John Randolph
(1915 - 2004)John Randolph is a perfect example of the underrated, unappreciated character actor. Like many of his fellow character actors he is a solid, reliable and extremely talented actor who never gets his due. He was tall, of husky build, with a receding hairline, piercing but engaging eyes and was adept at portraying white collar-types, beloved fathers, the loyal husband, etc. He was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen on June 1, 1915 in New York City, New York the son of Russian and Romanian immigrants. His father died when he was young and his mother remarried a Joseph Lippman who renamed him Mortimer. Little is known of his early years but he trained for acting at the Actors Studio in New York, with Stella Adler and worked in radio, television and on stage. He changed his name to John Randolph in 1940. He married the actress Sarah Cunningham in 1945. He
was blacklisted from 1951-1963 for testifying as a hostile witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the Joe McCarthy reign of terror. He worked on television primarily, from the late 1940s to 1951 and then again from 1963 into the 1990s. He is probably best known as Emily Hartley's father on "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-78). His film credits include: "Naked City" (1948) as Policeman, his film debut after which he was blacklisted for 15 years; "Fourteen Hours" (1951) uncredited, as Fireman; "Seconds" (1966) with Rock Hudson, one of my favorites for which both received much acclaim; "Sweet Love, Bitter" (1967); "Pretty Poison" (1968) as Morton Azenauer; "Smith!" (1969) as Mr. Edwards; "Number One" (1969) with Charlton Heston, as Coach Southerd; "Gaily, Gaily" (1969) as Father; "There Was a Crooked Man" (1970) as Cyrus McNutt; "Little Murders" (1971) as Mr. Chamberlain; "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (1971) as Chairman of The President's Committee of Inquiry; "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972) as Commission Chairman; "Serpico" (1973) as Chief Sidney Green; "Earthquake" (1974) as Mayor Lewis; "King Kong" (1976) with Jessica Lange, as Captain Ross; "Independence" (1976) as Samuel Adams; "Heaven Can Wait" (1978) as Former Owner of Team; "Lovely But Deadly" (1981) as Franklin Van Dyke; "Frances" (1982) also with Jessica Lange, as Kindly Judge; "Rose for Emily" (1982) as Mr. Grierson; "Prizzi's Honor" (1985) as Angelo 'Pops' Partanna; "The Wizard of Loneliness" (1988) as Doc; "Homesick" (1988) as Grampa; "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989) as Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Sr.; "Sibling Rivalry" (1990) as Charles Turner, Sr.; "Iron Maze" (1991) as Mayor Peluso; "A Foreign Field" (1993) as Waldo; "The Hotel Manor Inn" (1997) as Gus; "Here Dies Another Day" (1997) as Brace; "Going Home" (1997) as Arthur; "A Price Above Rubies" (1998) as Rebbe; "You've Got Mail" (1998) with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, as Schuyler Fox; "The Dogwalker" (1999) as Ike; "The Real Guernika" (1999) as John; "Sunset Strip" (2000) as Mr. Niederhaus and "Numb" (2003)his last film. He appeared in numerous TV movies including: "The Gathering" (1977); "Killing at Hell's Gate" (1981) and "The American Clock" (1993). He was a regular on many TV series including: "Lucas Tanner" (1975) as John Hamilton; "Lucan" (1977-78) as Dr. Hoagland; "Richie Brockelman, Private Eye" (1978) as Mr. Brockelman; "Angie" (1979-80) as Randall Benson; "Annie McGuire" (1988) as Red McGuire and "Grand" (1990) as Harris Weldon. He also appeared in the mini-series: "Blind Ambition" (1979) as John Mitchell; "Backstairs at the White House" (1979) as Mr. Johnson. He has also guest starred on such series as: "East Side, West Side"; "Mission: Impossible"; "Hawaii 5-O"; "Bonanza"; "Kojak"; "E.R."; "Roseann" and "Touched by an Angel." He and Sarah Cunningham had a son Harrison 'Hal' and a daughter Martha. He served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild and was also active in AFTRA and Actors Equity. He was an activist and active in Amnesty International, Medical Aid to El Salvador, Artists Against Apartheid and he headed the Council of American - Soviet Friendship. He died of natural causes on February 24, 2004 in Hollywood, California at age 88.
From Great Character Actors, Page 5.
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