Herbert Edelman

Herbert “Herb” Edelman (November 5, 1933 – July 21, 1996) was an American comedian, and actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. His best-known role was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of Dorothy Zbornak (played by Bea Arthur) on ''The Golden Girls''. He also had a recurring role on the 1980s medical drama ''St. Elsewhere''.

Early life and career

Herbert Edelman was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on November 5, 1933. His parents, Jennie ( Greenberg) and Mayer "Mike" Edelman, were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Ukraine, respectively. Before becoming an actor, Edelman studied to become a veterinarian at Cornell University but left during his first year. After serving in the U.S. Army as an announcer for Armed Forces Radio, he enrolled in Brooklyn College as a theater student, but eventually dropped out. He later worked as a hotel manager and as a taxicab driver. One of his fares was director Mike Nichols, who in 1963 cast Edelman in his breakthrough Broadway role, as the bewildered telephone repairman in Neil Simon's ''Barefoot in the Park''. Edelman reprised his role in the 1967 film version (starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda).

He appeared as Murray the Cop in the movie version of Simon's ''The Odd Couple'' (1968) and later appeared in Simon's ''California Suite'' (1978). He also had a role in ''The Way We Were'' (1973) and in an installment of the Japanese movie series ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' in 1979.

He remains best known for his three decades in television, usually as a co-star, recurring character, or guest star on ''CHIPS'', ''The Golden Girls'', ''That Girl'', ''Love, American Style'', ''The Streets of San Francisco'', '' Maude'', ''Cannon'', ''Happy Days'', ''Welcome Back, Kotter'', ''Highway to Heaven'', ''Kojak'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Cagney & Lacey'', and ''MacGyver'', but occasionally in a lead role. In 1976, he starred in the Saturday morning children's series ''Big John, Little John'', as well as '' The Good Guys'' with Bob Denver (in what was Denver's first series after ''Gilligan's Island''), from 1968 to 1970.

He also appeared with Bill Bixby and Valerie Perrine in Bruce Jay Friedman's ''Steambath'', a controversial PBS dramedy, during 1973. From 1984 to 1988, he had a recurring role on ''St. Elsewhere''. Edelman also appeared in ten episodes of ''Murder, She Wrote'' between 1984 and 1995, most frequently appearing as New York Police Department Lieutenant Artie Gelber. His last role was in an episode of '' Burke's Law''.

Personal life and death

Edelman was married to soap opera actress Louise Sorel from 1964 to 1970; he had two children, Briana Edelman and Jacy Edelman. He was romantically linked with his ''St. Elsewhere'' co-star Christina Pickles from the mid-1980s until his death.

Herbert Edelman died of emphysema on July 21, 1996, in Los Angeles at the age of 62. He was interred at Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens.

Filmography

Film

Television

Award nominations

References

External links

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Classic Television Archive: Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (1977)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelman, Herb
1933 births
1996 deaths
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American Jews
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Brooklyn College alumni
Cornell University alumni
Deaths from emphysema
Jewish American military personnel
Military personnel from New York City
Male actors from Brooklyn
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
Jews from New York (state)
Jewish American male actors
Burials at Montefiore Cemetery