Marvin Kaplan

Marvin Kaplan (b. January 24, 1927, d. August 25, 2016) was an American character actor and voice artist. Kaplan is probably best known for his recurring role on the 1970s sitcom Alice where he portrayed a phone company employee named Henry Beesmeyer who frequented Mel's diner. In addition, Kaplan was the voice of Choo Choo on the 1960s cartoon series Top Cat and had a bit role in the 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World playing a gas station attendant opposite Jonathan Winters; in both roles he was featured alongside actor Arnold Stang, with whom he shared a somewhat similar physical appearance.

Kaplan starred in the 1965 Blake Edwards comedy The Great Race alongside Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. He also made a brief appearance as a carpet cleaner in the 1976 film Freaky Friday. His earlier roles include the court reporter in Adam's Rib with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, where in his trademark deadpan style he asks Tracy how to spell "Pinky", a private pet name for Hepburn's character that Tracy had accidentally used while in court.

Kaplan also had a recurring role as Mr. Gordon on the sitcom Becker.

Death
Kaplan died of natural causes in his sleep on August 25, 2016. He was 89.