Profile Text
Roberts in 2012, photo by kathclick /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: David Anthony Roberts
Date of Birth: October 22, 1939
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: February 7, 2025
Place of Death: New York City, New York, U.S.
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Tony Roberts was an American actor. His roles included the films $1,000,000 Duck , Star Spangled Girl , Play It Again, Sam ; Serpico , The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Lovers Like Us , Annie Hall , Just Tell Me What You Want , Stardust Memories , A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy , Amityville 3-D , Key Exchange , Hannah and Her Sisters , Seize the Day , Radio Days , 18 Again! , Popcorn , Switch (1991), 12 and Holding , and The Longest Week ; the shows The Love Boat , The Four Seasons , The Lucie Arnaz Show , The Thorns , and Law & Order ; the made-for-tv movies The Girls in the Office , A Question of Honor (1982), Packin’ It In , Our Sons , Victor/Victoria (1995), and Dirty Dancing (2017); CBS Radio Mystery Theatre on radio; and many works on stage.
He was the son of Norma and Ken Roberts (born Saul Trochman), who was a CBS announcer and animator. His family was Jewish, from Latvia, Ukraine, and Russia. He had one child with his former wife Jennifer Lyons. Tony was said to have been a cousin of actor Everett Sloane.
Tony’s paternal grandfather was named Nathan Trochman. Nathan was from Latvia.
Tony’s paternal grandmother was named Fanny Haft/Naft. Fanny was from Ukraine, then in the Russian Empire.
Tony’s maternal grandfather was Herman Finkelstein (the son of Louis Finkelstein and Ethel Baltinacsky). Herman was born in New York, to parents from Russia.
Tony’s maternal grandmother was Anna/Ann Rod (the daughter of Morris Rod and Eva Kreitzick). Anna was born in Russia.
Source: Tony’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org