Ron Leibman, the actor who portrayed Rachel Green’s father on Friends, has died. He was 82.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Norma Rae star died on Friday, December 6, in New York City after suffering from pneumonia.
Leibman is survived by his wife, Jessica Walter, and stepdaughter Brooke Bowman. The Emmy winners tied the knot in 1983 after meeting at a party hosted by Brenda Vaccaro. He was previously married to Linda Lavin from 1969 to 1981.
The Tony winner made his debut as Dr. Leonard Green in a season 2 episode of Friends titled “The One With the Two Parties,” which aired in 1996. He appeared in three more episodes as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) overbearing father, including in the NBC sitcom’s 10th and final season.
His iconic guest appearance almost did not happen, though. “It sounded stupid to me, so I turned it down. And my daughter, then, who was of that age, said, ‘No, you have to do it, you have to do it! I love that show, and I want to meet those kids,’” he recalled to The A.V. Club in 2011. “I said, ‘All right. I’ll do it. I’ll do it once, but that’s all I’m doing.’ So I did and had a very nice time, and they asked me back, and my daughter did get to meet those kids, so I was a big hero in the house. It’s amazing, the power of the tube. I’ve done all this body of work, and they say, ‘Oh, yes, Rachel’s father.’ I go, ‘Give me a break.’”
Leibman’s career spanned formats, from film to television to theater. He earned an Emmy in 1979 for his role as a car thief who later became an attorney in CBS’ short-lived Kaz. The Archer star went on to win a Tony in 1993 for portraying Roy Cohn in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.
Leibman starred in Where’s Poppa? in 1970, marking his first film. He followed up the part with turns in 1972’s Slaughterhouse-Five, 1979’s Norma Rae and 1981’s Zorro, the Gay Blade.
The New York native reflected on his place in the industry during a 1993 interview. “Everybody thought I’d have more of a film career,” he told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “I don’t look for answers anymore. It’s pointless because there are no answers. I don’t know how I’m perceived in Hollywood. Or if I’m perceived in Hollywood.”
Leibman seemed similarly perplexed by the world of television. “I’m sitting at my desk now, and there’s an Emmy award right in front of me that I got from [Kaz],” he told The A.V. Club. “I got an Emmy, and the show was canceled two weeks later. [Laughs.] What a business, huh?”
