He began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in 12 Angry Men (1957) and Cry Terror!

Five years later, he reprised that role in the television adaptation of The Odd Couple opposite Tony Randall.

"[9] After the war, he pursued acting roles in New York City while sharing an apartment with friend, and fellow ex-GI turned actor, Charles Bronson.

In early 1949 he took an unpaid role in an Equity Library Theatre production of the mid-1930s play Stevedore, in which Rod Steiger and Ossie Davis also appeared.

[11] The following year, he appeared in the live television broadcast of Producers' Showcase in the episode "The Petrified Forest" with Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda.

He went on to appear in several classic films, including as juror number five in 12 Angry Men (1957), of which he was the last surviving cast member.

In 1960, Klugman was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor (Musical) for his role in the show but lost to Tom Bosley in Fiorello!.

Klugman continued the decade with multiple guest roles on television, including appearances on The F.B.I., Ben Casey, The Name of the Game, The Fugitive, and Insight.

In 1965, Klugman replaced Walter Matthau in the lead role of Oscar Madison in the original Broadway production of The Odd Couple.

[14] After the cancellation of The Odd Couple in 1975, Klugman returned to television in 1976 in Quincy, M.E., initially broadcast as part of the NBC Mystery Movie umbrella series, before becoming a weekly program.

Klugman portrayed Dr. Quincy, a forensic pathologist who worked for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and solved crimes.

In 1984, Klugman starred in Lyndon, a one-man show based on Prideaux's script, inspired in part by Merle Miller's taped conversations and directed by George Schaefer.

In 1993, he appeared on a special "celebrity versus regulars" version of the British quiz show Going for Gold, emerging as the series winner.

[23] The lawsuit was filed in California state court, with Klugman requesting NBC to show him the original contract.

[24] Klugman was originally supposed to play Juror #9 in a stage production of Twelve Angry Men at the George Street Playhouse that was set to open on March 13, 2012.

He owned Jaklin Klugman, who finished third in the 1980 Kentucky Derby behind the great filly Genuine Risk and Grade 1 stakes winner Akinemod.

[37] In 1988, he lost a vocal cord to throat cancer surgery but continued to act on stage and television, though he was left with a quiet, raspy voice.

[39] Klugman died from prostate cancer at his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on December 24, 2012, aged 90.

"[41] Klugman's ashes were interred in a columbarium at Westwood Memorial Park cemetery in Los Angeles.