David Shiner, a unique actor known for his work in the movie “The Odd Couple” and the drama “Murder,” passed away on June 5 in Los Angeles due to kidney failure, his daughter Kate Shiner confirmed to Variety.
Shiner was an actor trained under Lee Strasberg who left Broadway and moved to Los Angeles. According to a family biography, his classmates who studied performing arts included Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. While on Broadway, Shiner originated the role of the bellman in “Will Success Ruin Rock Hunter?” It opened in 1955.
After starting his career in the ’50s on shows like Studio One, Big Story, and The Phil Silvers Show, Shiner worked on about 100 different films and shows, often playing spies, doctors, lawyers, and lawmen.
He appeared as Roy, the poker-playing accountant alongside Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, in Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, The Eleventh Hour, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man From UNCLE, The Fugitive, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, and, of course, The Odd Couple.
His last appearance was in season 5, episode 6 of Murder, She Wrote, where he played Leo Selkirk. Other credits from the ’80s included “News at Eleven,” “The Fall Guy,” “Fantasy Island,” and “Blue Thunder.”
Shiner spent the last 40 years of his life off-screen, and his obituary noted that he devoted his life to his family.
Shiner is survived by his son Andrew Shiner, daughter-in-law Janet Nolan Shiner, daughter Kate Shiner, son-in-law Chris Hoagland, and granddaughter Liv Hoagland.
