Hal Linden

Born in 1931, Bronx-born Hal Linden was the son of Charles Lipshitz and Frances Rosen and had an older brother who would become a future professor of music at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. Similarly musical, Hal took up classical clarinet in his late teens and played regularly with symphony orchestras. After graduating from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, he studied music at Queens College, moving later to City College to pursue business. Hal also played in dance bands and was asked to join Sammy Kaye on tour before being drafted into the Army, where he sang and provided entertainment for the troops. This sparked an interest in acting, and, upon receiving his discharge, he enrolled at New York's American Theatre Wing where he trained in voice and drama. In 1955, Hal met Frances Martin, a dancer. They married three years later, and she gave up her career to raise a family. Hal's first Broadway show was in "Bells Are Ringing" where he understudied lead Jeff Moss. During the 1960s, Hal accumulated more musical credits in "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," "Subways Are for Sleeping," "The Apple Tree" and "The Pajama Game." He won the 1971 Tony award for his role in "The Rothschilds." This particular stage success led to a TV career that culminated in the title role on the popular Barney Miller (1974) sitcom. Emmy-nominated every year the program aired, Hal became a household name. Since that time, he has appeared in other lesser TV series including Blacke's Magic (1986), and Jack's Place (1992). He has held a secondary presence in such films as A New Life (1988) and Out to Sea (1997). More musical leads such as "I Do! I Do!" and "The Pajama Game" came his way, along with dramatic pursuits in "I'm Not Rappaport" and "The Sisters Rosenzweig." Hal has also undertaken musical tours in his continuing role as clarinetist. He and wife Frances are avid golfers during their spare time.

Known For: Acting

Born: New York City, New York, USA, 1931-03-20

Died: null

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1960	Bells Are Ringing	Singer (uncredited)	63
2	1964	That Man from Rio		74
3	1973	Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside	Det. Lou Isaacs	0
4	1976	The Love Boat	Andrew Canaan	0
5	1976	How to Break Up a Happy Divorce	Tony Bartlett	0
6	1979	When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?	Richard Ethridge	62
7	1980	Father Figure	Howard	50
8	1982	Night of 100 Stars	Self	67
9	1982	I Love Liberty	Self	0
10	1983	Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land	Josh Gilliam	48
11	1983	The Other Woman	Lou Chadway	40
12	1983	I Do! I Do!	He (Michael)	0
13	1983	All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra	Self	60
14	1984	The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team		0
15	1985	My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn	Jack Warner	65
16	1985	Night of 100 Stars II	Self	80
17	1987	The Grand Knockout Tournament	Self	57
18	1988	A New Life	Mel Arons	40
19	1989	Dream Breakers	Harry Palliser	0
20	1990	Night of 100 Stars III	Self	40
21	1994	America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference	Narrator (voice)	0
22	1995	The Colony	Philip Denig	53
23	1997	Out to Sea	Mac Valor	57
24	1998	Killers in the House		0
25	1999	Jump	Shrink	15
26	1999	The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads	Ernie Landale	60
27	2002	The Glow	Arnold Janusz	52
28	2003	Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There	Self	70
29	2003	Dumb Luck	Blaine Mitchell	50
30	2003	Time Changer	The Dean	55
31	2006	Light Years Away	Grandpa Sommers	27
32	2007	Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills	Self	60
33	2018	The Samuel Project	Samuel	67
34	2019	Grand-Daddy Day Care	Gabe	58
35	2021	Off Broadway	J.P. Fister	0
36	2023	You People	Mr. Greenwald	56
37	2023	Merv	Merv	100
38	2024	Micro Budget	Russel	80

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1948	Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade	Self	70
2	1956	Tony Awards	Self - Presenter	51
3	1956	Tony Awards	Self - Presenter/Performer	51
4	1956	Tony Awards	Self - Performer	51
5	1956	Tony Awards	Self - Presenter / Performer	51
6	1956	Tony Awards	Self - Nominee	51
7	1961	The Mike Douglas Show	Self	54
8	1961	The Mike Douglas Show	Self - Co-Host	54
9	1965	The F.B.I.	Abel Norton	55
10	1967	The Carol Burnett Show	Self	77
11	1971	Great Performances	Self	53
12	1972	Ghost Story	David Wells	71
13	1974	NOVA	Narrator	70
14	1974	Tony Orlando and Dawn	Self	35
15	1975	Barney Miller	Barney Miller	73
16	1975	Cher	Self	62
17	1975	Saturday Night Live	Self - Cameo (uncredited)	70
18	1975	Van Dyke and Company	Self	50
19	1976	Donny & Marie	Self	65
20	1976	The Muppet Show	Self - Special Guest Star	80
21	1976	Battle of the Network Stars		72
22	1982	Christmas in Washington	Self	75
23	1985	The Ray Bradbury Theater	Captain Black	69
24	1985	The Golden Girls	John	75
25	1986	Blacke's Magic	Alexander Blacke	60
26	1988	American Experience	Narrator (voice)	74
27	1992	Jack's Place		80
28	1993	The Nanny	Maury Sherry	81
29	1994	The Boys Are Back	Fred Hansen	30
30	1994	Touched by an Angel	Dave Price	72
31	1994	Touched by an Angel	Sam Brown	72
32	1995	Nowhere Man	Senator Wallace	76
33	1995	The Drew Carey Show	Mr. Van zandt	66
34	1998	The King of Queens	Bernard	71
35	1998	Will & Grace	Alan	69
36	1999	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Leonard Maxwell	79
37	2000	Gilmore Girls	Chad	79
38	2001	The Zeta Project		75
39	2001	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Mr. Turner	76
40	2004	The Tony Danza Show	Self	61
41	2005	Grey's Anatomy	Bertram Hollister	82
42	2005	Living with Fran		70
43	2005	Supernatural	Rabbi Isaac Bass	83
44	2010	Hot in Cleveland	Alex	74
45	2011	2 Broke Girls	Lester	72
46	2012	The Mindy Project	Manny	62
47	2016	American Housewife	Mr. Montez	77
48	2021	Hacks	Cliff Biff	75

Hal Linden

Film

Television