{{Short description|American actor (1930–2021)}} {{other uses|Gelman}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Larry Gelman | image = Larry Gelman on RealTVfilms.jpg | caption = Gelman in 2009 | birth_name = Lawrence Sheldon Gelman | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|11|3}} | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|6|7|1930|11|3}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor | spouse = Barbara Gelman (?–his death) }}
'''Lawrence Sheldon Gelman''' (November 3, 1930 – June 7, 2021) was an American film and television character actor. He was known for playing Dr. Bernie Tupperman on the TV series ''The Bob Newhart Show''<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|pages=119–120|edition=2nd}}</ref> and Vinnie, the poker playing friend of Oscar and Felix, in the original TV series version of ''The Odd Couple''.{{r|etvs|page1=779}}
==Biography== Gelman was born in Brooklyn, New York,<ref name=ibdb/> on November 3, 1930.<ref name="book" />
On television, Gelman portrayed Leo Gold in ''Free Country'',{{r|etvs|page1=365}} Irv Schlosser in ''Grand Slam'',{{r|etvs|page1=411}} Dr. Hubie Binder in ''Maude''{{r|etvs|page1=668}} officer Bernstein on ''Eight Is Enough'',{{Citation needed |date=June 2019}} Al Clemens on ''Mork & Mindy''.{{r|etvs|page1=715}} and Max on ''Needles and Pins''.{{r|etvs|page1=748}}
Gelman appeared in other American television series, including ''The Monkees'' (3 episodes), ''Batman'', ''Get Smart'', ''I Dream of Jeannie'', ''My Three Sons'', ''The Doris Day Show'' (3 episodes), ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''The Carol Burnett Show'', ''Rhoda'', ''Kojak'' (2 episodes), ''Quincy M.E.'', ''CHiPS'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Laverne & Shirley'', ''One Day at a Time'' (2 episodes), ''Barney Miller'' (4 episodes), ''The Facts of Life'', ''Simon & Simon'', ''Hill Street Blues'', ''Remington Steele'', ''Cagney & Lacey'' (3 episodes), ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'', ''Mr. Belvedere'' (2 episodes), ''In the Heat of the Night'' (2 episodes), ''Night Court'' (3 episodes), ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', ''Touched by an Angel'' and ''ER''. He appeared in ''Tales from the Darkside'' Love Hungry (series 4, episode 11, 1988) as Elmo. He also was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series, for his guest-starring appearance on the episode "Goodbye, Mr. Fish: Part 2" of the American sitcom television series ''Barney Miller''.<ref name="book">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPdWBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA54|title=The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles and an Episode Guide|page=54|first=Bob|last=Leszczak|publisher=McFarland|date=August 23, 2014|isbn=9781476615394|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/larry-gelman|title=Larry Gelman|work=Television Academy|access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref>
In film, Gelman appeared (credited as Larry Spelman) in the X-rated 1976 film ''Alice in Wonderland'' with Kristine DeBell, and the adult comedy ''Chatterbox'' (1977) starring Candice Rialson. He also had roles in Disney's ''Superdad'' (1973), ''The Strongest Man in the World'' (1975), ''Tunnel Vision'' (1976), ''Raid on Entebbe'' (1977), ''The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal'' (1979), ''The Frisco Kid'' (1979), ''O'Hara's Wife'' (1982), ''Dreamscape'' (1984), ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985), ''The Naked Cage'' (1986) and ''Mr. Saturday Night'' (1992).
On Broadway, Gelman portrayed Tambi Rothman in ''The Roast'' (1980).<ref name="ibdb">{{cite web |title=("Larry Gelman" search results) |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/larry-gelman-92802 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |accessdate=29 June 2019}}</ref> His other stage activities included touring in a production of ''The Odd Couple'' and playing Albert Einstein in ''Einstein: A Stage Portrait''.<ref name="t">{{cite news |last1=Sherman |first1=Richard |title=Gelman: Einstein portrayal a 'labor of love' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33345914/larry_gelman/ |accessdate=29 June 2019 |work=The Times |date=October 7, 1988 |location=Indiana, Muncie |page=38|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Gelman also played Einstein in the real-time strategy games ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2'' and ''Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge''.
He died in June 2021, at the age of 90, from injuries suffered in a fall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Week ending Saturday, June 12, 2021 |url=http://lifeinlegacy.com/Display.aspx?weekof=2021-06-12#P33801 |website=Life in Legacy |access-date=7 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Larry Gelman, R.I.P. |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2021/06/08/larry-gelman-r-i-p/ |website=News From Me |access-date=7 December 2021 |date=8 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SAG-AFTRA magazine – Fall/Winter 2021 |url=https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1433871-fall-winter-2021/135? |website=SAG-AFTRA |access-date=7 December 2021}}</ref>
==Television== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1966|| ''The Monkees'' || Director || S1:E12, "I've Got a Little Song Here" |- |1967|| ''The Monkees'' || Stage Manager || S1:E23, "Captain Crocodile" |- |1967|| ''The Monkees'' || Salesman || S2:E15, "The Christmas Show" |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0312475}} *{{IBDB name|92802}} *[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/228306358/larry-gelman Larry Gelman] at Find a Grave
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelman, Larry}} Category:1930 births Category:2021 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American Jews Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:Jewish American male actors Category:Male actors from Brooklyn Category:Burials at Los Angeles National Cemetery