#Barney miller series

So all of the stuff in Barney Miller by all of the actors was approached not as a piece of comedic material but as a piece of acting that had to be accomplished. Linden said he thinks the show still holds up because of the quality of the acting: I don’t want any brownies.” And at some point, either while we were shooting it or afterwards, I said to Danny, “Everybody gets an aria but me.” And he said-and this is the wisdom, so think about it-“I have to have somebody to compare them to.” Because I said, “I’m putting on too much weight. Everybody had their own little reaction to it… except me. Abe Vigoda leaped from building to building. Everybody’s got a moment to react stoned.

And if you notice in that, everybody’s got an aria. But then we got to the hash brownies episode, which is probably the quintessential Barney Miller episode. It was about you, you executed it, and you didn’t know what was next. He later added that he sometimes grew tired of always being the straight man: Can you imagine if I’d made the other decision? The show folded in three weeks!” Let’s try television.” A cavalier decision, but look how it impacted my life.

#Barney miller series

In the interview, Linden said the role was always meant for him:īut at the time, I had a musical in one hand and a TV series in the other hand, and I very cavalierly said, “Well, we’ve done Broadway. The show ran on ABC for eight seasons before ending in 1982. Linden played the lead, Captain Barney Miller, alongside Abe Vigoda, Max Gail, Ron Glass, Jack Soo, Gregory Sierra, and James Gregory. Flicker, the series followed the detectives of New York’s fictional 12th precinct. Recently, star Hal Linden spoke to the AV Club about the popular ABC sitcom.Ĭreated by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Heritage Center, an organization named for a man murdered in a gang-initiation drive-by shooting and dedicated to helping inner-city youth stay safe and receive an education.Barney Miller is back. He was also a member of the board of directors for Los Angeles' AL Wooten Jr. Raised in Evansville, Indiana, Glass received a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and literature from the University of Evansville.Īfter graduation he moved to Minneapolis where he worked in regional theater before coming to Los Angeles to launch his TV and film career. Glass was nominated for a supporting actor Emmy in 1982. The show aired from 1975 until 1982, winning two Golden Globes and two Emmy Awards for best comedy series. Barney Miller, Max Gail as Detective Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz, and Abe Vidgoda as Detective Phil Fish. The ensemble cast included Hal Linden as precinct Capt. In 'Barney Miller' his literate Detective Ron Harris was one of the few generally normal characters who populated a New York City police precinct filled with oddballs on both sides of the law. He also made appearances in such shows as 'Friends,' 'Star Trek: Voyager' and 'Designing Women.' More recently he appeared in episodes of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Early credits included 'All in the Family,' 'Maude,' 'Sanford and Son' and 'Hawaii Five-0.' He was Felix Unger opposite Demond Wilson's Oscar Madison in 'The New Odd Couple,' a 1980s reboot of the original Broadway show, film and television series that this time cast black actors in the lead roles of Unger's prissy neat freak forced to share an apartment with slovenly friend Madison. He portrayed Derrial Book, the spiritual shepherd with a cloudy past in the 2002 science-fiction series Firefly' and its 2005 film sequel 'Serenity.' 'Īlthough best known for 'Barney Miller,' Glass appeared in dozens of other shows in a television and film career dating to the early 1970s. Words cannot adequately express my sorrow. 'He was an absolute delight to watch on screen. 'Ron was a private, gentle and caring man,' said Leavett, a longtime friend of the actor. Glass died Friday of respiratory failure, his agent, Jeffrey Leavett, told The Associated Press on Saturday. Ron Glass, the handsome, prolific character actor best known for his role as the gregarious, sometimes sardonic detective Ron Harris in the long-running cop comedy 'Barney Miller,' has died at age 71. Actor Ron Glass known for his role in the long-running comedy 'Barney Miller,' has died at 71.