Primetime Emmy-Nominated Character Actor Steve Landesberg Dies
The wry comic performer co-starred on the police comedy Barney Miller.
Steve Landesberg a comedian and actor best known for his co-starring role on the popular sitcom Barney Miller, died December 20, 2010. He was 74.
According to news reports, the cause of death was colon cancer.
Barney Miller, which aired from 1975 to 1982, starred Hal Linden as the head of a New York City police station. Landesberg played Detective Sgt. Arthur Dietrich, a somewhat intellectual figure in the squad room.
For his performance, Landesberg earned consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations in 1980, ’81 and ’82.
Landesberg was born November 23, 1936, in New York City, where his father ran a grocery store and his mother was a milliner.
In addition to his acting work he was a member of the improvisational comedy group known as the New York Stickball Team, which performed several shows that were aired on cable television shortly after Barney Miller went off the air.
His numerous other television appearances spanned more than 30 years and included a regular role on the comedy series Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, as well as episodes of shows ranging from The Rockford Files and The Golden Girls, to Seinfeld and That ’70s Show. More recently he had a recurring role on the Starz comedy Head Case, and was seen in an episode of the A&E drama The Cleaner, and heard on an episode of the Fox animated comedy American Dad.
Landesberg also appeared in the 2008 feature film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.