# Jack Klugman
**Jack Klugman** (born Jacob Joachim Klugman; April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American stage, film, and television actor best known for playing slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison on the ABC sitcom *[The Odd Couple](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-odd-couple-1970-tv-series)* (1970–1975) and the title role of the crime-solving medical examiner in *Quincy, M.E.* (1976–1983). He won three [Primetime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-awards) and was nominated for a Tony Award for the original Broadway production of *Gypsy*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | April 27, 1922, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; December 24, 2012, Woodland Hills, California, aged 90[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) |
| Signature roles | Oscar Madison in *The Odd Couple* (114 episodes, 1970–1975); Dr. R. Quincy in *Quincy, M.E.* (148 episodes, 1976–1983)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/) |
| Emmy Awards | Three Primetime Emmys: first for an episode of *The Defenders*, two more for *The Odd Couple* (1971 and 1973)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) • [4](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-International-Television-Almanac/1995/International-Television-Almanac-1995-Whos-Who.pdf) |
| Broadway | Herbie in *Gypsy* opposite Ethel Merman (1959, Tony nomination); replaced Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison in *The Odd Couple* (1965)[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) |
| Film highlights | Juror 5 in *12 Angry Men* (1957); Jim Hungerford in *Days of Wine and Roses* (1962); supporting role in *Goodbye, Columbus* (1969)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jack-klugman/) |
| Voice | Lost his voice to throat cancer in the late 1980s and trained himself to speak again[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) |
| Marriages | Brett Somers (married 1953, sons Adam and David, estranged at her 2007 death); Peggy Crosby (married February 2008)[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman) |
## Early life and television beginnings
Klugman was born in Philadelphia on April 27, 1922, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants; his father was a house painter and his mother a hatmaker.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) He served in the Army during World War II and graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1948, where he began performing.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) His television career got underway in 1954 with roles on the NBC legal drama *Justice* and the soap opera *The Greatest Gift*.[7](https://www.tvline.com/news/jack-klugman-dead-at-90-392064/)
Through the 1950s and early 1960s he was a fixture of live television drama, appearing in hundreds of productions on the anthology series of the medium's so-called golden age, including *Studio One*, *Philco Playhouse*, *Kraft Television Theatre*, and *U.S. Steel Hour*.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) An early highlight was appearing with [Humphrey Bogart](https://www.edgepedia.org/humphrey-bogart) and [Henry Fonda](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-fonda) in a production of *The Petrified Forest*.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman)
## Film and stage work
His first prominent film role was Juror 5 in [Sidney Lumet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-lumet)'s *12 Angry Men* (1957), the drama about a jury's deliberations in a first-degree murder trial; the Los Angeles Times describes him as the last surviving member of the cast that played the jury.[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) In 1962 he played Jim Hungerford, an [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://www.edgepedia.org/alcoholics-anonymous) sponsor, in [Blake Edwards](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-edwards)'s *Days of Wine and Roses*, and in 1969 he appeared in the comedy-drama *Goodbye, Columbus*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jack-klugman/)
**On Broadway** he costarred in 1959 in the original production of the musical *[Gypsy](https://www.edgepedia.org/gypsy-musical)*, playing Herbie, the boyfriend of the domineering Mama Rose played by [Ethel Merman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethel-merman); the role earned him a 1960 Tony Award nomination.[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) He also appeared on Broadway in *No Time for Sergeants* and played the role again in the film version.[4](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-International-Television-Almanac/1995/International-Television-Almanac-1995-Whos-Who.pdf)
He appeared in four memorable episodes of *The Twilight Zone* (1959–1964), playing, variously, a bookie, an alcoholic trumpeter, a pool player, and a spaceship captain.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jack-klugman/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-25-la-et-st-appreciation-jack-klugman--20121225-story.html) He committed hours of study to playing a trumpeter convincingly rather than faking the motions, and in one split-screen episode he disliked the trick photography that required standing still; he said of the series, "I hated it," though he credited it with roles in which he appeared as "an everyday man trapped in extraordinary circumstances."[9](https://rodserling.com/jack-klugmans-twilight-times/)
## The Odd Couple
In 1965 Klugman took over the role of Oscar Madison from [Walter Matthau](https://www.edgepedia.org/walter-matthau) in the Broadway production of [Neil Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-simon)'s *The Odd Couple*, Simon's comedy about two friends with polar-opposite personalities who become roommates.[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) When the play was adapted for television, Klugman reprised the role opposite [Tony Randall](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-randall)'s fastidious Felix Unger on ABC from 1970 to 1975 across 114 episodes.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/) He was 48 years old when the series made him a television star.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-25-la-et-st-appreciation-jack-klugman--20121225-story.html)
The series won him two Primetime Emmy Awards, in 1971 and 1973, for his portrayal of the cigar-smoking, racing-form-carrying vulgarian.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jack-klugman) • [4](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-International-Television-Almanac/1995/International-Television-Almanac-1995-Whos-Who.pdf) His real-life wife, the actress-comedian [Brett Somers](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-somers), played Oscar's ex-wife Blanche on the series.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman) Randall became a lifelong friend; when Randall died in 2004, Klugman delivered the eulogy, and the following year he self-published the book *Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship* about their bond.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman)
