Richard Stahl
{{Short description|American actor (1932–2006)}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Richard Stahl
|image = Veteran character actor Richard Stahl.jpg
|birth_date = January 4, 1932
|birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|6|18|1932|1|4}}
|death_place = Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
|spouse = {{marriage|Kathryn Ish|1959}}
|yearsactive = 1966–1999
|children = 2
}}
Richard Stahl (January 4, 1932 – June 18, 2006) was an American actor who mostly appeared in comic roles on television and in films.
Early life
A native of Detroit, Stahl moved to California when he was 15. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. After, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In 1959, he was appearing in off-Broadway productions when he met his wife to be, Kathryn Ish. In the 1960s, they relocated to San Francisco and became members of an improvisational comedy group, The Committee.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=June 22, 2006 |title=Richard Stahl, 74; Actor Known for Sitcom Roles |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-22-me-stahl22-story.html |agency=Associated Press |work=Los Angeles Times |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307201637/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-22-me-stahl22-story.html |archive-date=March 7, 2025 |access-date=}}
Career
Stahl's film credits include Five Easy Pieces, High Anxiety, 9 to 5, and Ghosts of Mississippi.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Richard Stahl Filmography |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/182764%7C130411/wp#filmography |website=Turner Classic Movies |location= |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110022809/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/182764%7C130411/wp/#filmography |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |access-date=}}
He appeared in many TV situation comedies and in occasional dramas, including Columbo, The Odd Couple,{{cite web |author= |date=December 5, 2019 |title=9 odd but true facts about The Odd Couple |url=https://www.metv.com/lists/9-odd-but-true-facts-about-the-odd-couple |website=metv.com |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112100054/https://www.metv.com/lists/9-odd-but-true-facts-about-the-odd-couple |archive-date=November 12, 2024 |access-date=}} Harry O, Barney Miller, Laverne & Shirley, Newhart, and Empty Nest ''.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Richard Stahl - List of Movies and TV Shows |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/richard-stahl/credits/3030470786/ |website=tvguide.com |location= |publisher=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307214621/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/richard-stahl/credits/3030470786/ |archive-date=March 7, 2025 |access-date=}}
Stahl co-starred in the short-lived comedy mini-series Turnabout (1979);{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Turnabout - Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/turnabout/cast/1000180974/ |website=tvguide.com |location= |publisher=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307212749/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/turnabout/cast/1000180974/ |archive-date=March 7, 2025 |access-date=}} and between 1985 and 1989 was a regular on the sitcom It's a Living.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=It's a Living - Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/its-a-living/cast/1030230210/ |website=tvguide.com |location= |publisher=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626091344/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/its-a-living/cast/1030230210/ |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |access-date=}}
Personal life and death
Stahl died aged 74, on June 18, 2006, at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Health Center in Los Angeles, after a 10-year struggle against Parkinson's disease.
Stahl's wife, actress Kathryn Ish, died of cancer in Santa Barbara, California, on December 31, 2007.{{cite news |author= |date=January 9, 2008 |title=Kathryn Ish |url=https://www.independent.com/obits/2008/01/09/kathryn-ish/ |work= |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213084045/https://www.independent.com/obits/2008/01/09/kathryn-ish/ |archive-date=December 13, 2024 |access-date=March 8, 2025}}
Filmography
| class=wikitable | ||||
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes !Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Too Tough to Care | Lumkin, a chemist | Educational anti-smoking short film | |
| 1967 | Funnyman | Zach, Comic Salesman | ||
| 1970 | The Student Nurses | Dr. Warshaw | ||
| 1970 | Five Easy Pieces | Recording Engineer | ||
| 1971 | Billy Jack | Council Chairman | ||
| 1971 | Summertree | Man in Conservatory | ||
| 1972 | Slaughterhouse-Five | Army Doctor | Uncredited | |
| 1972 | ¡Qué hacer! | Martin Scott Bradford | ||
| 1972 | Beware! The Blob | Edward Fazio | ||
| 1972 | Every Little Crook and Nanny | Airport Security Guard | Uncredited | |
| 1972 | Fuzz | Vagrant | ||
| 1972 | Dirty Little Billy | Earl Lovitt | ||
| 1973 | Terminal Island | TV Anchorman | ||
| 1973 | The Daring Dobermans | Winston | ||
| 1975 | Hearts of the West | Barber | ||
| 1977 | High Anxiety | Dr. Baxter | ||
| 1980 | 9 to 5 | Meade | ||
| 1981 | All Night Long | Pharmacist | ||
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | Lester Hudson | ||
| 1983 | Private School | Mr. Flugel | ||
| 1983 | Tin Man | Tyson | ||
| 1984 | The Flamingo Kid | Charlie Cooper | ||
| 1987 | Overboard | Elk Cove: Hospital Psychiatrist | ||
| 1991 | L.A. Story | Bank Executive | ||
| 1995 | The American President | Rumson Staffer | ||
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Judge Hendrick | ||
| 1999 | The Other Sister | Train Ticket Seller | Final film role |
=Television=
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stahl, Richard}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Deaths from Parkinson's disease in California
Category:Male actors from Detroit