Home   >   Movie Stars   >   R   >   John Randolph

John Randolph

John Randolph (June 1, 1915 - February 24, 2004) was a prolific Tony Award-winning actor.

He was born in New York City. In the 1930s he was active in politics, and in 1955 the House Un-American Activities Committee blacklisted him after he refused to answer questions related to the Cold War Communist scare.

He was in the original New York stage productions of The Sound of Music, Paint Your Wagon, and The Visit. One of his last movie roles was in 1998 as Tom Hanks's grandfather in You've Got Mail, but perhaps he is best known for playing the father of main character Charlie Partana in Prizzi's Honor.

He was often stopped on the street by people who asked if they knew him. He would reply Yes, I've been in your living room many times.

Randolph appeared in early episodes of the TV sit-com Seinfeld as Frank Costanza, George Costanza's father. He was later replaced by Jerry Stiller. In 1995, the scenes where Randolph appeared were re-shot with Stiller. The re-shot versions are shown in syndication in the United States. The original versions, with Randolph, can be seen outside of the US.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

John Randolph Facts

Birth NameEmanuel Hirsch Cohen
OccupationActor
BirthdayJune 1, 1915
SignGemini
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA
Date of deathFebruary 24, 2004 (age 88)

Selected Filmography

Trading Places
Robocop 3
King Kong
Gung Ho
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Friday the 13th
Ride the High Country
Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection
Coming to America
The Great White Hype
Continue » Find more details on the John Randolph Movies page