Tony Roberts, Star ofAnnie HallandThe Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Dies at 85

Mar. 15, 2025

Tony Roberts.Photo:Walter McBride/Getty

Walter McBride/Getty

Tony Roberts, a legendary Broadway and film actor, has died. He was 85.

His daughter Nicole Burley toldThe New York Timesthat he died at his home in Manhattan, N.Y., on Friday, Feb. 7, after suffering complications of lung cancer.

The late actor had a lengthy career in Broadway and film, appearing in such titles asSerpicooppositeAl Pacino(1973),Annie Hall(1977),The Taking of Pelham One Two Three(1974) and musicalsHow Now, Dow Jones(1967) andSugar(1972), among 23 other stage appearances.

In 1966, Roberts metWoody Allenwhen he auditioned for Allen’s playDon’t Drink the Water, perThe Hollywood Reporter.

Allen, 89, went on to cast Roberts in several of his films includingStardust Memories(1980),A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy(1982),Hannah and Her Sisters(1986) andRadio Days(1987).

Roberts — who is the son of radio and television announcer Ken Roberts — was born in New York.

Roberts also appeared opposite Allen on Broadway inPlay It Again, Sam(1969), which he also received a Tony nomination for. He made his movie debut a few years later inThe Million Dollar Duck(1971).

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Roberts said of working with Allen in a 2014 interview, perTHR, “There have been times when I wished I was him. I would like to have his gift and his genius and his brain, which is something to revel at … That’s a pleasure to be around. I wouldn’t want his deeper neuroses, but I don’t think he’d want mine.”

Roberts pictured in 2019.Monica Schipper/Getty

Monica Schipper/Getty

The late actor recalled his experience after working with the filmmaker in 1997, “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,” perNYT.

He was married to actress Jennifer Lyons, from 1969 to 1975. Their daughter Nicole Burley is his only immediate survivor, perNYT.

PEOPLE has reached out to Roberts' representative for comment.

source: people.com