David Sheiner, the familiar character actor who played a poker player alongside Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in the 1968 big-screen adaptation. The odd coupleHe died. It was 98.
Shiner died on June 5 of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son, Andrew Shiner, said. Hollywood Reporter.
Shiner also appeared as the Apostle James the Elder in George Stevens’ film. The greatest story ever told (1965) and had a major role as Guido Lorenz, a cop and partner of Detective Charles Bronson. Lou Torre, in the new thriller Stone killer (1973) Directed by Michael Winner.
Shiner acted opposite Matthau and Jayne Mansfield in the Broadway comedy from 1955 to 1956. Does success ruin Rock Hunter? Before he was hired to play the crooked accountant Roy The odd coupledirected by Gene Sachs.
The other regulars at the card game taking place in the Upper West Side apartment shared by Matthau’s Oscar Madison and Lemmon’s Felix Ungar: the beaked Vinnie (John Fiedler), the cop Murray (Herbert Edelman) and the sarcastic Speed (Larry Haines). It was not decided until the last minute whether Shiner or Haines would play Roy or Speed.
Matthau, of course, portrayed Oscar alongside Art Carney as Felix in Neil Simon’s 1965-1967 Broadway version directed by Mike Nichols.
Saul David Shiner was born on January 13, 1928, in the Bronx, where he graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces, he took acting lessons for eight years on a scholarship from Actors Studio co-founder Lee Strasberg, and his classmates included Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
When Scheiner once asked Strasberg if he had any talent, the teacher replied: “Only you know that.”
Shiner toured with Clifford Odets’ national company Country girlwhich Strasberg produced, came to Broadway in 1951 as a prison drama. Darkness at noonStarring Claude Rains and Kim Hunter; He toured with this production and it did well.
He started his work as a hotel employee Does success ruin Rock Hunter? Before taking on the role of George Macauley, created by Orson Bean.
According to his son, when gangsters in the 1950s threatened to break Matthau’s legs because he had money, Shiner loaned him hundreds of dollars to get him out of trouble. Shiner eventually got his money back (Matthau’s wife told him years later that not everyone did).
On television, Shiner played a doctor on a submarine in the unforgettable 1963 hit The twilight zone episode “The Thirty-Fathom Grave” and was head costume designer Diana Rigg on the 1973 NBC sitcom Diana (Barbara Barry portrayed his wife.)
He has appeared in dozens of other shows, from Studio one, Perry Mason, Detectives, Fight!, Mr. Novak, The man from uncle, The fugitive, Grand Valley, Hawaii Five-O and Mission: impossible to Manix, Colombo, Planet of the Apes, Medical Center, The six million dollar man, Vega$, Quincy, I, Autumn man For his last on-screen credit in 1988, Murder, she wrote.
Meanwhile, his biography was included in the film A man named Gannon (1968), Winning (1969), They call me Mr. Tibbs! (1970), Battle of Battle Creek (1980) and Blue Thunder (1983).
Shiner served for years on SAG’s Wage and Working Conditions Committee and on the Academy Film Committee that helps select international films for Oscar nominations, and his best friend was Lost in space Star Jonathan Harris.
In addition to his son, survivors include his wife, Mary David Shiner, a television writer, and her mother, Mary C. McCall Jr., the first woman president of the WGA, then known as the Screen Writers Guild; His daughter Kate. and his granddaughter Liv.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
