Celebrity News December 06, 2019
Ron Leibman, Tony Winner and Rachel's Dad on 'Friends,' Dead at 82
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Actor Ron Leibman, who won the Tony for playing Roy Cohn in "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches" (1992) on Broadway, has died. He was 82.
The New York Times reports Leibman died Friday of pneumonia.
Born in NYC on October 11, 1937, Leibman was a member of the Actors Studio. He debuted on TV in 1963, but spent the decade racking up Broadway credits.
Leibman appeared in such films as "Where's Poppa? (1970)," "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1972), "The Hot Rock" (1972), "The Super Cops" (1974), "Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976), "Norma Rae" (1979), "Zorro: The Gay Blade" (1981), "Phar Lap" (1983), "Rhinestone" (1984), "Night Falls on Manhattan" (1996), "Auto Focus" (2002), and "Garden State" (2004).
On TV, his lead performance on the short-lived "Kaz" (1978-1979) won him an Emmy, and he enjoyed widespread recognition as Rachel Green's intimidating doctor dad on "Friends" (1996-2004).
It was Leibman's portrayal of Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America: The Millennium Approaches" that became his greatest success, one that came nearly 30 years after his Broadway debut.
Before retiring, Leibman was a voice actor on "Archer" (2013-2016).
Leibman was married to "Alice" actress Linda Lavin from 1969-1981, and to "Arrested Development" actress Jessica Walter — his occasional co-star, including on "Archer" — from 1983 until his death. He is survived by Walter and by a stepdaughter.
