Phil Leeds

Phil Leeds
Leeds in 1976
Born
Philip Lebowitz

(1916-04-06)April 6, 1916
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 1998(1998-08-16) (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1949–1998
Spouse
Toby Brandt
​
​
(m. 1934; died 1987)​

Phil Leeds (April 6, 1916 – August 16, 1998) was an American character actor. He appeared in many movies and television series, including guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Maude, The Monkees, Friends, Barney Miller, The Golden Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, Boy Meets World and more.

Early life

Leeds was born in New York City to Benjamin and Anna Lebowitz on April 6, 1916. His father was a post office clerk. Raised in the Bronx, he was a peanut vendor for some time at Yankee Stadium and Manhattan's Polo Grounds. He was a student at City College of New York and worked in Army special services in World War II.

Career

He began his career as a standup comedian when he was in his 20s and then went on to appear in several films, including Rosemary's Baby, Ghost, and Beaches; and on sitcoms, such as, All in the Family, Three's Company, Night Court, Wings, Ally McBeal, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Larry Sanders Show, Barney Miller, Car 54, Where Are You?, The Patty Duke Show, The Monkees, The Odd Couple, Happy Days, ALF, Friends, Roseanne, Mad About You, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Golden Girls, and Double Rush.

At age 80, he appeared on the 1996 Halloween episode of Roseanne, "Satan, Darling", in which Roseanne finds herself drawn into a parody version of Rosemary's Baby (Leeds had played Dr. Shand in the original 1968 film). His final role was a brief scene in Lost & Found (1999).

Leeds's Broadway credits included Of V We Sing (1942), Let Freedom Sing (1942), Make a Wish (1951), Can-Can (1953), The Matchmaker (1955), Romanoff and Juliet (1957), The Girls Against the Boys (1959), Christine (1960), Nowhere to Go But Up (1962), Sophie (1963), Here's Love (1963), Nobody Loves an Albatross (1963), Dinner at Eight (1966), Little Murders (1967), Inquest (1970), Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971), and Hurry, Harry (1972).

Blacklist

Leeds was blacklisted during the McCarthy era after pleading the fifth when examined by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Personal life

Leeds was married to fellow character actress Toby Brandt for 53 years (1934–1987) until her death. Leeds was Jewish.

Death

Leeds died of pneumonia on August 16, 1998, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at age 82. "Happy Trails", an episode of Ally McBeal, featured footage of his prior appearances on the show, eulogizing his character.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Draft registration dated Oct. 16, 1940
  2. 1 2 "Phil Leeds, 82, Comic on Stage and Screen". The New York Times. August 21, 1998. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Oliver, Myrna (August 19, 1998). "Phil Leeds, 82; Veteran Character Actor". Los Angeles Times. p. A 18. Retrieved July 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ 1920 Federal Census
  5. 1 2 "Phil Leeds". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  6. ↑ Leszczak, Bob (August 6, 2014). The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles and an Episode Guide. McFarland. ISBN 9780786477906. Retrieved December 31, 2017 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Zhulin, Denis Larionov & Alexander. "Read the eBook Investigation of Communist activities in the New York City area. Hearings (Volume Pts. 6-8) by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-Am online for free (page 7 of 30)". Ebooksread.com. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Why ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ Was Really A Jewish Horror Movie." Abrams, Nathan. The Jewish Daily Forward www.forward.com Published April 12, 2018. Accessed August 20, 2021.