Born: March 24, 1924
Died: December 14, 1998 (at age 74)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Norman Fell (March 24, 1924 - December 14, 1998), born Norman Noah Feld, was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.
Fell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 24, 1924, to a Jewish family. He attended Central High School of Philadelphia. He studied drama at Temple University after serving as a tail gunner on a B-25 Mitchell in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He later honed his craft at The Actors Studio.
Aside from Fell's best-known television work, he also played minor character roles in several films, including the original Ocean's 11, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, PT 109, The Graduate, Bullitt and Catch-22 (as Sergeant Towser). He appeared alongside Ronald Reagan in Reagan's last film, The Killers.
From 1961 to 1962, he portrayed Meyer Meyer in the TV series Ed McBain's 87th Precinct.
From 1977 to 1979, he portrayed the main characters' hardnosed landlord Stanley Roper on the hit sitcom, Three's Company (a role with some similarities to Mr. McCleery in The Graduate). He continued the role as the co-lead with Audra Lindley playing his wife. Helen, on The Ropers, a spin-off which lasted a year.
He won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actor in a Supporting Role in 1979, for Three's Company. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his dramatic performance as the boxing trainer of Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte) in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. His final television appearance was a cameo as Mr. Roper on an episode of the sitcom Ellen in 1997.
Fell died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 14, 1998, and was interred at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery. He was 74.
Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
1957 | The Violators | Ray | |
1959 | Pork Chop Hill | Sgt. Coleman | |
1960 | Inherit the Wind | WGN Radio Technician | |
The Rat Race | Telephone Repairman | ||
Ocean's 11 | Peter Rheimer | ||
1963 | PT 109 | Edmund Drewitch | |
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Detective | ||
1964 | The Killers | Mickey Farmer | |
Quick, Before it Melts | George Snell | ||
1967 | The Young Warriors | Sergeant Wadley | |
Fitzwilly | Oberblatz | ||
The Graduate | Mr. McCleery | ||
1968 | Sergeant Ryker | Sgt. Max Winkler | |
The Secret War of Harry Frigg | Capt. Stanley | ||
The Young Runaways | Mr. Donford | ||
Bullitt | Captain Baker | ||
1969 | If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium | Harve Blakely | |
1970 | Catch-22 | First Sgt. Towser | |
The Boatniks | Max | ||
1973 | The Stone Killer | Lt. Les Daniels Captain of Detectives LAPD | |
Charley Varrick | Mr. Garfinkle | ||
1974 | Airport 1975 | Bill | |
1976 | Guardian of the Wilderness | ||
1977 | The Life And Times Of Grizzly Adams- The Redemption of Ben | Mitch Morgan | |
1978 | Rabbit Test | Segoynia's Father | |
The End | Dr. Samuel Krugman | ||
1981 | On the Right Track | The Mayor | |
Heartbreak High | Jack McGuire | ||
Crunch | ? | ||
Paternity | Larry | ||
1985 | Transylvania 6-5000 | Mac Turner | |
1989 | C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. | Tyler | |
1990 | You're Driving Me Crazy | Doctor 'F' | |
1991 | The Boneyard | Shepard | Direct-to-Video Release |
With Friends Like These... | Narrator | Direct-to-Video Release | |
For the Boys | Sam Schiff | ||
1992 | The Naked Truth | The Dentist | |
1993 | Hexed | Herschel Levine | |
1995 | Beach House | The Landlord | |
1996 | The Destiny of Marty Fine | Daryl |
Year | Title | Role | Other notes | |
1997 | Ellen | Mr. Roper | Episode: Roommates | |
1996 | The Naked Truth (TV series) | Himself | Episode: 5 Bully for Dave | |
1995 | Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare | Grandpa Joe Dooley | TV-Movie | |
