''. Third from left in front row is Tony Roberts; fourth from left is
Woody Allen.
Diane Keaton is on the far right. (1969) Roberts often collaborated with
Woody Allen. In
Annie Hall, he portrayed Alvy Singer's best friend, Rob. Other Allen movies and plays in which he appeared include both the
Broadway and movie versions of
Play It Again, Sam;
Stardust Memories (1980), ''
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Radio Days'' (1987). In 2001, Roberts appeared in Allen's respective segment for
The Concert for New York City. Roberts portrayed Deputy Mayor Warren LaSalle in
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. He also appeared in the
Sidney Lumet movies
Serpico and
Just Tell Me What You Want. In a rare, big-screen leading role, Roberts starred in the 1983 horror movie
Amityville 3-D as John Baxter, a deeply skeptical tabloid journalist who buys a
haunted house. He appeared opposite
George Burns (as his son) in 1988's
Eighteen Again!, and co-starred in the horror-dark comedy
Popcorn as Professor Davis, and in
Blake Edwards's situation comedy
Switch as Arnold Freidkin, both 1991 theatrical releases. Roberts also appeared in the
Walt Disney screwball comedy
The Million Dollar Duck and the stage-to-screen adaptation of
Star Spangled Girl, both 1971 (and both co-starring
Sandy Duncan);
Key Exchange and
Le Sauvage, both 1985; 1986's
Seize the Day; and 2005's
Twelve and Holding. Roberts's last theatrically released feature film role was as
Jason Bateman's character's therapist in the 2014 independent romantic
comedy-drama The Longest Week. His final made-for-television film portrayal was in the 2017
ABC production
Dirty Dancing. Roberts's Broadway credits include
Barefoot in the Park;
How Now, Dow Jones; ''
Murder at the Howard Johnson's; Promises, Promises; Sugar (the musical version of the movie Some Like It Hot); The Sisters Rosensweig; They're Playing Our Song; Victor/Victoria; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Arsenic and Old Lace; and Cabaret''. In 1998, he played Buddy Plummer in
Stephen Sondheim's
Follies at the
Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. In 2007, Roberts returned to Broadway in the musical
Xanadu. On television, Roberts was the third actor to play
Lee Pollock on
The Edge of Night. He appeared in numerous television series such as
The Carol Burnett Show,
Matlock,
Law & Order, and
Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In 1977, he was featured, alongside
Squire Fridell, as a lead in the short-lived
NBC legal drama
Rosetti and Ryan. In 1978, he guest-starred on
The Love Boat. Roberts and
Lauren Tewes's character, cruise ship director Julie McCoy, fall in love, but in the end do not pursue a romantic relationship. Roberts was featured (with
Penny Fuller, who had played his wife on
The Edge of Night) on the
ABC comedy
The Thorns. He was a regular performer on the
CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Roberts also recorded many of the audiobook adaptations of
Stuart Woods's novels. His other audiobook credits include
Andrew Vachss's
Batman: The Ultimate Evil,
Kurt Vonnegut's ''
Cat's Cradle'', and
Spencer Johnson's
Who Moved My Cheese?. == Personal life and death==