Tony Roberts, ‘Annie Hall’ Actor and Broadway Star, Dies at 85

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85-year-old Tony Roberts, known for his roles in Woody Allen movies like “Annie Hall” and a prolific stage actor on Broadway, passed away on Friday as a result of lung cancer complications.

Roberts’ death was confirmed to The New York Times by his daughter, Nicole Burley.

Roberts featured in six films that Woody Allen directed, including “Play It Again, Sam” from 1972, “Annie Hall” from 1977, “Stardust Memories” from 1980, “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” from 1982, “Hannah and Her Sisters” from 1986, and “Radio Days” from 1987.

The actor enjoyed a lengthy Broadway career with two Tony Award nominations. In 1968, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in “How Now, Dow Jones”. The following year, in 1969, he received another nomination, this time for Featured Actor in a Play, for Woody Allen’s production “Play It Again, Sam”. He reprised his role as Dick Christie in the film adaptation of “Play It Again, Sam”, directed by Herbert Ross, in 1972.

Most recently, Roberts starred in the 2017 television version of “Dirty Dancing.” Previously, he made an appearance on TV in a 2010 episode of “Law & Order,” where he portrayed a U.S. senator. Notably, in 1998, Roberts and Jill Clayburgh collaborated in an episode as rival divorce attorneys whose hostility escalated to the point where Clayburgh’s character committed murder.

The actor last graced the Broadway stage in a 2009 revival of “The Royal Family,” a play from the 1920s by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. In this production, he played Roberts, a character representing the business manager for a renowned Broadway acting family that was the focus of the story. The New York Times commended his performance, stating: “Mr. Roberts, an experienced actor both on stage and screen, delivered a charming, understated portrayal.

Around a year ago, I made my debut in the play “Xanadu,” penned by Douglas Carter Beane with a cleverly self-referential twist on the 1980 film of the same name, which played for 512 performances from July 2007 to September 2008. In this production, I took on the role of Danny McGuire as originally portrayed by Gene Kelly, but also stepped into the shoes of Zeus, the Greek god, who lamented: “The muses are in retreat. Creativity shall remain stymied for decades. The theater? They’ll just take some mediocre movie or some songwriter’s catalog, slap it onstage and call it a show.” Critic Charles Isherwood of The Times praised my performance, commenting: “Mr. Roberts has a refined deadpan delivery.

Notable productions from his career on Broadway were “Don’t Drink the Water,” a play by Woody Allen, the musical comedy “Sugar,” which was based on Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot,” “Absurd Person Singular” by Alan Ayckbourn, “Victor/Victoria,” and “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.

According to the New York Times, “Julie Andrews isn’t the only star in ‘Victor/Victoria’. She’s joined by a top-notch cast. Tony Roberts, known for his longtime collaboration with Woody Allen, portrays Cornell Todd, or Toddy, an older gay man who comes up with the idea to transform the timid Victoria into Victor, a popular cabaret performer from Poland. It’s tough to match Robert Preston’s iconic performance in the original role, but Roberts gives a solid performance and shows determination.

Regardless of whether he started initially or joined later as a substitute, Roberts often graced the stage of Broadway with his presence in critically acclaimed and prominent shows.

During his six-movie collaboration with Woody Allen, he often portrayed the role of Allen’s best friend, such as in “Play It Again, Sam” where Humphrey Bogart provided guidance to the Bogart-infatuated Allen character. He also appeared in “Annie Hall” and “Stardust Memories”. In Allen’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982)”, he acted as a quirky inventor, while Roberts played a doctor who was unconventional in his approach to patient-doctor relationships. In “Hannah and Her Sisters”, Roberts appeared without credit as Norman, the former partner of Allen’s character Mickey. Lastly, in the nostalgic film “Radio Days”, which included live performances of old radio shows, Roberts took on the role of the host for a game show named “Silver Dollar”.

David Anthony Roberts hails from New York City, born to radio and television presenter Ken Roberts and a founding member of AFTRA. He completed his education at the High School of Music and Arts, later known as LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where he honed his skills in theater and acting under the tutelage of Alvina Krause. Subsequently, he pursued further studies at Northwestern University.

In the early 60s, Roberts first appeared on Broadway, stepping into the role of a replacement actor for the original smash-hit comedy “Take Her, She’s Mine,” written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, with Art Carney as the lead star.

Following “Something About a Soldier” (originally starring Anthony Roberts) and Saul Bellow’s “The Last Analysis,” the actor took over the role of Paul from Robert Reed, who had replaced Robert Redford, in Neil Simon’s successful comedy “Barefoot in the Park” in 1965. This play ran from 1963-67. In the 2006 revival of the show, the actor reprised his role as a neighbor.

