John Randolph (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Randolph
Born	Emanuel Hirsch Cohen (1915-06-01)June 1, 1915 New York City, U.S.
Died	February 24, 2004(2004-02-24) (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1938–2003
Spouse(s)	Sarah Cunningham ​ ​ (m. 1942; died 1986)​
Children	2

John Randolph was an American actor who starred in many movies, TV shows, and plays. He was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen on June 1, 1915, in New York City. He acted for a very long time, from 1938 until 2003. John Randolph passed away on February 24, 2004, at the age of 88.

Early Life and Challenges

John Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City. His parents were immigrants from Russia and Romania. His mother, Dorothy, worked as an insurance agent, and his father, Louis Cohen, made hats.

In the 1930s, he spent his summers at the Pine Brook Country Club in Nichols, Connecticut. This was a summer spot for a theater group called the Group Theatre. John Randolph made his first appearance on Broadway in 1938 in a play called Coriolanus. He later joined the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He also had a small part in the 1948 movie The Naked City.

After 1948, John Randolph and his wife, Sarah Cunningham, faced a difficult time. They were "blacklisted," which meant they were not allowed to work in Hollywood movies, or on TV and radio in New York. This happened because they were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955. This committee was investigating people they thought might be involved with communism in the entertainment industry. Both John and Sarah refused to answer questions. They used their right under the Fifth Amendment, which allows people to avoid saying things that might be used against them.

Despite these challenges, John and Sarah Randolph were very active in unions for actors, like AFTRA, SAG, and Actor's Equity. They were even elected to leadership roles and became vice presidents at different times.

Acting Career Highlights

John Randolph was one of the last actors to get work in Hollywood again after being blacklisted. This happened when director John Frankenheimer cast him in an important role in the 1966 movie Seconds.

He also performed in many famous Broadway plays. He was in the original New York shows of The Sound of Music (playing Von Trapp's butler, Franz), Paint Your Wagon, and The Visit. In 1987, he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his role in the play Broadway Bound by Neil Simon. His last Broadway show was Prelude to a Kiss in 1991.

John Randolph appeared in many movies and TV shows, often in supporting roles.

• He played Chief Sidney Green in the 1973 movie Serpico.
• He was the father of Charlie Partana (played by Jack Nicholson) in Prizzi's Honor.
• He played Clark W. Griswold, Sr. in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase.
• From 1973 to 1976, he appeared three times on The Bob Newhart Show as Cornelius "Junior" Harrison, Jr.
• In 1974, he played an Air Force Colonel in an episode of Columbo called "Swan Song."
• He was a mayor in the 1974 disaster film Earthquake.
• In 1975, he was cast as General Philip Blankenship in the pilot for The New Original Wonder Woman.
• He had an uncredited voice role as Richard Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell in the 1976 film All The President's Men.
• In 1975, he took on the role of the principal of Harry S Truman High School in the TV series Lucas Tanner.
• In 1976, he played Judge J. Waties Waring in an episode of The American Parade. This episode was about the 1954 Supreme Court decision (Brown v Board of Education) that ended racial segregation in US public schools.
• In 1977, he appeared in The Gathering, a Christmas TV movie that won an Emmy Award.
• In 1979, he made a guest appearance on M*A*S*H.
• From 1979 to 1980, he played Donna Pescow's father-in-law on the TV series Angie.
• In 1982, he appeared in Family Ties as Jake Keaton, Steven Keaton's father.
• In 1988, he was in an episode of Matlock.
• In 1989, he appeared in two episodes of Roseanne playing Al, Roseanne's dad.
• In 1991, he guest-starred in an episode of Married ... With Children.
• In 1990, he had a regular role in the NBC comedy Grand.
• He co-starred with famous actors like Alec Guinness and Lauren Bacall in the 1993 BBC production A Foreign Field.

One of his most well-known TV roles was as Frank Costanza, George Costanza's father, in an early episode of Seinfeld. He was later replaced in this role by Jerry Stiller. The scenes with John Randolph were re-filmed with Jerry Stiller for most airings in the United States. However, the original version with Randolph can still be seen outside the U.S. and on some streaming services.

One of his last movie roles was as Joe Fox's grandfather in You've Got Mail (1998). John Randolph passed away at his home in Hollywood, California, in 2004, from natural causes. He continued acting almost until the year he died.

Selected Filmography

• The Naked City (1948) - Police Dispatcher (uncredited)
• Fourteen Hours (1951) - Fireman (uncredited)
• Hamlet (1964) - Gravedigger
• The Patty Duke Show (1965) - Coach
• Seconds (1966) - Arthur Hamilton
• Sweet Love, Bitter (1967)
• The Borgia Stick (1967) - Smith
• Pretty Poison (1968) - Morton Azenauer
• Hawaii Five-O (1969) - Marty Sloane
• Smith! (1969) - Mr. Edwards
• Number One (1969) - Coach Southerd
• Gaily, Gaily (1969) - Father
• There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) - Cyrus McNutt
• Little Murders (1971) - Mr. Chamberlain
• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) - Chairman
• A Death of Innocence (1971)
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) - Commission Chairman
• Serpico (1973) - Sidney Green
• Earthquake (1974) - Mayor
• Everybody Rides the Carousel (1975) - Stage 7 (voice)
• All The President's Men (1976) - John Mitchell (voice, uncredited)
• King Kong (1976) - Captain Ross
• The Gathering (1977) - Dr. Hodges
• Heaven Can Wait (1978) - Former Owner
• Lovely But Deadly (1981) - Franklin Van Dyke
• The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981) - Joseph Pulitzer
• Frances (1982) - Kindly Judge
• Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Angelo 'Pop' Partanna
• Means and Ends (1985) - Bill Henderson
• The Wizard of Loneliness (1988) - Doc
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - Clark Griswold, Sr.
• Sibling Rivalry (1990) - Charles Turner Sr.
• Iron Maze (1991) - Mayor Peluso
• The Hotel Manor Inn (1997) - Gus
• Here Dies Another Day (1997) - Brace
• A Price Above Rubies (1998) - Rebbe Moshe
• You've Got Mail (1998) - Schuyler Fox
• The Dogwalker (1999) - Ike
• Sunset Strip (2000) - Mr. Niederhaus
• Numb (2003) - (final film role)

See also

In Spanish: John Randolph (actor) para niños