The entertainment world lost some of its most memorable TV stars in 2016. Here are some of them.
Pat Harrington, Jr. (died Jan. 6, age 86)
Harrington had a master’s degree in philosophy but followed his father into acting. He earned praise for his early TV comedy work with Steve Allen and others, but audiences today remember him best as Schneider, the wisecracking building superintendent on the ’70s sitcom “One Day at a Time.”
Abe Vigoda (died Feb. 24, age 94)
Vigoda stole scenes in the TV cop comedy “Barney Miller” and as one of the mafiosi who betray Michael Corleone in “The Godfather.” His death was erroneously reported in 1982 and became a running joke for the rest of his life.
Garry Shandling (died March 24, age 66)
A onetime potential successor to Johnny Carson, Shandling helped remake TV comedy with his groundbreaking HBO series “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Doris Roberts (died April 17, age 90)
Roberts was a character actress who rocketed to fame as Ray Romano‘s controlling mom on “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Chyna (died April 20, age 46)
Chyna, whose real name was Joan Laurer, found fame as a WWF professional wrestler in the late 1990s. She later became an award-winning actress in adult movies.
Morley Safer (died May 19, age 84)
As a celebrated Vietnam correspondent, the Canadian-born Safer was accused by President Lyndon Johnson of undermining U.S. war efforts. He later became one of the longest-serving correspondents on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
Noel Neill (died July 3, age 95)
Neill’s career stretched back to the early 1940s. She played Lois Lane on the ’50s series “The Adventures of Superman” and later turned up in small parts in later incarnations of the superhero franchise.
Jack Riley (died August 19, age 80)
A veteran character actor, Riley was most famous for playing the neurotic Mr. Carlin on “The Bob Newhart Show.”
If you liked this gallery, you might also want to read our look back at other celebrity deaths in 2016.
