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Tony Roberts, versatile actor and longtime Woody Allen sidekick, dies aged 85

Roberts had a long career on Broadway and in movies, and is most fondly remembered for playing Allen’s best friend in a string of successful films

Roberts had a genial stage personality perfect for musical comedy and he originated roles in such diverse Broadway musicals as How Now, Dow Jones (1967); Sugar (1972), an adaptation of the movie Some Like It Hot; and Victor/Victoria (1995), in which he co-starred with Julie Andrews when she returned to Broadway in the stage version of her popular film. Other Allen films in which Roberts appeared were Annie Hall(1977), Stardust Memories (1980), A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Radio Days (1987). “Roberts’ confident onscreen presence – not to mention his tall frame, broad shoulders and brown curly mane – was the perfect foil for Allen’s various neurotic characters, making them more funny and enjoyable to watch,” the Jewish Daily Forward wrote in 2016.

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