Tony Roberts has sadly passed away aged 85 and his cause of death has now been revealed.
Roberts died at his Manhattan home on Friday, leaving behind a legacy spanning Broadway, television, and film, per the Hollywood Reporter.
Born in New York in October 1939, Roberts was immersed in the entertainment world from an early age.
His father, Ken Roberts, was a well-known television and radio announcer, and his cousin, Everett Sloane, was a respected actor.
Reflecting on his upbringing in a 1985 interview with AP, Roberts shared: “I was raised in the middle of a lot of actor talk. My father’s friends were mostly actors. I’m sure that in some way I needed to prove myself in their eyes.”
He pursued his passion for acting early, attending the High School of Music & Art in New York before continuing his studies at Northwestern University in Illinois.
Over his career, he starred in numerous theatre productions, including the musicals How Now, Dow Jones and Sugar, the latter an adaptation of the classic film Some Like It Hot.
A two-time Tony Award nominee, Roberts had a celebrated career in both plays and musicals.
He starred alongside Dame Julie Andrews in her Broadway return for Victor/Victoria and appeared in Woody Allen’s 1966 stage comedy Don’t Drink the Water, later reprising his role for the film adaptation.
His film collaborations with Allen included Play It Again, Sam – which he also performed on stage – as well as Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days, Stardust Memories, and A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy.
Beyond his film and stage work, Roberts had an extensive television career, with roles in The Four Seasons, The Lucie Arnaz Show, and guest appearances in Murder, She Wrote, and Law & Order.
Despite the success he found through his association with Woody Allen, Roberts acknowledged the challenges that came with it.
In a 1997 interview with The Los Angeles Times, he remarked: “I was always so vividly the guy Woody wrote, that everybody in the business — casting agents, for instance — would think of me that way. The persona I was for Woody is a hard thing to break out of.”
In his 2015 memoir, Do You Know Me, Roberts reflected on his career, writing: “I’ve never been particularly lucky at card games. I’ve never hit a jackpot. But I have been extremely lucky in life.”
He added: “Unlike many of my pals, who didn’t know what they wanted to become when they grew up, I knew I wanted to be an actor before I got to high school.”
Roberts’ daughter, Nicole Burley, confirmed the cause of his death to the New York Times, attributing it to complications of lung cancer.
Our thoughts are with Roberts’ loved ones at this difficult time.
