Richard Stahl

Richard Stahl (January 4, 1932 – June 18, 2006) was an American actor who mostly appeared in comic roles on television and in films.

Early life

A native of Detroit, Stahl moved to California when he was 15. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. After, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In 1959, he was appearing in off-Broadway productions when he met his wife to be, Kathryn Ish. In the 1960s, they relocated to San Francisco and became members of an improvisational comedy group, The Committee.

Career

Stahl's film credits include Five Easy Pieces, High Anxiety, 9 to 5, and Ghosts of Mississippi.

He appeared in many TV situation comedies and in occasional dramas, including Columbo, The Odd Couple, Harry O, Barney Miller, Laverne & Shirley, Newhart, and Empty Nest .

Stahl co-starred in the short-lived comedy mini-series Turnabout (1979); and between 1985 and 1989 was a regular on the sitcom It's a Living.

Personal life and death

Stahl died aged 74, on June 18, 2006, at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Health Center in Los Angeles, after a 10-year struggle against Parkinson's disease.

Stahl's wife, actress Kathryn Ish, died of cancer in Santa Barbara, California, on December 31, 2007.