Tony Roberts
1939-2025
The news arrived yesterday that actor Tony Roberts had died at the age of 85. As his New York Times obituary pointed out, Roberts is best known for his roles in six Woody Allen films, usually playing Allen's best friend who tries to keep all of Woody's characters' various neuroses in check. He also had an accomplished career on stage in New York, which is how he met Allen in the first place. The two became fast friends well beyond their professional relationship. Roberts' IMDB profile lists 68 acting credits in both feature films and television.
Perhaps his most notable role came in "Annie Hall" when he played the best friend of Allen's Alvy Singer. He played an actor who moved on to Hollywood and was constantly trying to get Alvy to abandon New York City and come to California. Alvy, of course, resisted, and it led to this great piece of dialog:
ALVY: You're an actor. You should be doing Shakespeare in the Park.
ROB: I did Shakespeare in the Park, Max. I got mugged. I was playing Richard the Second and two guys in leather jackets stole my leotard.
( I tried to find a clip of that scene on YouTube, but was unsuccessful.)
And it was Roberts' character in that movie who also introduced the acronym "VPL" when observing certain facets of how women were dressed at at Hollywood party.
I can also remember Roberts playing the Deputy Mayor of New York City in the original version of "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three". He was terrific in the part.
I always hate to it see when someone like this leaves us.
RIP Tony Roberts
Roberts, Allen, and Diane Keaton
"Annie Hall"
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