Norman Fell

Norman Fell (born Norman Noah Feld, March 24, 1924 – December 14, 1998), was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers. Early in his career, he was billed as Norman Feld.[1][2]
== Early life ==
Fell was born on March 24, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel and Edna Feld. His father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, and his maternal grandparents were Russian Jews.[3] Samuel was a restaurateur and the family lived at 416 South 4th Street.[citation needed] He attended Central High School of Philadelphia.[4] He studied drama at Temple University after serving as a tail gunner on a B-25 Mitchell in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[citation needed] He later honed his craft at The Actors Studio[5] and the Black Hills Players.[6]
== Career ==
Aside from Fell's best-known television work, he also played minor character roles in several films, including the original Ocean's 11, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, PT 109, The Graduate, Bullitt and Catch-22 (as Sergeant Towser). He appeared alongside Ronald Reagan in Reagan's last film, The Killers. In 1992, he starred as a Hotel owner in a comedy movie called Hexed.
On TV, Fell portrayed Mike in Joe and Mabel (1955–1956),[7]:536 Meyer Meyer in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct (1961–1962),[7]:302 Charles Wilentz in Dan August(1970–1971),[7] Nathan Davidson in Needles and Pins (1973),[7]:748 Bernie Solkin in Executive Suite (1976–1977),[7]:316 Richie's father in Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978),[7]:893 and Ben Cooper in Teachers Only (1982–1983).[7]:1056
From 1977 to 1979, Fell portrayed the main characters' hardnosed landlord Stanley Roper on the hit sitcom Three's Company[7]:1080–1081 (a role with some similarities to Mr. McCleery in The Graduate). He continued the role as the co-lead with Audra Lindley playing his wife, Helen, on The Ropers,[7]:910 a spin-offwhich lasted two seasons.
Fell won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actor in a Supporting Role in 1979 for Three's Company.[8] He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his dramatic performance as the boxing trainer of Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte) in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man.[9] His final television appearance was a cameo as Mr. Roper on an episode of the sitcom Ellen in 1997.
== Personal life ==
On May 21, 1950, Fell married Dolores Pikoos in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[10] In total, he married and divorced three times.
== Death ==
On November 26 (Thanksgiving Day) of 1998, Fell had become too weak to get out of bed at his Marina del Rey home. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.[11] He died in Los Angeles on December 14, 1998 at the age of 74. He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.
== Filmography ==
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1957	The Violators 	Ray 	
1959	Pork Chop Hill 	Sgt. Coleman 	
1960	Inherit the Wind 	WGN Radio Technician 	
1960	The Rat Race 	Telephone Repairman 	
1960	Ocean's 11 	Peter Rheimer 	
1963	PT 109 	Machinist Edmund Drewitch 	
1963	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 	Detective at Grogan's Crash Site 	
1964	The Killers 	Mickey Farmer 	
1964	Quick, Before it Melts 	George Snell 	
1964	The Young Warriors 	Sergeant Wadley 	
1967	Fitzwilly 	Oberblatz 	
1967	The Graduate 	Mr. McCleery 	
1968	Sergeant Ryker 	Sgt. Max Winkler 	(archive footage)
1968	The Secret War of Harry Frigg 	Capt. Stanley 	
1968	The Young Runaways 	Mr. Donford 	
1968	Bullitt 	Captain Baker 	
1969	If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium 	Harve Blakely 	
1970	Catch-22 	First Sgt. Towser 	
1970	The Boatniks 	Max 	
1973	The Stone Killer 	Lt. Les Daniels Captain of Detectives LAPD	
1973	Charley Varrick 	Mr. Garfinkle 	
1974	Airport 1975 	Bill 	
1975	Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold	Stanley Nagel 	
1976	Guardian of the Wilderness 	 	
1978	Rabbit Test 	Segoynia's Father 	
1978	The End 	Dr. Samuel Krugman 	
1981	Crunch 	? 	
1981	On the Right Track 	The Mayor 	
1981	Heartbreak High 	Jack McGuire 	
1981	Paternity 	Larry 	
1985	Transylvania 6-5000 	Mac Turner 	
1987	Stripped to Kill 	Ray 	
1989	C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. 	Tyler 	
1990	You're Driving Me Crazy 	Doctor 'F' 	
1991	With Friends Like These... 	Narrator 	Direct-to-Video Release
1991	The Boneyard 	Shepard 	Direct-to-Video Release
1991	For the Boys 	Sam Schiff 	
1992	The Naked Truth 	The Dentist 	
1993	Hexed 	Herschel Levine 	
1996	The Destiny of Marty Fine 	Daryl 	
1996	Beach House 	The Landlord 	
== Television ==
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1954 	The Elgin Hour 	Morton 	Episode: Hearts and Hollywood
