John Randolph (actor)

Emanuel Hirsch Cohen (June 1, 1915 – February 24, 2004), better known by the stage name John Randolph, was an American film, television and stage actor.

Early life

Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City on June 1, 1915, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Romania. His mother, Dorothy (née Shorr), was an insurance agent, and his father, Louis Cohen, was a hat manufacturer. In the 1930s, he spent his summers at the Pine Brook Country Club in Nichols, Connecticut which was the summer home of the Group Theatre. He made his Broadway debut in 1938 in '' Coriolanus''. Randolph joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. He had a small role in the 1948 film '' The Naked City''.

He and wife Sarah Cunningham were blacklisted from working in Hollywood films and in New York film and television and radio after 1948. In 1955 they were both called before the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify concerning ongoing investigations regarding Communist infiltration in the American entertainment industry. Both he and his wife refused to answer questions and cited the Fifth Amendment protection against testifying against themselves.

John and Sarah Randolph were very active in AFTRA, SAG and in Actor's Equity, were elected members of union boards and became vice presidents at various times during their careers.

From 1988 to 1991 he served as chairman of the National Council of American–Soviet Friendship.

Career

Randolph was one of the last blacklisted actors to regain employment in Hollywood films when director John Frankenheimer cast him in a major role in ''Seconds'' in 1966. Randolph was in the original New York stage productions of ''The Sound of Music'' (as Von Trapp's butler, Franz), '' Paint Your Wagon'', and '' The Visit''.

He won the 1987 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the Neil Simon play ''Broadway Bound''. He made his last Broadway appearance in 1991 in '' Prelude to a Kiss''.

Randolph made numerous screen and television appearances in secondary roles. He played Chief Sidney Green in '' Serpico'' (1973), directed by Sidney Lumet. He also played the father of Charlie Partana (played by Jack Nicholson) in '' Prizzi's Honor'' and Clark W. Griswold, Sr. in ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' (with Chevy Chase). From 1973 to 1976, he made three appearances as Cornelius "Junior" Harrison, Jr., father of Emily Hartley, in '' The Bob Newhart Show'', (shows #37, #59, and #106).

In 1974, he played an Air Force Colonel in the ''Columbo'' episode "Swan Song". He played a mayor in ''Earthquake'' (1974), a disaster film. In 1975, Randolph was cast as General Philip Blankenship in '' The New Original Wonder Woman'' pilot. He was replaced by Richard Eastham in the television series. He had an uncredited role in the 1976 film '' All The President's Men'' as the voice of Richard Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell.

He played Judge J. Waties Waring in "With All Deliberate Speed", a 1976 episode of CBS's mini-series: ''The American Parade'', dealing with events culminating in the 1954 Supreme Court decision (Brown v Board of Education) barring racial segregation in US public schools. In 1977, Randolph appeared in a made-for-TV movie entitled '' The Gathering'', a Christmas-themed show along with Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton. The movie won the Emmy for Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy.

In 1979, he had a guest appearance on ''M*A*S*H'' as an adjutant army general admiring the culinary prowess of a master chef errantly assigned as a foot soldier in a front unit. From 1979 to 1980, he played Donna Pescow's father in-law on the television series '' Angie''.

In 1982, he appeared in a first-season episode of '' Family Ties'' as Jake Keaton, Steven Keaton's father. He was a special guest star in the 1986 ABC made-for-TV movie '' The Right of the People'', playing Police Chief Hollander in a town soon allowing all adults to carry handguns.

In 1988, he appeared in a Season 2 episode of '' Matlock'' as the head of a crime family in "The Investigation". In 1989 he appeared in two episodes of ''Roseanne'' playing Al, Roseanne's dad. In 1990, he co-starred in the NBC comedy ''Grand''. In 1991 he guested in an episode of '' Married ... With Children'' entitled "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick".

He co-starred with Alec Guinness, Leo McKern, Jeanne Moreau and Lauren Bacall, in the BBC production of ''A Foreign Field'' (1993) as a World War II veteran returning to France to find the woman he fell in love with.

He appeared as Frank Costanza, George Costanza's father, in " The Handicap Spot", an early episode of the television sitcom ''Seinfeld''. He was later replaced in that role by Jerry Stiller. In 1995, the scenes in which Randolph appeared were re-shot with Stiller, though Randolph continued to be credited in some airings. The re-shot version is shown in syndication in the United States (but can also be seen on the DVD). The original version, with Randolph, can be seen outside the U.S. and on DVD, Hulu and Crackle.

One of his last film roles was as Joe Fox's grandfather in ''You've Got Mail'' (1998).

On February 24, 2004, Randolph died at his home in Hollywood, California, of natural causes, aged eighty-eight. He acted up until four years before his death.

Selected filmography

* '' The Naked City'' (1948) - Police Dispatcher (uncredited)
* ''Fourteen Hours'' (1951) - Fireman (uncredited)
* ''Hamlet'' (1964) - Gravedigger
* ''The Patty Duke Show'' (1965) - Coach
* ''Seconds'' (1966) - Arthur Hamilton
* '' Sweet Love, Bitter'' (1967)
* '' The Borgia Stick'' (1967) - Smith
* '' Pretty Poison'' (1968) - Morton Azenauer
* '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1969) - Marty Sloane
* '' Smith!'' (1969) - Mr. Edwards
* '' Number One'' (1969) - Coach Southerd
* ''Gaily, Gaily'' (1969) - Father
* '' There Was a Crooked Man...'' (1970) - Cyrus McNutt
* '' Little Murders'' (1971) - Mr. Chamberlain
* '' Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971) - Chairman
* ''A Death of Innocence'' (1971)
* ''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' (1972) - Commission Chairman
* '' Serpico'' (1973) - Sidney Green
* ''Earthquake'' (1974) - Mayor
* ''Everybody Rides the Carousel'' (1975) - Stage 7 (voice)
* '' All The President's Men'' (1976) - John Mitchell (voice, uncredited)
* '' King Kong'' (1976) - Captain Ross
* '' The Gathering'' (1977) - Dr. Hodges
* '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) - Former Owner
* '' Lovely But Deadly'' (1981) - Franklin Van Dyke
* ''The Adventures of Nellie Bly'' (1981) - Joseph Pulitzer
* '' Frances'' (1982) - Kindly Judge
* '' Prizzi's Honor'' (1985) - Angelo 'Pop' Partanna
* ''Means and Ends'' (1985) - Bill Henderson
* '' The Wizard of Loneliness'' (1988) - Doc
* ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' (1989) - Clark Griswold, Sr.
* '' Sibling Rivalry'' (1990) - Charles Turner Sr.
* ''Iron Maze'' (1991) - Mayor Peluso
* '' The Hotel Manor Inn'' (1997) - Gus
* ''Here Dies Another Day'' (1997) - Brace
* ''A Price Above Rubies'' (1998) - Rebbe Moshe
* ''You've Got Mail'' (1998) - Schuyler Fox
* ''The Dogwalker'' (1999) - Ike
* ''Sunset Strip'' (2000) - Mr. Niederhaus
* ''Numb'' (2003) - (final film role)

References

External links

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In Remembrance: John Randolph

John Randolph papers, 1921-1998 (bulk 1940-1975)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

John Randolph
Aveleyman)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, John
1915 births
2004 deaths
American male film actors
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Hollywood blacklist
Jewish American male actors
Male actors from New York City
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
California Democrats
New York (state) Democrats
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews