Thomas Lennon (“Sean Saves the World”) has been hired to play neat-freak Felix Unger on CBS’ upcoming iteration of “The Odd Couple,” starring Matthew Perry as slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison.
Lennon has big shoes to fill; Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” which first premiered on Broadway in 1965, is an American pop-culture treasure, spawning untold professional (and amateur) stage productions, a movie and numerous TV incarnations as it nears its 50th anniversary.
With that in mind, here’s a look at five performers who’ve tackled the role of Felix Unger — with varying degrees of success.
Art Carney
The versatile actor, best known as goofy sewer worker Ed Norton on “The Honeymooners,” originated the role of Felix opposite Walter Matthau’s Oscar in the 1965 Broadway production. Carney garnered rave reviews, but left the show early in its run after suffering a nervous breakdown. He was replaced by Eddie Bracken.
Jack Lemmon
The Oscar-winning Lemmon was hired as Felix for the very successful (and funny) 1968 movie version of “The Odd Couple,” starring opposite Matthau, who reprised his Tony Award-winning role.
Tony Randall
Randall crafted the most beloved (and best-remembered) fussy Felix in “Odd Couple” history, starring opposite grumpy Jack Klugman in ABC’s “The Odd Couple,” which ran for five seasons (1970-75).
Ron Glass
Best-known as the dapper Detective Harris on “Barney Miller,” Glass teamed with ex-“Sanford and Son” co-star Demond Wilson for “The New Odd Couple,” which lasted only one season on ABC (1982-83).
Sally Struthers
Yep. Gloria from “All in the Family” was tapped for “The Female Odd Couple,” which opened on Broadway in 1985 and ran for eight months — with Struthers in the role of Florence Unger and Rita Moreno playing Olive Madison. Brenda Vaccaro eventually replaced Moreno in the role of Olive.