1954 	Westinghouse Studio One 	Juror #1 	Episode: Twelve Angry Men
1954 	The Philco Television Playhouse 	 	Episode: Miss Look-Alike
1954 	Goodyear Television Playhouse 	 	Episode: The Huntress
1955 	Joe & Mabel 	Mike 	
1956 	The Alcoa Hour 	Marvie 	Episode: Finkle's Comet
1956 	Star Tonight 	Sharp 	Episode: Faith and Patience
1956 	Playwrights '56 	Nick Zervas 	Episode: Nick and Letty
1956 	The United States Steel Hour 	Detective 	Episode: Hunted
1959 	Hallmark Hall of Fame 	Wint Selby 	Episode: Ah, Wilderness!
1960 	Johnny Staccato 	Bill Lentz 	Episode: The Man in the Pit
1960 	Perry Mason 	Caspar Pedley 	Episode: The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
1960 	The Untouchables 	Reiner 	Episode: The Rusty Heller Story
1960 	The Tom Ewell Show 	 	Episode: Salesmanship Lesson
1961 	The Law and Mr. Jones 	Fred Cook 	Episode: Lethal Weapons
1961 	The Tab Hunter Show 	Emory Farnsworth 	Episode: Me and My Shadow
1961 	Peter Gunn 	Danny Carmichael 	Episode: A Kill and a Half
1961 	The Aquanauts 	Oliver Pappas 	Episode: The Rainbow Adventure
1961 	The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis 	Cole 	Episode: Be It Ever So Humble
1961 	Checkmate 	Shep Stryker 	Episode: Hot Wind in a Cold Town
1961 	Cain's Hundred 	Driscoll 	Episode: Cain's Final Judgement
1962 	Sam Benedict 	Alex McConnell 	Episode: Where There's a Will
1961–1962	87th Precinct 	Det. Meyer Meyer 	Episode: The Floater 
Episode: Man in a Jam
1963 	The Eleventh Hour 	Lionel 	Episode: Five Moments Out of Time
1963 	The Lloyd Bridges Show 	 	Episode: Gym in January 
Episode: Sheridan Square
1963 	The Dick Powell Show 	Dr. Joseph Greer 	Episode: The Last of the Big Spenders
1963 	Kraft Suspense Theatre 	Sgt. Max Winkler 	Episode: The Case Against Paul Ryker (1) 
Episode: The Case Against Paul Ryker (2)
1963 	East Side/West Side 	Eddie Best 	Episode: Not Bad for Openers
1963 	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 	Al Norman 	Episode: The Dividing Wall
1964 	The Defenders 	George Capp 	Episode: Moment of Truth
1964 	The Hanged Man 	Gaylord Grebb 	TV-Movie
1965 	Mr. Novak 	Barney Sanders 	Episode: And Then I Wrote...
1965 	The Trials of O'Brien 	Mickey the Miser 	Episode: How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?
1965 	Dr. Kildare 	Dr. Keith Myers 
Arnold Vitnack	
1965 	The Fugitive 	Lt. Germak 
Lt. Green 	Episode: May God Have Mercy 
Episode: Stranger in the Mirror
1964–1965	Ben Casey 	Arnold Halbert 
Manny Berger 	Episode: I'll Get on My Ice Floe and Wave Goodbye 
Episode: Where Does the Boomerang Go?
1966 	The Wild Wild West 	Jeremiah Ratch 	Episode: The Night of the Whirring Death
1966 	The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 	Mark Slate 	Episode: The Moonglow Affair
1966 	A Man Called Shenandoah 	Capt. Arnold Dudley 	Episode: Muted Fifes, Muffled Drums
1966 	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre 	Eddie Carr 	Episode: Dear Deductible
1966 	Bewitched 	Dr. Freud 	Episode: I'd Rather Twitch Than Fight
1964–1966	Twelve O'Clock High 	Lt. Canello 	Episode: An Act of War 
Episode: The All-American
1967 	The Invaders 	Neal Taft 	Episode: The Betrayed
1967 	Ghostbreakers 	Lt. P.J. Hartunain 	TV Pilot
1967 	I Spy 	Karin 	Episode: The Medarra Block
1967 	Mannix 	Daniel Brewer 	Episode: Coffin for a Clown
1968 	That Girl 	Bernie 	Episode: Sixty-Five on the Aisle
1968 	Judd, for the Defense 	Harry Green 	Episode: The Sound of the Plastic Axe
1969 	The Name of the Game 	Winston Polk 	Episode: A Hard Case of the Blues
1969 	Three's a Crowd 	Norman, the Elevator Operator	TV-Movie
1965–1969	The F.B.I. 	Ted Cullinan 
Ken Haney 
Victor Green	Episode: All the Streets Are Silent 
Episode: The Mercenary 
Episode: The Catalyst
1967–1969	Ironside 	Capt. Lauren 
Lt. Haines 	Episode: An Inside Job 
Episode: Seeing Is Believing
