Actor. He is best remembered for his recurring portrayal of the contented Judge Dennis "Happy" Boyle on the television series "Ally McBeal." The only son of a mailman and a housewife, after working as a peanut vendor for various baseball stadiums, he started his career as a stand-up comedian traveling on the Borscht Belt and became a frequent player in the Catskills having been featured as an opening act for such prestigious performers as Harry Belafonte, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, and Barbra Streisand. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he began a career on the Broadway stage appearing in such productions as "Of V We Sing," "Let Freedom Sing," "Make a Wish," "Can-Can," "The Matchmaker," "Romanoff and Juliet," "Christine," "The Girls Against the Boys," "Nobody Loves an Albatross," "Dinner at Eight," "Inquest," "Little Murders," "Two Gentleman of Verona," and "Hurry, Harry". After meeting director Curt Conway during a dinner party at the famed Sardi's Restaurant, he was so impressed by his wit, charm, humor, and professionalism, that he arranged for him to begin a newfound career in the television industry beginning with him being under his supervision per a walk-on role on the sitcom "Starlight Theatre". From there he went on to enjoy a fruitful 47-year career as a prolific character actor appearing in over 100 features; often typecast as doctors, best friends, educators, politicians, bartenders, city slickers, weaselly little snitches, con artists, eccentrics, retail clerks, shopkeepers, uncles, grandfathers, patriarchs, battle-axe neighbors, and, in his later years, snarky old men. He became a household name appearing in numerous guest spots on such televised programs as "Front Row Center," "Danger," "Car 54, Where Are You?," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Hero," "The Monkees," "The Trials of O'Brien," "Mannix," "The Jackie Gleason Show," "McMillan & Wife," "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," "The Odd Couple," "Happy Days," "Kojak," "Maude," "The Tony Randall Show," "Starsky and Hutch," "Police Woman," "Quincy, M.E.," "All in the Family," "Three's Company," "Alice," "Sanford," "Barney Miller," "American Playhouse," "Gimme a Break!," "You Again?," "Cagney & Lacey," "Coach," "Night Court," "Civil Wars," "Mad About You," "The Powers That Be," "Sibs," "Empty Nest," "Matlock," "ER," "The Larry Sanders Show," "Friends," "Dave's World," "Roseanne," "Caroline in the City," "Wings," "Suddenly Susan," "Boy Meets World," "Murphy Brown," "Ellen," "The Golden Girls," "Everybody Loves Raymond," and "You Wish." He appeared in such full-length films as "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "Don't Drink the Water" (1969), "Silent Movie" (1976), "Mastermind" (1976), "Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie" (1984), "Beaches" (1988), "Cat Chaser" (1989), "Ghost" (1990), "He Said, She Said" (1991), "Soapdish" (1991), "All I Want for Christmas" (1991), "Two Much" (1995), and "Lost & Found" (1999). During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, was an honorary member of Actors Equity, was a regular parishioner of the Temple Israel of Hollywood, supported the California State Democratic Committee, and he was active as a chairman for his local divisions of the American Red Cross and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A lifelong smoker, he died from complications of pneumonia and his final film appearance was released posthumously.