Tony Roberts, Nonchalant Fixture in Woody Allen Films, Dies at 85

Tony Roberts, the affable actor who was best known as the hero’s best friend in Woody Allen movies like “Annie Hall,” and who distinguished himself on the New York stage with two Tony Award nominations and what the critic Clive Barnes of The New York Times called his “careful nonchalance,” died on Friday at his home in Manhattan.He was 85.His daughter and only immediate survivor, Nicole Burley, said the cause was complications of lung cancer.Mr.

Roberts played easygoing, confident characters that were a perfect counterpoint to the rampant insecurities of Mr.Allen’s.Alvy Singer, the hero of “Annie Hall” (1977), which won the Oscar for best picture, stuttered, dithered and fumbled his way around Manhattan’s Upper East Side alongside Rob (Mr.

Roberts), his taller, better-looking, far more self-assured Hollywood actor friend and tennis partner.If truth be told, Rob would rather be in Los Angeles, where the weather is nicer, adding a laugh track to his sitcom.Mr.

Roberts played similar types in other Allen films.In “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” (1982), he was a jovial bachelor doctor at the turn of the 20th century.

“Marriage, for me, is the death of hope,” his character announced.In “Stardust Memories” (1980), he was a brash actor who brought a Playboy centerfold model to a film festival.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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