New York (USA), Feb 8 (LaPresse) – Actor Tony Roberts has died at the age of 85. His daughter, Nicole Burley, announced the news to The New York Times.
A versatile stage actor and Tony Award nominee, Roberts was equally at ease in plays and musicals. He appeared in several Woody Allen films, often playing Allen’s best friend.
Roberts, known for his brilliant theatrical personality, took on diverse roles in Broadway musicals such as How Now, Dow Jones (1967); Sugar (1972), an adaptation of Some Like It Hot; and Victor/Victoria (1995), in which he starred alongside Julie Andrews. He also performed in the films Xanadu (2007) and The Royal Family (2009).
Roberts appeared on Broadway in Woody Allen’s 1966 play Don't Drink the Water, reprising the same role in its film adaptation, as well as in Play It Again, Sam (1969), for which he also starred in the movie version. Among Allen’s films featuring Roberts are Annie Hall (1977), Stardust Memories (1980), A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Radio Days (1987).
"I was never particularly lucky at card games. I never hit a jackpot. But I have been extremely lucky in life," Roberts wrote in his memoir, Do You Know Me?. "Unlike many of my friends, who didn’t know what they wanted to be when they grew up, I knew I wanted to be an actor before I even went to high school."
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