Despite not seeming to captivate Woody Allen during as many as four tryouts, he ultimately landed his debut leading role in “Don’t Drink the Water.” This stroke of luck led to a successful run, with the play performing for 598 shows from 1966-68.

During this time, Roberts made his mark in the hit production “How Now, Dow Jones,” which earned him his initial Tony nomination. Later, he shared the stage with Allen in the comedy “Play It Again, Sam,” securing his second Tony nod. It was during these performances that the enduring friendship between Roberts and Allen started to form.

Following the conclusion of that series in 1970, Roberts found himself stepping into a more prominent role in the successful musical “Promises, Promises.” This production was an adaptation of Billy Wilder’s timeless film “The Apartment.” He performed alongside Robert Morse and Elaine Joyce in the original musical comedy “Sugar,” which was based on Wilder’s classic “Some Like It Hot”; it ran for 505 performances between 1972 and 1973. Roberts also starred in another successful production, Alan Ayckbourn’s play “Absurd Person Singular,” from 1974 to 1976. He filled in for a role in Neil Simon’s hit musical “They’re Playing Our Song.” In the later years of 1985 and 1986, he shared the stage with John Cullum, Ron Leibman, and Austin Pendleton in David Wiltse’s original play “Doubles.

In the 1986-87 production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Roberts took on the role originally played by Cary Grant in the 1944 film version, that of Mortimer – a New York drama critic who had homicidal aunts.

Or, more informally:
In the 1986-87 remake of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Roberts stepped into Cary Grant’s shoes as Mortimer, the New York theater critic with the murderous aunts.

For a brief period, Roberts temporarily stepped away from the spotlight on Broadway. In 1987, he played the charming character Luther Billis in the New York City Opera’s production of “South Pacific.” The production combined the talents of both operatic performers and established Broadway actors in New York City. (New York Times described him as “delightful.”)

In 1992-93, Roberts stepped into the role of a substitute performer in the highly successful musical revue “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.” During this period, he also appeared in a revival of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” starring alongside Laura Linney and Ethan Hawke. Additionally, he served as a replacement for the lead actor, Robert Klein, in Wendy Wasserstein’s play “The Sisters Rosensweig.”

Roberts played the lead role in the stage adaptation of “Victor/Victoria”, where Julie Andrews reprised her film character. In this production, Roberts portrayed Carroll Todd, who guided Victoria and orchestrated her cross-dressing metamorphosis. The successful show ran for 734 performances from 1995 to 1997.

He initially appeared alongside Linda Lavin and Michelle Lee in the original play “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” written by Charles Busch. This comedy was staged for a total of 777 performances between the years 2000 and 2002.

In September 2003, he stepped into the role of Herr Schultz during the hit revival of “Cabaret.

Initially, Roberts began his acting career in the Disney comedy “The Million Dollar Duck” (1971). Subsequently, he acted alongside Sandy Duncan in the comedy “Star-Spangled Girl,” a production based on an unpopular Neil Simon play from 1971. He also had a supporting role in “Serpico” and appeared in the classic thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” (1974), where he played the deputy mayor. In Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s comedy “Le Sauvage” (1975), starring Catherine Deneuve and Yves Montand, Roberts also had a supporting role. He was part of Sidney Lumet’s romantic comedy “Just Tell Me What You Want” (1980) alongside Ali MacGraw and Alan King. Lastly, in Blake Edwards’ 1991 film “Switch,” he acted with Ellen Barkin and Jimmy Smits.

Roberts made an attempt at series television with the 1977 legal drama “Rosetti and Ryan,” where he co-starred with Squire Friddell. Unfortunately, the NBC show only aired for seven episodes. He then attempted another series with “The Four Seasons” (1984), an adaptation of Alan Alda’s film, but this CBS show also had a short lifespan. Additionally, he was a regular in the short-lived CBS show “The Lucie Arnaz Show” (1985) and ABC sitcom “The Thorns” (1988).

Roberts held positions as a member of the boards for both the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association. Additionally, he served as president of Theatre Authority, an organization founded by the unions in the entertainment industry, which is tasked with supervising charity shows.

2016 saw the publication of Robert’s memoir titled “Do You Know Me?” This title was symbolic, as it reflected an ongoing situation where, despite his appearances in Woody Allen’s Broadway and television films, people he didn’t know would approach him unsure about why they recognized him.

From 1969 up until their divorce in 1975, Roberts was wedded to Jennifer Lyons. His surviving relative is his daughter, Nicole.

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2025-02-08 03:48