Tony Roberts, the stage and screen actor widely known for his roles in Woody Allen films, died on February 7, 2025, at age 85. Broadway.com reported that he died from complications of lung cancer, citing his daughter, Nicole Burley.
Who was Tony Roberts?
Born in New York on October 22, 1939, Roberts attended the High School of Music and Art and graduated from Northwestern University. He made his Broadway debut in 1962 in Something About a Soldier and went on to work across theater, film and television.
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Roberts described knowing early that acting was his aim: “Unlike many of my pals, who didn’t know what they wanted to become when they grew up, I knew I wanted to be an actor before I got to high school.” The Associated Press reproduced the passage from his memoir, Do You Know Me?.
Why is Tony Roberts associated with Woody Allen’s films?
Roberts became widely known as a frequent presence in Allen’s films, often playing the assured friend or foil to Allen’s more anxious characters. Their collaborations included Play It Again, Sam, Annie Hall, Stardust Memories, A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, Hannah and Her Sisters and Radio Days.
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Roberts reflected on Allen’s filmmaking in a remark AP attributed to an interview in Eric Lax’s Woody Allen: A Biography: “When you go back to see (Allen’s work) two, three, four times, you begin to see the amazing amount of art in it, that nothing is accidental.”
What was Tony Roberts’ Broadway career?
The Allen films were only one part of Roberts’ working life. Playbill counted 24 Broadway productions over his career. Among them were Don’t Drink the Water, Promises, Promises, Sugar, Absurd Person Singular, The Seagull, Victor/Victoria, Cabaret, Xanadu and The Royal Family. Broadway.com identified the 2009 production of The Royal Family as his last Broadway role.
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He received two Tony Award nominations: for How Now, Dow Jones and Play It Again, Sam. The Associated Press noted that he was billed as Anthony Roberts for those nominations. In a 2015 interview with BroadwayWorld, as quoted by AP, he recalled: “I was lucky enough to get in on the last years of the Golden Age of Broadway. In that era there was a lot more going on that seemed to have high quality about it and great conviction.”
What other films and television work did he do?
Roberts also appeared in films outside Allen’s work, including Serpico and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. His last theatrically released feature-film role was in The Longest Week (2014), according to Broadway.com. His career also included television work, alongside his extensive stage and film credits.
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What did Tony Roberts say about his life and career?
Roberts’ memoir, Do You Know Me?, offered his own account of a life spent acting. AP reproduced its summation of his good fortune: “I’ve never been particularly lucky at card games. I’ve never hit a jackpot. But I have been extremely lucky in life.”
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