1975 winning two Emmy Awards. But he went on to revive the role in further stage performances.

Although co-star Tony Randall claimed he was “very little like” Felix Unger, Klugman said in a 1996 interview with The Times, that he was “pretty close” to Oscar.When members of the wardrobe department initially sought to outfit the unkempt Oscar, they looked no further than Klugman himself.

“They paid me $360 for everything in my closet, and I still made a profit on the deal,” he said in 2005.

Klugman and Randall helped elevate the series to sitcom legend, with numerous clones always putting a twist on a domestic “odd couple.”

He later played the title role in Quincy, M.E. from 1976 to 1983 earning four Emmy nominations, tackling issues such as incest, child abuse, drunk driving and elderly abuse.

“I’m a muckraker,” he said in 1993. “I saw the possibilities in Quincy: We could entertain with what was essentially a good murder mystery but also do important shows on important subjects. This was why I got into the business.”

He appeared in films such as Days of Wine and Roses and Goodbye, Columbus, and also appeared in Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, Naked City, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, I Dream of Jeannie, The FBI, Love American Style, The Love Boat, Diagnosis Murder, Third Watch, Crossing Jordan and starred in two short-lived sitcoms: Harris Against the World and You Again?

Source: LA Times

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