Monday, December 20, 2010

steve landesberg [1945 - 2010]

i just learned landesberg died today at the criminally early age of 65. the comedian is best known for his role as dietrich on the cop sitcom barney miller [1974 - 1982] landesberg's dietrich was an intellectual know-it-all who really did know it all and he was my favorite character on the show. it might sound weird, i was eight years old when barney miller started, it was dietrich with whom i identified with. i'm not suggesting that i was precocious and shit, not at all, just that dietrich was the oddest duck in the midst of odd ducks who lived the life of the mind and it was this quality, along with a shunted sense of absurdity, that i could dig. landesberg played dietrich exquisitely well. he shall be missed.

2 Comments:

At 8:06 PM, Blogger Jim K. said...

always seemed a bit older than
he was..

there has not been a character
like dietrich since

 
At 4:53 PM, Blogger richard lopez said...

jim, i read landesberg's obit in the paper and it turns out no one really knew his age. the actor was listed as being 74 and he admitted becoming an actor later in life so always fudged on his age to avoid discrimination.

 

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