‘What is retirement?’ At 91, ‘Barney Miller’ actor Hal Linden won’t slow down

Of course, Linden’s career goes far beyond Barney Miller. He was a regular on Broadway over the years and won the Tony Award for his performance in the musical The Rothschilds in the early 70s. He also appeared in several films, from Bells Are Ringing (1970) to Out to Sea (1997).

And although Linden is best known as an actor, he started his career as a musician. He played clarinet and saxophone and attended New York’s High School of Music and Art (now part of LaGuardia High School, also known as Fame school). He formed his own band when he was 15 and as he says, from then on I was a professional musician.

MarketWatch recently caught up with Linden to ask her questions about her life and work, as well as to hear her views on money. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation:

Market surveillance: You’re at an age where most people, if they’re lucky enough to still be around, take it easy. What drives you to keep working?

Linden: Well, first of all, I fell in love with the action process. The most asked question (that I get) in most interviews is: which do you prefer screen, television or stage? And I used to say, all of the above.

And then I realized about 25 years ago, that wasn’t really true. What I like the most is the repetition because that’s where the process comes in. The creation of the character, the creation of everything. Otherwise, its fair execution is not as satisfying as starting with words on a piece of paper and ending with a human being. This process is, I guess, what has driven me all my life, and it still does.

Market surveillance: Talk about two Jews talking. How did this project get started ?

Linden: It’s the creative work of Ed Weinberger, who is a well-known TV comedy writer. And actually, the truth is, I believe he wrote it for Ed Asner, and when Ed Asner died, I got a phone call. So I’m Ed Asners understudy, which I’ll take any day.

Market surveillance: What do you think the play is about? It’s obviously a comedy about two older Jewish men talking, but there are also bits of wisdom that are passed down.

Linden: Yes, there are bigger issues being talked about. The main theme is skepticism about the belief that you can believe in something instead of being very skeptical about it. I wouldn’t say cynical, I would say skeptical.

The other theme has to do with friendship, the ability of two people to talk to each other and care about what happens to each other. If you communicate honestly with someone, you will have someone by your side.

That’s kind of what it’s all about, sprinkled with as many fun lines as possible.

Market surveillance: As a high-ranking statesman, tell me something you know at 91 that you didn’t know as a youngster.

Linden: I just had my hip replaced. And from the moment I left the hospital, I had a child, either a daughter, or a son, or a son-in-law with me every minute. I never asked. They just introduced themselves. So what do I know now? I have wonderful children.

Market surveillance: Did you just have your hip replaced?!

Linden: Yes, I know crazy for a 91 year old man.

Market surveillance: I was thinking about your role as Barney Miller. He was a character who was always a calming force in a storm. Does every workplace need a Barney Miller?

Linden: I’m sure they would benefit from it. It’s interesting that you bring up Barney Miller. In this piece (Two Jews Talking), I have most of the punchlines. I got some of the best lines in the series. In Barney Miller, I haven’t had a punchline in eight years. I was just playing for everyone. Which tells you something about acting. It’s always the same technique, whether it ends with the punchline or the straight line. You should always ask the same questions every time you start.

Market surveillance: How have you approached your life financially?

Linden: Im a child of depression. I have never been a big player financially. I took a few shots. Most of them fell dead. But I thank heaven that I found a career that I love to do and have done for all these years. If I ever had to go into business, I don’t think I would have had much success. I don’t think I have the attention to detail that’s needed in a business, you know.

Market surveillance: What is one thing you hate spending money on?

Linden: I hate being manipulated by brand names. I get really annoyed when I see someone in my family spend a lot of money on big names. Because I’ve spent so much time in the advertising business. I’ve done a lot of voiceovers for years and jingles and stuff, and it’s manipulation.

Market surveillance: What are you willing to splurge on?

Linden: Experiences. I always had that with (my) children. We didn’t spend money on things, but we went skiing, camping and traveling.

Market surveillance: What is your favorite possession?

Linden: I love my clarinet. I’ve had it since I was about 12.

Market surveillance: You’ve won a Tony and a few Emmys. Where do you keep them?

Linden: In my office, I keep all the awards (at my home in California). Many of them are ridiculous rewards. Father of the year? What do they know? What is that?

Market surveillance: You are only two awards away from being an EGOT recipient (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner). You need a Grammy and an Oscar. Do you think you have a chance?

Linden: Not only do I not expect to get an Oscar, but I’m also afraid of getting another movie role.

Market surveillance: What job would you do even if you weren’t paid?

Linden: I don’t know if you know anything about the bottom line of an off-Broadway theater, but this (appearing in Two Jews Talking) is practically free. Actors do it all the time to do a good job or to accomplish something personal. I did an off-Broadway show in California. I played Sunshine Boys. I got nine dollars per performance. And the following week, I made maybe a film where I had thousands. It happens all the time in our business. I was backstage at an event, saw an old friend and said, how are you? He said, I’ll tell you how bad it is. I do theater for money.

Market surveillance: One last question: do you plan to retire?

Linden: Withdraw? What is retirement? After doing The Rothschilds, there was a period when I was asked for concerts, for television, for films. I ended up doing Barney. It was about a decade of one thing after another, and someone said to me, do you ever take a vacation? I said, I took all my vacation from 1959 to 1967. At the time, we were talking about unemployment.

Retire, why? As long as I can keep doing this and my brain works. Like I said, it’s the process. It is joy.