1970 	Double Jeopardy 	Sgt. Charles Wilentz 	TV-Movie
1971 	The Partridge Family 	Mr. Bruner 	Episode: The Undergraduate
1970–1971	Dan August 	Sgt. Charles Wilentz 	
1972 	O'Hara, U.S. Treasury 	Leo Walsh 	Episode: Operation – Smokescreen
1972 	The Heist 	Pat Dillon 	TV-Movie
1972 	McCloud 	Lt. Ed Feldman 	Episode: The Park Avenue Rustlers
1969–1972	Love, American Style 	 	Segment: Love and the Good Deal 
Segment: Love and the Clinic
1973 	Marcus Welby, M.D. 	 	Episode: Catch a Ring That Isn't There
1973 	Going Places 	Mr. Shaw 	TV-Movie
1973 	Needles and Pins 	Nathan Davidson 	
1973 	Griff 	 	Episode: Hammerlock
1974 	Medical Center 	Frank 	Episode: The World's Balloon
1974 	Thursday's Game 	Melvin Leonard 	TV-Movie
1975 	Death Stalk 	Frank Cody 	TV-Movie
1975 	McMillan & Wife 	Allan Kovacs 	Episode: Love, Honor and Swindle
1975 	Lucas Tanner 	Abe Lydecker 	Episode: The Noise of a Quiet Weekend
1975 	Rhoda 	Dr. Henry Gerber 	Episode: Chest Pains 
Episode: Ida's Doctor
1975 	Cannon 	Police Lieutenant 	Episode: The Games Children Play
1975 	Starsky & Hutch 	Sammy Grovner 	Episode: Shootout
1976 	Rich Man, Poor Man 	Smitty 	Mini-Series 
Emmy Award (nominated)
1976 	Ellery Queen 	Errol Keyes 	Episode: The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley
1976 	Risko 	Max 	Unsold TV-Pilot
1976 	The Bionic Woman 	Milt Bigelow 	Episode: In This Corner, Jaime Sommers
1976 	The Streets of San Francisco 	Juror 	Episode: The Thrill Killers (1) 
Episode: The Thrill Killers (2)
1976 	Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours	Mr. Brockelman 	TV-Movie
1976 	Switch 	 	Episode: Gaffing the Skim
1976 	Executive Suite 	Bernie 	Episode: Re-The Sounds of Silence
1977 	The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams 	 	Episode: The Redemption of Ben
1977 	Charlie's Angels 	Sammy 	Episode: Angels in Paradise
1974–1977	Police Story 	Sgt. Dell 
Lieutenant Alfred Thornwood	Episode: Wolf 
Episode: One of Our Cops is Crazy
1978 	The Love Boat 	Mr. McCoy, Julie's Father 	Episode: Julie's Dilemma/Who's Who/Rocky
1979 	Roots: The Next Generations 	Bernie Raymond 	Mini-Series
1980 	Getting There 	Jim 	TV-Movie
1980 	This Year's Blonde 	Pat Toledo 	TV-Movie
1980 	For the Love of It 	Hall 	TV-Movie
1976–1981	Three's Company 	Stanley Roper 	Golden Globe Award (won)
1979–1980	The Ropers 	Stanley Roper 	
1982 	Teachers Only 	Ben Cooper 	
1982 	Matt Houston 	Herman 	Episode: Joey's Here
1983 	Uncommon Valor 	Garvin 	TV-Movie
1984 	The Jesse Owens Story 	Marty Forkins 	TV-Movie
1985 	Simon & Simon 	Leo Nyquist 	Episode: Facets
1986 	Webster 	Charlie 	Episode: Almost Home
1986 	The Twilight Zone 	Eddie O'Hara 	Episode: The Convict's Piano
1985–1986	Crazy Like a Fox 	 	Episode: Some Day My Prints Will Come 
Episode: A Fox at the Races
1987 	Magnum, P.I. 	David Albertson 	Episode: Solo Flight
1987 	Matlock 	Dr. Norman Radburn 	Episode: The Doctors
1987 	Out of This World 	Dr. Hauser 	Episode: The Nightmare
1987 	Sledge Hammer! 	 	Episode: They Call Me Mr. Trunk
1985–1988	Murder, She Wrote 	Vince Shackman 
Lt. Rupp 	Episode: Dead Heat 
Episode: Just Another Fish Story
1989 	The Boys 	Dave 	
1989 	Hooperman 	Pete Cosgrove, Ventriloquist 	Episode: Dog Day Afternoon, Morning and Night
1989 	The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! 	Fred Van Winkle 
Ted Bull 	Episode: Fred Van Winkle 
Episode: Texas Tea
1990 	Good Grief 	Slezar 	Episode: The Good, the Bad and the Mariachis
1993 	Flying Blind 	Employer #2 	Episode: Panic in Neil's Park
1994 	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 	The Landlord 	Episode: What's Will Got to Do With It?
1995 	Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare 	Grandpa Joe Dooley 	TV-Movie
1996 	The Naked Truth 	Himself 	Episode: 5 Bully for Dave
1997 	Ellen 	Mr. Roper 	Episode: Roommates