1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | The Landlord | Episode: What's Will Got to Do With It? | |
1993 | Flying Blind | Employer #2 | Episode: Panic in Neil's Park | |
1990 | Good Grief | Slezar | Episode: The Good, the Bad and the Mariachis | |
1989 | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | Fred Van Winkle Ted Bull |
Episode: Fred Van Winkle Episode: Texas Tea |
|
Hooperman | Pete Cosgrove, Ventriloquist | Episode: Dog Day Afternoon, Morning and Night | ||
The Boys | Dave | |||
1985, 1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Vince Shackman Lt. Rupp |
Episode: Dead Heat Episode: Just Another Fish Story |
|
1987 | Sledge Hammer! | Episode: They Call Me Mr. Trunk | ||
Out of This World | Dr. Hauser | Episode: The Nightmare | ||
Matlock | Dr. Norman Radburn | Episode: The Doctors | ||
Magnum, P.I. | David Albertson | Episode: Solo Flight | ||
1985, 1986 | Crazy Like a Fox | Episode: Some Day My Prints Will Come Episode: A Fox at the Races |
||
1986 | The New Twilight Zone | Eddie O'Hara | Episode: The Convict's Piano | |
Webster | Charlie | Episode: Almost Home | ||
1985 | Simon & Simon | Leo Nyquist | Episode: Facets | |
1984 | The Jesse Owens Story | Marty Forkins | TV-Movie | |
1983 | Uncommon Valor | Garvin | TV-Movie | |
1982 | Matt Houston | Herman | Episode: Joey's Here | |
Teachers Only | Ben Cooper | |||
1976-1981 | Three's Company | Stanley Roper | Golden Globe Award (won) | |
1979-1980 | The Ropers | Stanley Roper | ||
1980 | For the Love of It | Hall | TV-Movie | |
This Year's Blonde | Pat Toledo | TV-Movie | ||
Getting There | Jim | TV-Movie | ||
1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | Bernie Raymond | Mini-Series | |
1978 | The Love Boat | Mr. McCoy, Julie's Father | Episode: Julie's Dilemma/Who's Who/Rocky | |
1974, 1977 | Police Story | Sgt. Dell Lieutenant Alfred Thornwood |
Episode: Wolf Episode: One of Our Cops is Crazy |
|
1977 | Charlie's Angels | Sammy | Episode: Angels in Paradise | |
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams | Episode: The Redemption of Ben | |||
1976 | Executive Suite | Bernie | Episode: Re-The Sounds of Silence | |
Switch | Episode: Gaffing the Skim | |||
Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours | Mr. Brockelman | TV-Movie | ||
The Streets of San Francisco | Juror | Episode: The Thrill Killers (1) Episode: The Thrill Killers (2) |
||
The Bionic Woman | Milt Bigelow | Episode: In This Corner, Jaime Sommers | ||
Risko | Max | Unsold TV-Pilot | ||
Ellery Queen | Errol Keyes | Episode: The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley | ||
Rich Man, Poor Man | Smitty | Mini-Series Emmy Award (nominated) |
||
1975 | Starsky and Hutch | Sammy Grovner | Episode: Shootout | |
Cannon | Police Lieutenant | Episode: The Games Children Play | ||
Rhoda | Dr. Henry Gerber | Episode: Chest Pains Episode: Ida's Doctor |
||
Lucas Tanner | Abe Lydecker | Episode: The Noise of a Quiet Weekend | ||
McMillan & Wife | Allan Kovacs | Episode: Love, Honor and Swindle | ||
Death Stalk | Frank Cody | TV-Movie | ||
1974 | Thursday's Game | Melvin Leonard | TV-Movie | |
Medical Center | Frank | Episode: The World's Balloon | ||
1973 | Griff | Episode: Hammerlock | ||
Needles and Pins | Nathan Davidson | |||
Going Places | Mr. Shaw | TV-Movie | ||
Marcus Welby, M.D. | Episode: Catch a Ring That Isn't There | |||
1969, 1972 | Love, American Style | Segment: Love and the Good Deal Segment: Love and the Clinic |
||
1972 | McCloud | Lt. Ed Feldman | Episode: The Park Avenue Rustlers | |
The Heist | Pat Dillon | TV-Movie | ||
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury | Leo Walsh | Episode: Operation - Smokescreen | ||
1970-1971 | Dan August | Sgt. Charles Wilentz | ||
1971 | The Partridge Family | Mr. Bruner | Episode: The Undergraduate | |
1970 | Double Jeopardy | Sgt. Charles Wilentz | TV-Movie | |
1967, 1969 | Ironside | Capt. Lauren Lt. Haines |
Episode: An Inside Job Episode: Seeing Is Believing |
