Robert P. Lieb, 88; Veteran Character Actor on Broadway, TV, Film

Robert P. Lieb, 88, a veteran character actor on Broadway, television and film, died Saturday in Los Angeles of complications from intestinal surgery earlier this year.

Lieb, who was a native of Pelham, N.Y., attended New York University before becoming an actor. He made his quiet debut on Broadway, he often joked, as a body falling out of a closet in the 1940s hit “Mr. and Mrs. North.”

Roles followed in the original casts of “Two Blind Mice” and “Inherit the Wind.”

Lieb appeared in numerous television shows, most notably in his long-running role as employer George Baxter’s brother-in-law, Harry Thompson, in the series centered on the Baxters’ maid “Hazel.”

Lieb was also remembered for his role as the arresting Officer Flaherty in the often-repeated “Twilight Zone” episode “The Night of the Meek.” The Christmastime show featured Art Carney as a department store Santa, who, after being fired for drinking, discovers he is the real Santa Claus. Lieb’s daughter, Bon Appetit magazine editor Barbara Fairchild, invited friends and colleagues to watch annual December reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel.

On the large screen, Lieb appeared as the seedy attorney for John Huston’s character in “Myra Breckinridge” (1970), and had small roles in such films as “Angel in My Pocket” (1969), “How to Frame a Figg” (1971) and “Mystery Men” (1999).

In addition to appearing on several television series, including “Alf” in the 1980s, he had parts in such TV movies as “Dangerous Heart” (1994).