Louis Zorich

The son of Yugoslavian immigrants, character actor Louis Zorich began his career in Canada following his training at the Goodman School of Theater in his hometown of Chicago, IL. He made his Broadway debut in Jean Anouilh's "Becket" (1960), starring Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn, and has returned to the Great White Way in such productions as "Death of a Salesman" (1984) and "She Loves Me" (1993), among others. With his wife Olympia Dukakis, Zorich co-founded the Whole Theater in Montclair, New Jersey in 1972, maintaining it for 18 years before finally having to close it. After appearing in a small role as a cab driver in Don Siegel's "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), Zorich achieved a higher profile as the constable in Norman Jewison's "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971). His other feature credits include "The Muppets Take Manhattan" (1984) and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (1988), both for director Frank Oz, and John Sayles' "City of Hope" (1991). Zorich has achieved his greatest exposure by far from series TV, particularly as the star of CBS' "Brooklyn Bridge" (1991-93) and in the recurring role of Paul Reiser's father on the long-running "Mad About You" (NBC, 1992-99). Louis Zorich died on January 30, 2018 at the age of 93.