|
1965, 1968, 1969 | The F.B.I. | Ted Cullinan Ken Haney Victor Green |
Episode: All the Streets Are Silent Episode: The Mercenary Episode: The Catalyst |
|
1969 | Three's a Crowd | Norman, the Elevator Operator | TV-Movie | |
The Name of the Game | Winston Polk | Episode: A Hard Case of the Blues | ||
1968 | Judd, for the Defense | Harry Green | Episode: The Sound of the Plastic Axe | |
That Girl | Bernie | Episode: Sixty-Five on the Aisle | ||
1967 | Mannix | Daniel Brewer | Episode: Coffin for a Clown | |
I Spy | Karin | Episode: The Medarra Block | ||
Ghostbreakers | Lt. P.J. Hartunain | TV Pilot | ||
The Invaders | Neal Taft | Episode: The Betrayed | ||
1964, 1966 | Twelve O'Clock High | Lt. Canello | Episode: An Act of War Episode: The All-American |
|
1966 | Bewitched | Dr. Freud | Episode: I'd Rather Twitch Than Fight | |
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Eddie Carr | Episode: Dear Deductible | ||
A Man Called Shenandoah | Capt. Arnold Dudley | Episode: Muted Fifes, Muffled Drums | ||
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Mark Slate | Episode: The Moonglow Affair | ||
The Wild Wild West | Jeremiah Ratch | Episode: The Night of the Whirring Death | ||
1964, 1965 | Ben Casey | Arnold Halbert Manny Berger |
Episode: I'll Get on My Ice Floe and Wave Goodbye Episode: Where Does the Boomerang Go? |
|
1965 | The Fugitive | Lt. Germak Lt. Green |
Episode: May God Have Mercy Episode: Stranger in the Mirror |
|
Dr. Kildare | Dr. Keith Myers Arnold Vitnack |
|||
The Trials of O'Brien | Mickey the Miser | Episode: How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? | ||
Mr. Novak | Barney Sanders | Episode: And Then I Wrote... | ||
1964 | The Hanged Man | Gaylord Grebb | TV-Movie | |
The Defenders | George Capp | Episode: Moment of Truth | ||
1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Al Norman | Episode: The Dividing Wall | |
East Side/West Side | Eddie Best | Episode: Not Bad for Openers | ||
Kraft Suspense Theatre | Sgt. Max Winkler | Episode: The Case Against Paul Ryker (1) Episode: The Case Against Paul Ryker (2) |
||
The Dick Powell Show | Dr. Joseph Greer | Episode: The Last of the Big Spenders | ||
The Lloyd Bridges Show | Episode: Gym in January Episode: Sheridan Square |
|||
The Eleventh Hour | Lionel | Episode: Five Moments Out of Time | ||
1961, 1962 | 87th Precinct | Det. Meyer Meyer | Episode: The Floater Episode: Man in a Jam |
|
1962 | Sam Benedict | Alex McConnell | Episode: Where There's a Will | |
1961 | Cain's Hundred | Driscoll | Episode: Cain's Final Judgement | |
Checkmate | Shep Stryker | Episode: Hot Wind in a Cold Town | ||
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Cole | Episode: Be It Ever So Humble | ||
The Aquanauts | Oliver Pappas | Episode: The Rainbow Adventure | ||
Peter Gunn | Danny Barber | Episode: A Kill and a Half | ||
The Tab Hunter Show | Emory Farnsworth | Episode: Me and My Shadow | ||
The Law and Mr. Jones | Fred Cook | Episode: Lethal Weapons | ||
1960 | The Tom Ewell Show | Episode: Salesmanship Lesson | ||
The Untouchables | Reiner | Episode: The Rusty Heller Story | ||
Perry Mason | Caspar Pedley | Episode: The Case of the Mythical Monkeys | ||
Johnny Staccato | Bill Lentz | Episode: The Man in the Pit | ||
1959 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Wint Selby | Episode: Ah, Wilderness! | |
1956 | The United States Steel Hour | Detective | Episode: Hunted | |
Playwrights '56 | Nick Zervas | Episode: Nick and Letty | ||
Star Tonight | Sharp | Episode: Faith and Patience | ||
The Alcoa Hour | Marvie | Episode: Finkle's Comet | ||
1955 | Joe & Mabel | Mike | ||
1954 | The Elgin Hour | Morton | Episode: Hearts and Hollywood | |
Westinghouse Studio One | Juror #1 | Episode: Twelve Angry Men | ||
The Philco Television Playhouse | Episode: Miss Look-Alike | |||
Goodyear Television Playhouse | Episode: The Huntress |
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