Standing 6'5", prematurely bald and decidedly "ethnic", Herb Edelman had a long career as a character player of stage, screen and TV. He remains best known for his extensive work in the latter medium, generally in stints as a series regular or recurring character ("Welcome Back, Kotter"; "St. Elsewhere"; "Knots Landing"), very rarely as a lead. Edelman may be best recognized as Stanley Zbornak, the ne'er-do-well ex-husband of Bea Arthur's Dorothy on the hit sitcom "The Golden Girls" (NBC, 1985-92).

It is somewhat poignant to note that this nearly archetypal New Yorker grew up in Brooklyn's