Tige Andrews
Encyclopedia
Tige Andrews was an American character actor
. His work includes the role of Captain Adam Greer on the late 1960s-to-early 1970s television series The Mod Squad
and Detective Lt. Johnny Russo on the late 50's-early 1960s television series The Detectives
. Both programs ran on the ABC-TV network.
, New York
, the son of Syria
n parents Selma (née Shaleesh) and George E. Andrews, a shopkeeper. His family's surname was originally "Androwas". His parents, following Syrian custom, named him after a strong animal to ensure good health. His mother died when he was three years old, and his father later remarried. Andrews was wounded in Sicily
while serving in the Army during World War II
and after returning home, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in New York in 1946.
In 1955, Andrews won critical acclaim in the off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera
, as the Streetsinger and later performed it again in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Andrews went on to direct The Threepenny Opera in Arizona. While in New York, director John Ford
cast him in the film version of Mister Roberts after seeing his Broadway performance. Before moving to California, Tige married Norma Thornton, a ballerina who was a regular in The Ed Sullivan Show
. Norma Thornton Andrews died in 1996.
Andrews made frequent appearances on television in the 1960s. In addition to being a cast member of The Phil Silvers Show
(1955–57, as Tiger Andrews), Andrews appeared in such shows as The Lawless Years
, The Big Valley
, The Fugitive
, Gunsmoke
, Star Trek
(as Kras in the episode "Friday's Child
", where he was the second Klingon
ever to appear in that series), and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Andrews's best known roles were Lieutenant Johnny Russo on the Four Star Television
series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
and Captain Adam Greer in the ABC
police drama The Mod Squad
. Andrews received both an Emmy and Golden Globe award nomination, and won a Logie Award
for his work on The Mod Squad. Andrews reunited with his fellow Mod Squad cast members for a 1979 made-for-TV movie, The Return Of Mod Squad; it was their last appearance together. After the series ended, Andrews continued to make guest appearances on various television series, such as Kojak
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
, Police Story, CHiPs
, and Murder, She Wrote
. He retired from acting in the early 1990s after having appeared in more than one hundred acting roles onstage, on film and on television.
In addition to his acting career, Andrews was an accomplished painter and singer. His artwork has been shown in Los Angeles art galleries, and some of it was published in the book Actors As Artists by Jim McMullan and Dick Gautier. He wrote and recorded two singles in the 1970s: "Keep America Beautiful" and "The Mod Father".
at his home in Encino, California, on January 27, 2007, aged 86.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. His work includes the role of Captain Adam Greer on the late 1960s-to-early 1970s television series The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
and Detective Lt. Johnny Russo on the late 50's-early 1960s television series The Detectives
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season...
. Both programs ran on the ABC-TV network.
Life and career
Andrews was reportedly born as Tiger Andrews in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n parents Selma (née Shaleesh) and George E. Andrews, a shopkeeper. His family's surname was originally "Androwas". His parents, following Syrian custom, named him after a strong animal to ensure good health. His mother died when he was three years old, and his father later remarried. Andrews was wounded in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
while serving in the Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and after returning home, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in New York in 1946.
In 1955, Andrews won critical acclaim in the off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
, as the Streetsinger and later performed it again in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Andrews went on to direct The Threepenny Opera in Arizona. While in New York, director John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
cast him in the film version of Mister Roberts after seeing his Broadway performance. Before moving to California, Tige married Norma Thornton, a ballerina who was a regular in The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. Norma Thornton Andrews died in 1996.
Andrews made frequent appearances on television in the 1960s. In addition to being a cast member of The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
(1955–57, as Tiger Andrews), Andrews appeared in such shows as The Lawless Years
The Lawless Years
The Lawless Years is the first television crime drama set during the Roaring 20s, having predated ABC's far more successful The Untouchables with Robert Stack by six months. The 47-episode half-hour series aired nonconsecutively on NBC from April 16 to August 27, 1959, from October 1, 1959, to...
, The Big Valley
The Big Valley
The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
, The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(as Kras in the episode "Friday's Child
Friday's Child (TOS episode)
"Friday's Child" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #40, production #32, and was broadcast December 1, 1967. It was written by D.C...
", where he was the second Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
ever to appear in that series), and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy...
Andrews's best known roles were Lieutenant Johnny Russo on the Four Star Television
Four Star Television
Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Ida Lupino, and Charles Boyer, the company produced many well-known shows of the early days of...
series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season...
and Captain Adam Greer in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
police drama The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
. Andrews received both an Emmy and Golden Globe award nomination, and won a Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for his work on The Mod Squad. Andrews reunited with his fellow Mod Squad cast members for a 1979 made-for-TV movie, The Return Of Mod Squad; it was their last appearance together. After the series ended, Andrews continued to make guest appearances on various television series, such as Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
, Police Story, CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, and Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
. He retired from acting in the early 1990s after having appeared in more than one hundred acting roles onstage, on film and on television.
In addition to his acting career, Andrews was an accomplished painter and singer. His artwork has been shown in Los Angeles art galleries, and some of it was published in the book Actors As Artists by Jim McMullan and Dick Gautier. He wrote and recorded two singles in the 1970s: "Keep America Beautiful" and "The Mod Father".
Death
Andrews died of cardiac arrestCardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
at his home in Encino, California, on January 27, 2007, aged 86.
External links
- Obituary in the Los Angeles Daily NewsLos Angeles Daily NewsThe Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....