‘Friends’ Actor & Tony Winner Ron Leibman Passes Away

Veteran actor Ron Leibman has passed away at the age of 82 on Friday due to the complications of pneumonia. Leibman, a native of the New York City had taken part in movies, theatre and television throughout his career which consisted of six decades. He also won a Tony award for the Tony Kushner’s iconic play ‘Ängels in America.’

He has left behind his wife, actress Jessica Walter and his stepdaughter, Brooke Bowman, a TV programming executive. He tied the knot with Walter in 1983 and was earlier married from 1969 to 1981 to actress Linda Lavin. The couple played the husband and wife in the adult TV animated series Archer in 2009 as well.

In his career, he played several roles which included dramatic and comic-like ‘Norma Rae,’ opposite Sally Field, and ‘Slaughterhouse-Five etc.’ He received an Emmy Award in 1979 for playing a reformed convict who became a criminal attorney on the CBS series ‘Kaz.’ However, he was probably the best known for his role on ‘Friends,’ where he portrayed Dr. Leonard Green, the father of Rachel.

One of his best performances was Tony in 1993 for playing the fearsome role of Roy Cohn who was the conservative lawyer and chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy who eventually died in AIDS in 1986.

He came into the entertainment business in 1956 with the soap opera ‘The Edge of Night’ and made his debut in the 1970 comedy movie ‘Where’s Poppa?,’ playing the brother of George Segal’s character.

He made his drama debut in 1963 in ‘Dear Me, The Sky Is Falling’ and he was also honoured with Drama Desk Awards in 1969 and 1970 for his stunning performances in ‘We Bombed in New Haven’ and ‘Transfers.’

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Meanwhile, his death was confirmed by his agent at Abrams Artists Agency.
“We at Abrams Artists Agency are saddened to hear the news of Ron’s passing. Ron was an incredibly talented actor with a distinguished career in film, TV and theatre. Our thoughts go out to his wife, Jessica, and his family,” they said in a statement to TheWrap.

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