Actor

Actor

Born: May 5, 1928; Died: November 4, 2014

Richard Schaal, who has died aged 86, was a comedy actor well known for his appearances on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the hit 1970s sitcom Rhoda, which starred his then-wife Valerie Harper.

He also appeared on television programmes such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream Of Jeannie, and The Rockford Files.

Rhoda was a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which Harper played Rhoda Morgenstern, a flamboyant Jewish New Yorker. It ran from 1974 to 1978 and Schaal played Charlie Burke, an annoying friend of Rhoda's husband Joe (played by David Groh).

Schaal also appeared in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He played Howard Arnell and his twin brother Paul, both of whom dated Mary in separate episodes. He also played a clown in the 1970 episode in which Mary had to produce a television election-night special in an emergency. Schaal's character ended up having to deliver the results in full clown costume on the fictional television station where the show was set.

Schaal started out in comedy in Chicago, where he was born. He was in a comedy troupe called Second City that also included Alan Alda and Joan Rivers and later some of the greats of Saturday Night Live such as John Belushi and Bill Murray. Schaal was known for his skill at physical comedy and mime.

Jeffrey Sweet, an author who has written about the history of the troupe, said: "There was nothing Marcel Marceau about the way he handled objects. He was very in the moment. He could place 40 'objects' within a scene and remember where they all were. You would swear you could see them."

Schaal worked in construction before moving into comedy, performing in nightclubs and small theatres before joining Second City.

He married Harper in 1964 and moved to New York where they worked together and separately. After Rhoda, Schaal had regular roles in television sitcoms. He also appeared in a number of films including, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) and Once Bitten (1985), starring Lauren Hutton and Jim Carrey.

He was a big believer in improvisational theatre as a confidence builder for actors and non-actors alike. "I have seen stiff spines soften and narrow minds broaden," he said. "I have seen people go through incredible metamorphoses in this work."

He was married three times, including to Harper (his second wife) from 1964 until their divorce in 1978. He was the first of Harper's two husbands.

Schaal received a lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Improv Festival in 2010.He is survived by his daughter.