# Richard Stahl

Richard Stahl (January 4, 1932 – June 18, 2006) was an American actor who mostly appeared in comic roles on television and in films.

## Early life

A native of Detroit, Stahl moved to California when he was 15. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. After, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In 1959, he was appearing in off-Broadway productions when he met his wife to be, Kathryn Ish. In the 1960s, they relocated to San Francisco and became members of an improvisational comedy group, The Committee.

## Career

Stahl's film credits include Five Easy Pieces, High Anxiety, 9 to 5, and Ghosts of Mississippi.
He appeared in many TV situation comedies and in occasional dramas, including Columbo, The Odd Couple, Harry O, Barney Miller, Laverne & Shirley, Newhart, and Empty Nest .
Stahl co-starred in the short-lived comedy mini-series Turnabout (1979); and between 1985 and 1989 was a regular on the sitcom It's a Living.

## Personal life and death

Stahl died aged 74, on June 18, 2006, at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Health Center in Los Angeles, after a 10-year struggle against Parkinson's disease.
Stahl's wife, actress Kathryn Ish, died of cancer in Santa Barbara, California, on December 31, 2007.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | Too Tough to Care | Lumkin, a chemist | Educational anti-smoking short film |
| 1967 | Funnyman | Zach, Comic Salesman | |
| 1970 | The Student Nurses | Dr. Warshaw | |
| 1970 | Five Easy Pieces | Recording Engineer | |
| 1971 | Billy Jack | Council Chairman | |
| 1971 | Summertree | Man in Conservatory | |
| 1972 | Slaughterhouse-Five | Army Doctor | Uncredited |
| 1972 | ¡Qué hacer! | Martin Scott Bradford | |
| 1972 | Beware! The Blob | Edward Fazio | |
| 1972 | Every Little Crook and Nanny | Airport Security Guard | Uncredited |
| 1972 | Fuzz | Vagrant | |
| 1972 | Dirty Little Billy | Earl Lovitt | |
| 1973 | Terminal Island | TV Anchorman | |
| 1973 | The Daring Dobermans | Winston | |
| 1975 | Hearts of the West | Barber | |
| 1977 | High Anxiety | Dr. Baxter | |
| 1980 | 9 to 5 | Meade | |
| 1981 | All Night Long | Pharmacist | |
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | Lester Hudson | |
| 1983 | Private School | Mr. Flugel | |
| 1983 | Tin Man | Tyson | |
| 1984 | The Flamingo Kid | Charlie Cooper | |
| 1987 | Overboard | Elk Cove: Hospital Psychiatrist | |
| 1991 | L.A. Story | Bank Executive | |
| 1995 | The American President | Rumson Staffer | |
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Judge Hendrick | |
| 1999 | The Other Sister | Train Ticket Seller | Final film role |

### Television

| Title | Notes |
| That Girl | |
| The Partridge Family | |
| Bonanza | |
| Love American Style | |
| Columbo | (3 roles) |
| All in the Family | |
| Good Times | |
| What's Happening!! | |
| The Odd Couple | (9 episodes, 9 different roles) |
| Maude | |
| The Rookies | |
| Happy Days | |
| Harry O | (4 episodes, in 2 different roles) |
| McMillan & Wife | |
| The Bob Newhart Show | |
| WKRP in Cincinnati | |
| Soap | |
| Benson | |
| Barney Miller | (3 roles) |
| Laverne & Shirley | (3 roles) |
| Hill Street Blues | |
| The Facts of Life | |
| Family Ties | |
| Who's the Boss? | |
| Highway to Heaven | |
| Newhart | (3 roles as 2 different characters) |
| Simon & Simon | |
| Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | |
| Murder, She Wrote | |
| Night Court | |
| Golden Girls | |
| Empty Nest | (3 roles) |
| Married... with Children | |