You know Al Molinaro as Murray the Cop on the Odd Couple TV show (the Klugman-Randall version) and as Al on Happy Days. He appeared a lot of other TV shows including an NBC special that I wrote. I'd always heard he was very nice, thoroughly professional and that on a set, everyone loved him. During the two days I worked with him, that was exactly how it went.
Al was one of those great character actors — like Jack Somack and Burt Mustin — who came to it later in life. Al was successful in other businesses like real estate and he was in his forties (and financially successful) before he decided to pursue a new field…acting. He spent a decade or two doing bit parts and non-paying gigs before he finally began making a decent living in his second career.
I don't recall where it was but I once heard a story about how Al got discovered. I can't verify that it's true but it's such a good story I'm going to tell it anyway.
The way I heard it, an actors' group was putting on a play to showcase their members. They were going to invite every producer and agent they could there in the hope that they would get representation and/or jobs out of it. They selected a play that had lots of juicy, showy roles…but there was one part that no one wanted to do. It was tiny one with only three or four lines and it would not show anyone off in a way that would prompt a producer or agent to leap to his or her feet and say, "I want that person!"
So someone in the cast knew Al, they asked him and he agreed to take it. You've probably already guessed where this is going.
Opening night, they had the house packed with important folks. None of the main actors got any nibbles out of the event but at least one of the agents, seeing Al in his few minutes on stage, rushed back to the dressing room after the final curtain and asked Al, "Do you have an agent? If you don't, I'd like to be your agent." Al signed with the guy and within a week had several national commercials…which led to bigger, better things.
Is this story true? I dunno…maybe not. But I'd sure like to believe it is because Al seemed like such a good guy. He passed away yesterday at the age of 96 but will live forever in reruns.