Ron Leibman, Tony-winning Angels in America star who played Rachel's dad on Friends, dies at 82
Ron Leibman, the actor known for his roles in Norma Rae, Friends, and Angels in America, has died. He was 82.
The actor’s rep confirmed the news to EW on Friday, but no further details about his death were given.
Throughout his lengthy career, Leibman held roles in television, on the stage, and in film. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1979 for his role as Martin “Kaz” Kazinsky in the crime drama series Kaz, which he also co-created.
Friends fans will also recognize him as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) short-tempered father, Dr. Leonard Green. Other notable television roles include work on the series Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Archer, The Sopranos, among many others.
Leibman’s first film role came in Carl Reiner’s 1970 dark comedy Where’s Poppa? He later followed that up with roles in Norma Rae (1979), with Sally Field, Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981), Romantic Comedy (1983), and Garden State (2004), among others. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1986 television movie, Christmas Eve.
He had many roles on Broadway, and in 1993 won a Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Other onstage roles included We Bombed in New Haven, Transfers, The Merchant of Venice, and many more.
Leibman is survived by his wife, Arrested Development star Jessica Walter, and stepdaughter, Brooke Bowman.
In a statement, Robert Attermann, CEO of Abrams Artists Agency, said, “We at Abrams Artists Agency are saddened to hear the news of Ron’s passing. Ron was an incredibly talented actor with a distinguished career in film, TV and theatre. Our thoughts go out to his wife, Jessica, and his family.”
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