David Sheiner, 'Odd Couple' Character Actor, Dies at 98
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- David Sheiner died June 5 of renal failure in Los Angeles at age 98, with his death confirmed to Variety by daughter Kate Sheiner.
- Sheiner studied under Lee Strasberg alongside classmates Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, and originated the role of Bellman in the 1955 Broadway production of 'Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?'
- Sheiner appeared in nearly 100 films and TV programs across a career spanning the 1950s through the 1980s, frequently cast as spies, doctors, lawyers and lawmen.
- On 'The Odd Couple,' Sheiner played Roy, the poker-playing accountant, appearing alongside Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
- Sheiner's final on-screen role was as Leo Selkirk in Season 5, Episode 6 of 'Murder, She Wrote,' following 1980s appearances on 'The Fall Guy,' 'Fantasy Island,' 'News at Eleven' and 'Blue Thunder.'
- Sheiner spent his last four decades off-screen, with his obituary noting he devoted that time to family; he is survived by son Andrew, daughter-in-law Janet Nolan Sheiner, daughter Kate, son-in-law Chris Hoaglund and granddaughter Liv Hoaglund.
Why it matters: Sheiner's career arc — from Broadway in the 1950s to a working-class character actor on some of TV's most recognizable shows, then a four-decade withdrawal from the screen — reflects a generation of working actors whose faces were ubiquitous but whose names rarely led the credits. For TV-history collectors and fans of 'The Odd Couple,' his death closes the book on a supporting player who shared scenes with two of cinema's biggest stars.
