Floyd Levine, a character actor who appeared in such films as Dog Day Afternoon, Night Shift and, for his son, producer, director and studio exec Brian Robbins, Coach Carter and Norbit, has died. He was 93.
Levine died Sunday, his daughter-in-law Tracy Robbins announced in an Instagram post.
“He was surrounded by his beautiful family (and probably wishing someone would bring him a martini),” she wrote. “The best father-in-law, grandpa and all-around jokester, Floyd loved Frank Sinatra, classic films and making everyone laugh.”
Levine also showed up as Desk Sgt. Lubin on CBS’ Cagney & Lacey, as Dr. Howard Stein on Fox’s Melrose Place and as Ned the Doorman on Nickelodeon’s Cousin Skeeter, a show co-created by his son.
Born in New York on Feb. 23, 1932, Levine and his wife, Rochelle, raised their three kids in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. He drove a cab to support an acting career that began with bit parts as cops in such films as Super Fly (1972), Death Wish (1974) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
After appearing in episodes of shows including Kojak, Baretta, Starsky & Hutch and Wonder Woman, Levine moved with his family in 1979 to Los Angeles. (When Brian Robbins started out as an actor in the early 1980s, he took the last name of his dad’s mother.)
Father and son appeared separately on episodes of CBS’ Archie Bunker’s Place in 1981 and ’82. And in 1989, Levine played a judge on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class, which starred Robbins as student Eric Mardian.
Levine also was on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, which his son directed and produced, and he played an ice cream man in Good Burger (1995), which Robbins helmed. Later, he portrayed a cab driver in Coach Carter (2005) and a tailor in Norbit (2007), movies produced by his son.
His big-screen credits included Bloodbrothers (1978), Night Shift (1982), The Border (1982), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988), The Hangover (2009) and two more films directed by his son, the Eddie Murphy-starring Meet Dave (2008) and A Thousand Words (2012).
And surely you came across him on Police Squad!, Charlie’s Angels, Hill Street Blues, Three’s Company, Arlis$$, Murder She Wrote, Mad About You and other shows (he has nearly 100 credits on IMDb).
Survivors also include his daughter, Sheryl, a casting director; another son, Marc; and several grandchildren. His wife died in May 2022 at age 85.
Robbins this month departed as chairman and CEO of Paramount Global in the wake of the sale to Skydance Media and David Ellison.