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Jack Klugman left a lasting legacy in the entertainment industry through his diverse range of roles, his talent, and his dedication to his craft.
His work in film, television, and stage continues to be appreciated and admired by audiences around the world.
Jack Klugman’s Biography
Jack Klugman was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in 12 Angry Men (1957) and Cry Terror! (1958).
He appeared as a guest star on a lot of television shows in the 1960s. Klugman was a guest appearance on The Defenders in 1964, earning him his first Primetime Emmy Award. In addition, from 1960 and 1963, he made a total of four appearances on The Twilight Zone.
The Russian-Jewish immigrants Rose and Max Klugman welcomed Jack into the world in Philadelphia. The youngest of six kids, he was. Klugman participated in World War II as a member of the American Army.
He studied at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now Carnegie Mellon University, after the war. Klugman pursued acting roles in New York City despite his drama teacher’s initial reservations, living in an apartment with his buddy Charles Bronson, who also went on to become an actress.
Klugman participated in a lot of theatre, television, and film productions in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, he appeared on television for the first time in an episode of Actors Studio. A few months later, he made his Broadway debut in Golden Boy.
In 1954, Klugman played Jim Hanson on the soap opera The Greatest Gift, and in 1955, he shared the screen with Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in the Producers’ Showcase episode “The Petrified Forest” that was broadcast live on television.
Klugman was the final surviving cast member for the famous movie 12 Angry Men (1957), in which he played juror number five.
He returned to Broadway in 1959 and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor (Musical) in the original production of Gipsy: A Musical Fable.
Klugman shared the record for the most appearances in a starring role on The Twilight Zone with Burgess Meredith by appearing in four episodes between 1960 and 1963.
He received his first Primetime Emmy Award in 1964 for his appearance as a guest star on The Defenders. Additionally, he appeared in the situation comedy Harris Against the World, which was a part of the experimental 90 Bristol Court sitcom block that NBC broadcast.
But Klugman gained international acclaim for his performance as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple’s original Broadway production. In the 1970–1975 television series The Odd Couple, which starred Tony Randall, he recreated his previous performance.
Klugman’s depiction of Oscar Madison earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards throughout the course of the show’s run.
In 1976, Quincy, M.E. marked Klugman’s comeback to television following The Odd Couple. Dr. Quincy, a forensic pathologist who solved crimes, was the character he played. For his efforts on the show, Klugman received four Primetime Emmy nominations. He also co-wrote four of the episodes. The eight-season run of Quincy ended in 1983.
Klugman later battled throat cancer and had surgery-related vocal cord loss in 1988. Despite this setback, he continued to perform on stage and in television roles as his voice gradually regained some strength.
Jack Klugman’s cause Of Death
Klugman died of prostate cancer on December 24, 2012, at the age of 90, at his Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, home.
