He was a regular guest star on American television appearing in Kojak, Hill Street Blues, Alias and Frasier.

He was best known for his appearances on Broadway where he frequently played the title role in Zorba the Greek, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, and the barber in Man of La Mancha.

He was married for 23 years to actress Marion Ross, his third wife, and had two sons, Matt and Greg Michael.

[1] Michael died from heart failure on July 8, 2011, at his home in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 84.

This article about a United States film and television actor born in the 1920s is a stub.