What Ever Happened to “The Odd Couple ”Cast? Inside Their Lives After the Sitcom Ended
What Ever Happened to “The Odd Couple ”Cast? Inside Their Lives After the Sitcom Ended
Christopher RudolphFri, October 2, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTC
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Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in ‘The Odd Couple’.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty -
The Odd Couple aired from 1970 to 1975 on ABC
The sitcom starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, who both won Emmys for their performances
Klugman went on to star in another popular series, Quincy, M.E., and released a memoir about his and Randall’s friendship in 2005
It’s been over half a century since The Odd Couple aired its final episode.
The beloved sitcom premiered in 1970 and aired for five seasons, until 1975. Inspired by the movie and Neil Simon play of the same name, it followed roommates Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), who move in together after their respective marriages fall apart.
BothRandall and Klugman won Emmys for their roles in The Odd Couple, and after the show’s end, they went on to have successful careers in TV. The two actors also reprised their roles for the 1993 TV movie The Odd Couple: Together Again, as did costars Garry Walberg and Penny Marshall.
In 2015, The Odd Couple returned to TV with a reboot of the same name starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon as Oscar and Felix, respectively. Marshall made a cameo in season 3 episode 4 of the show.
Here’s what happened to the cast of The Odd Couple, 51 years after the show ended.
01 of 08
Tony Randall
Tony Randall in ‘The Odd Couple’; Tony Randall in 2001.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Star Max via AP
Before starring as Felix in every episode of The Odd Couple, Randall was primarily known for his film roles, appearing alongside Doris Day and Rock Hudson in comedies like Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers.
After The Odd Couple ended in 1975, Randall remained a staple on TV, starring in The Tony Randall Show followed by Love, Sidney, both of which ran for two seasons.
Randall stepped into Felix’s shoes again in 1993, reprising his role for the TV movie, The Odd Couple: Together Again. One of his final appearances was in 2003’s Down With Love, a parody of the romantic comedies he starred in in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
The Emmy winner was married to his high school sweetheart, Florence Gibbs, from 1938 until her death in 1992. Three years later, at age 75, he married Heather Harlan, who was 25 at the time. They went on to welcome two children, Julia and Jefferson.
Randall died on May 17, 2004, at age 84.
02 of 08
Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman in ‘The Odd Couple’; Jack Klugman in 2010.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty
Klugman starred in The Odd Couple as Oscar, a sports writer who is Felix’s friend and messy roommate.
After The Odd Couple ended in 1975, the actor went on to star in Quincy, M.E., another popular series, which aired from 1976 to 1983.
In 1993, the actor reprised his role of Oscar, returning with Randall to star in the TV movie, The Odd Couple: Together Again.
A year after Randall’s death, Klugman released Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship, a memoir about his decades-long friendship with his former costar.
Klugman married Brett Somers, who played his ex-wife, Blanche, on The Odd Couple, in 1953. According to the Television Academy, they separated in 1974, but never legally divorced. The couple had two children: sons Adam and David.
Following the death of Somers in 2007, Klugman married Peggy Crosby — his partner of 20 years — in 2008. He died on Dec. 24, 2012, at age 90.
03 of 08
Al Molinaro
Al Molinaro in ‘The Odd Couple’; Al Molinaro in 1994.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Kathy Hutchins/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Al Molinaro played Officer Murray Greshler on The Odd Couple, but he is most known for his role as Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold’s Diner on the long-running sitcom, Happy Days.
Molinaro was on Happy Days for most of its 11-season run, and even played Al on the spinoff, Joanie Loves Chachi. He reportedly quit acting in 1992, but made continuous commercial appearances into the early 2000s.
Off-screen, Molinaro was married twice. He shared a son, Michael, with his first wife, Jacquelin Martin, and married his second wife, Betty Farrell, in 1981, per The Guardian.
Molinaro died on Oct. 30, 2015, at age 96.
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04 of 08
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall in ‘The Odd Couple’; Penny Marshall in 2015.Credit: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Chris Weeks/Getty
Like Molinaro, Marshall followed up her stint on The Odd Couple with a role on Happy Days.
The actress played Oscar’s eccentric secretary, Myrna Turner, on The Odd Couple beginning in season 2. After it ended, she landed the role of Laverne DeFazio on Happy Days, which she carried over to her and Cindy Williams’ spinoff series, Laverne & Shirley.
Laverne & Shirley ran until 1983. Afterwards, Marshall turned her focus to directing, and became known for helming beloved and critically acclaimed films such as A League of Their Own, Awakenings and Big. She also reprised her role in the 1993 TV movie The Odd Couple: Together Again.
Marshall was also married twice. She welcomed a daughter, Tracy, with her first husband, Michael Henry. After their divorce, Marshall married When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner, who adopted Tracy. The former couple divorced in 1981.
In 2016, Marshall made a cameo in an episode of The Odd Couple reboot starring Perry and Lennon. She died two years later, on Dec. 17, 2018, at age 75.
05 of 08
Garry Walberg
Garry Walberg in ‘The Odd Couple’; Garry Walberg in Quincy M.E.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Walberg played Homer “Speed” Deegan, one of Oscar’s poker night buddies, in all five seasons of The Odd Couple.
Following the end of the sitcom, Walberg joined Klugman on Quincy M.E., where he starred as homicide detective Lt. Frank Monahan for all eight seasons of the series.
The actor also returned to play Speed in the 1993 TV movie The Odd Couple: Together Again.
Walberg died in March 2012 at age 90, per The Hollywood Reporter. He was survived by his wife, Florence M. Apostol.
06 of 08
Larry Gelman
Larry Gelman in ‘The Odd Couple’; Larry Gelman in 2005.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Frederick M. Brown/Getty
Larry Gelman played Vinnie, another one of Oscar’s poker night friends. While starring in The Odd Couple, Gelman also appeared on multiple episodes of The Bob Newhart Show.
In the decades after The Odd Couple, Gelman became a prolific TV actor, landing roles in shows like Maude, CHiPs, One Day at a Time, The Facts of Life and Touched By an Angel.
Gelman died on June 7, 2021, at age 90 and was survived by his wife, Barbara.
07 of 08
Janis Hansen
Janis Hansen in ‘The Odd Couple’.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Janis Hansen had a recurring role on The Odd Couple as Gloria, Felix’s ex-wife. In real-life, the actress was married to Joseph Roland Mikolas, with whom she had two children.
After the sitcom ended, she appeared in shows and TV movies like Barnaby Jones, Vega$ and Angel on My Shoulder and had a successful career as a talent agent. Her final acting role was in a 1982 episode of T.J. Hooker.
On Nov. 30, 2021, Hansen died at age 81.
08 of 08
Brett Somers
Brett Somers in ‘The Odd Couple’; Brett Somers in 2003.Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty
Somers played Blanche, Oscar’s ex-wife on The Odd Couple — but at the time, the two actors were married in real life and shared two sons, Adam and David. They tied the knot in 1953 and separated in 1974.
The actress appeared in five episodes of The Odd Couple, and would go on to act in other series such as Barney Miller, Battlestar Galactica and CHiPs. She was also a panelist on more than 1,400 episodes of the long-running game show Match Game.
Somers died at age 83 on Sept. 15, 2007.
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