Richard Stahl

Richard Stahl (January 4, 1932 – June 18, 2006) was an American actor and Broadway book writer born in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 15 he relocated to California, and following his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he pursued formal training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Stahl's early professional work placed him in off-Broadway productions in New York, where in 1959 he met actress Kathryn Ish, who would become his wife. The couple later moved to San Francisco in the 1960s and joined The Committee, an improvisational comedy group. His stage work extended to Broadway, where his book-writing credits include A Contented Woman and the musical A Day and a Night in New York.

On screen, Stahl built a substantial career in comic roles across both film and television. His film appearances include Five Easy Pieces, High Anxiety, 9 to 5, and Ghosts of Mississippi. On television he appeared across a wide range of series, including Columbo, The Odd Couple, Harry O, Barney Miller, Laverne & Shirley, Newhart, and Empty Nest. He co-starred in the short-lived 1979 comedy miniseries Turnabout and held a regular role on the sitcom It's a Living from 1985 to 1989.

Stahl died on June 18, 2006, at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Health Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 74, following a decade-long struggle with Parkinson's disease. His wife, Kathryn Ish, died of cancer in Santa Barbara, California, on December 31, 2007.