## Quincy, M.E.
After *The Odd Couple* ended, CBS executive Fred Silverman tried to sell Klugman on other series, but it was the offer of *Quincy, M.E.* in 1976 that brought him back to weekly television.[10](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/news/remembering-jack-klugman) The hour-long forensic drama ran from 1976 to 1983 across 148 episodes, with Klugman as the gruff, murder-solving medical examiner, and earned him four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/) • [11](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jack-Klugman/)
Klugman pressed the producers to make the show issue-oriented, and its episodes took up subjects including child abuse, anorexia, punk rock, and the dumping of hazardous waste.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-25-la-et-st-appreciation-jack-klugman--20121225-story.html) The series raised the public profile of the medical examiner profession; on a visit to China, Klugman recalled, two men in a boat pointed at him and announced in astonishment, "Quincy."[12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/02/02/the-one-man-odd-couple/213f4237-f963-4f88-a982-0112038a51ce/) A 1980 magazine report described Klugman pressing *Quincy*'s writers for better scripts, with one former network executive noting the show "has gone through more producers than any series in TV history."[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/Panorama-TV/Panorama-TV-1980-07.pdf)
## Later career and illness
Klugman battled throat cancer in the late 1980s, lost his voice as a result, and trained himself to speak again using the few strands of vocal cord that remained.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman) • [14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-26-et-stage26-story.html) He had attributed the loss to smoking, saying in 1996, "The only really stupid thing I ever did in my life was to start smoking."[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman) He returned to the stage in the 1993 Broadway revival of *Three Men on a Horse* and the television film *The Odd Couple: Together Again*.[15](https://www.canyon-news.com/staff/ARCHIVE/12-30-2012-PDF/reader.pdf)
In the 1990s he played [Willy Loman](https://www.edgepedia.org/willy-loman) in *Death of a Salesman* at the Falcon Theatre, appearing without having to utter a word as the character's fatigue, though critics noted his restored raspy voice sometimes cost him intelligibility on stage.[16](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-21-ca-24917-story.html) In 1984 he toured a one-man show, *Lyndon*, as President Lyndon B. Johnson, a role he built from study of LBJ tapes, clips, and biographies despite not resembling Johnson physically.[17](https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0224/022409.html) In his later years he guest-starred on *Third Watch* and *Crossing Jordan* and appeared in the 2010 film *Camera Obscura*.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman)
## Personal life
Klugman married Brett Somers in 1953; they had two sons, Adam and David, and had been estranged for years at the time of her death in 2007.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman) In February 2008, at age 85, he married his longtime girlfriend, actress Peggy Crosby.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman) His hobby was horse racing, and he later took up raising horses.[6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman)
He died on December 24, 2012, at his home in Woodland Hills, California, at age 90, with his wife at his side; his son Adam said he had been convalescing and apparently died suddenly.[1](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html) • [6](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman)
## References
1. [Jack Klugman – Hollywood Star Walk, Los Angeles Times](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jack-klugman/index.html)
2. [Jack Klugman – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001430/)
3. [Jack Klugman – Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-klugman)
4. [Jack Klugman entry, International Television Almanac 1995](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-International-Television-Almanac/1995/International-Television-Almanac-1995-Whos-Who.pdf)
5. [Jack Klugman – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jack-klugman/)
6. [Jack Klugman obituary (AP), Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-klugman)
7. [Jack Klugman Dead At 90, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/jack-klugman-dead-at-90-392064/)
8. [Appreciation: Jack Klugman relatable as Oscar, fervid as Quincy, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-25-la-et-st-appreciation-jack-klugman--20121225-story.html)
9. [Jack Klugman's Twilight Times – Rod Serling Memorial Foundation](https://rodserling.com/jack-klugmans-twilight-times/)
10. [Remembering Jack Klugman – Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/news/remembering-jack-klugman)
11. [Jack Klugman – BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jack-Klugman/)
12. [The One-Man Odd Couple – The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/02/02/the-one-man-odd-couple/213f4237-f963-4f88-a982-0112038a51ce/)
13. [Klugman riding Quincy's writers for better scripts, Panorama TV Guide, July 1980](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/Panorama-TV/Panorama-TV-1980-07.pdf)
14. [Klugman provides the answers – Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-26-et-stage26-story.html)
15. [Canyon News obituary archive, December 30, 2012](https://www.canyon-news.com/staff/ARCHIVE/12-30-2012-PDF/reader.pdf)
16. [Klugman's Prowess, Not Patter, Makes 'Salesman' Work – Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-21-ca-24917-story.html)
17. ['Lyndon:' Klugman's salty one-man show – The Christian Science Monitor](https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0224/022409.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Ki to La*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license