Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
While most actors knock themselves out to look their best for auditions, TV legend Abe Vigoda looked awful when he auditioned for the part of hangdog detective Phil Fish on the classic sitcom Barney Miller. "I was jogging five miles and I was very tired," the actor recalled at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, CA. "I had my shorts, I was perspired, and my agent came running up to me and he said, 'Abe, a Danny Arnold wants to see you. They're doing a pilot entitled Barney Miller and they'd like you to immediately go up there.' And I said, 'But I'm not dressed for it. I have to take a shower.' And he says, 'No. Immediately.' " I went to Studio City, there was Mr. Arnold.... He looked at me and he said, 'You look tired.' So I said, 'I am tired. I've been jogging five miles.' And he said, 'You know, you look like you have hemorrhoids.' And I said, 'What are you, a doctor or a producer?' And just like that, he said, 'You'
While most actors knock themselves out to look their best for auditions, TV legend Abe Vigoda looked awful when he auditioned for the part of hangdog detective Phil Fish on the classic sitcom Barney Miller.
"I was jogging five miles and I was very tired," the actor recalled at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, CA. "I had my shorts, I was perspired, and my agent came running up to me and he said, 'Abe, a Danny Arnold wants to see you. They're doing a pilot entitled Barney Miller and they'd like you to immediately go up there.' And I said, 'But I'm not dressed for it. I have to take a shower.' And he says, 'No. Immediately.' " I went to Studio City, there was Mr. Arnold.... He looked at me and he said, 'You look tired.' So I said, 'I am tired. I've been jogging five miles.' And he said, 'You know, you look like you have hemorrhoids.' And I said, 'What are you, a doctor or a producer?' And just like that, he said, 'You've got the job.' "
Vigoda went on to create one of TV's most memorable characters in the series, which will claim a slot on TV Land's schedule in November. But he wasn't the only one to grab a spot in our cultural history, judging by how his colleagues on the classic sitcom are so strongly identified with their roles.
Ron Glass, who portrayed Det. Ron Harris on the show, had a load of laundry disappear for six months because the cleaner filed his clothes under "Harris." But for Steve Landesberg (Det. Arthur Dietrich), however, the price of fame is a lot higher.
"I get recognized by a lot of bums," Landesberg admitted. "And they all watch television, all these guys. You think they're living on the street, but they have TVs wherever they are. [One] guy said, 'Hey, Steve, you were the best one on the show... gimme a hundred dollars.' "