Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman (April 27, 1922 - December 24, 2012) was an American movie, stage and television actor. Klugman played Oscar Madison in the television series The Odd Couple from 1970 to 1975. He played the title character in the television series Quincy, M.E. from 1976 to 1983.
Early life
Klugman was born in Philadelphia to Russian Jewish immigrants. He went to Carnegie Mellon University. He started acting after discharge from the United States Army in 1945.
Personal life
Klugman was married to Brett Somers from 1953 until her death in 2007. They legally separated in 1974, but never divorced. Somers and Klugman had 2 children.
Klugman started living with Peggy Crosby in 1988. They married in February 2008. He was the last surviving actor from the cast of jurors in the original 1957 movie 12 Angry Men.
Health
Klugman was a heavy smoker. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1974. In 1989, he lost a vocal cord to cancer. He was left with a quiet, raspy voice. He continued to act on stage and television.
Death
Klugman was 90 when he died on December 24, 2012 in Woodland Hills, California from prostate cancer.
Awards
He won three Emmy Awards. Two for the television version of The Odd Couple and one for the "Blacklist" episode of The Defenders. He also won a Golden Globe Award for The Odd Couple.