Robert Klein

Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer, actor, and book writer, born on February 8, 1942, in the Bronx, New York. The son of Frieda (née Moskowitz) and Benjamin Klein, he grew up in what he has described as a prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish household, the grandson of Hungarian-Jewish immigrants who came to the United States in the early twentieth century. He has an older sister, Rhoda. After completing his secondary education at DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein initially intended to pursue medicine, but shifted his focus to acting during his time at Alfred University. He subsequently trained at the Yale Drama School, where he learned of an audition opportunity with The Second City. His audition, an improvisation with fellow hopeful Fred Willard set in a nightclub, earned both men spots in the troupe. Klein joined Second City in the spring of 1965.

His return to New York City the following year led directly to his Broadway debut. Director Mike Nichols cast Klein in the 1966 musical The Apple Tree, in which he appeared opposite Alan Alda. That production marked the beginning of a Broadway career that extended through 1993 and included appearances in Noon, An Evening with Robert Klein, and Robert Klein on Broadway. In 1979, Klein starred in Neil Simon's musical comedy They're Playing Our Song opposite Lucie Arnaz, a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He later appeared in The Sisters Rosensweig and The Robert Klein Show!, and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play in 1993.

Klein starred in HBO's first stand-up comedy special in 1975, launching a long association with the cable network that eventually encompassed eight live specials, collected in the 2007 DVD compilation Robert Klein: The HBO Specials 1975–2005. His 2005 special, The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue, was his eighth for the network. He received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his specials Child in His 50's (2001) and Unfair and Unbalanced (2010). He hosted Saturday Night Live twice during the show's early seasons, on November 15, 1975, and again on January 28, 1978, with sketches including "Tough Director" in 1975 and "Nick The Lounge Singer Sings Star Wars Theme" and "The Olympia Restaurant: Cheeseburger, Chips and Pepsi" in 1978. From 1986 to 1988, Klein hosted his own late-night talk show, Robert Klein Time, on the USA Network. In 1998, he hosted Monty Python Live at Aspen, an HBO reunion and tribute special featuring the five surviving members of the British comedy troupe.

Klein released four stand-up comedy albums across his career. A Child of the Fifties appeared in 1973 on Brut/Buddah Records and drew on his childhood experiences in the Bronx, including recollections of air raid drills, Senator Joseph McCarthy, and Yankee baseball, as well as two original songs, "Fabulous '50s" and "Middle Class, Educated Blues." Mind Over Matter followed in 1974 and featured extensive material on the Watergate scandal. Both albums received Grammy Award nominations for Best Comedy Album. New Teeth arrived in 1975 on Epic/CBS Records, and his fourth album, Let's Not Make Love, was released in 1990. Klein also authored an autobiography, The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back, published in 2006.

His film work includes The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), One Fine Day (1996), Primary Colors (1998), The Safety of Objects (2001), Two Weeks Notice (2002), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and Reign Over Me (2007). On television, he held recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU from 2009 to 2012, The Good Wife from 2013 to 2014, and Madam Secretary in 2014, in which he played the Canadian Ambassador. He appeared in The Mysteries of Laura on NBC as the father of the show's lead character, and joined the NBC revival of Will & Grace in 2018, playing Grace Adler's father Martin, a role he continued through 2019. Klein was the subject of the 2016 Starz documentary Robert Klein Still Can't Stop His Leg.

Klein has been divorced from opera singer Brenda Boozer. Their son, Alexander Stuart Klein, known as Allie Klein, performs stand-up comedy. Klein has cited Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Winters, and Rodney Dangerfield as influences on his own comedy.