# Last Remaining Cast Members **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464 "2021-01-01T20:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/181 "2021-08-23T02:15:29Z")
Jeez! I wonder if I can have another child someday. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/182 "2021-08-23T02:26:25Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Jeez! I wonder if I can have another child someday Dude, Tony Randall had his first child at age 77. Now, I don’t really recommend it as he died at age 84 and his children will never have much of a memory of him, but it is possible! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/183 "2021-08-23T02:31:07Z")
James Doohan fathered his last child at the age of 80. I know it’s possible, but (as you say) I’m not sure it’s a good idea, in terms of legacy. I think there’s also an increased risk of birth defects if one (or both) of the parents is (are) of an older age than the norm. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/184 "2021-08-23T02:37:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I think there’s also an increased risk of birth defects if one (or both) of the parents is (are) of an older age than the norm. Is this true for men as well? I believe the potential for Down Syndrome and perhaps some other things goes up quite a bit when a woman is past 40, but I don’t know about the male’s age contributing to defects. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/185 "2021-08-23T02:39:15Z")
Not sure. I’d have to look it up. The sperm count sure does get lower after a man reaches a certain age, though. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/186 "2021-08-23T02:48:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > It hardly counts as his Mr. Spooner character was only on for a season, but Mike Berry is the last survivor of Are You Being Served? I’d say it counts - he was on AYBS for four years, 21 episodes out of 70, and he was a major character in each episode he was in. (I was expecting this to be a show full of ghosts too). ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/187 "2021-08-23T11:05:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is this true for men as well? Yes. This was quite widely reported some years back, but yeah: sperm degrades too (not just in numbers), with advanced age, leading to increased risk for the offspring. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/188 "2021-08-23T14:51:34Z")
Yes I had to look it up and by George, you’re right. Yes he counts. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/189 "2021-08-23T17:52:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Dude, Tony Randall had his first child at age 77. Now, I don’t really recommend it as he died at age 84 and his children will never have much of a memory of him, but it is possible! That was due to unusual circumstances. Randall got married to Florence Gibbs in 1938 when he was eighteen years old (they were high school sweethearts). They remained married until her death in 1992. Florence was apparently unable to have children. Randall married his second wife, Heather Harlan, three years later. They had two children together (a daughter and a son) before Randall’s death in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/190 "2021-08-23T17:59:48Z")
Not quite the last remaining cast member, but of the six actors who played the title characters in _Time Bandits_ (1981), only Mike Edmonds is still alive. (The other surviving cast members from the movie are Craig Warnock, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, David Daker, Shelley Duvall, Sheila Fearn, and Michael Palin.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/191 "2021-08-23T18:41:43Z")
Yeah, Lyle Waggoner passed away in 2020 I believe. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/192 "2021-08-23T21:16:58Z")
He was actually 53. (I haven’t had my birthday yet this year.) Hey, Strom Thurmond fathered a child at 66 (I think.). And Coleman Young (former mayor of Detroit) did so at 64. My mom was quite a bit younger (obviously). Think Bogart and Bacall. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/193 "2021-08-25T23:09:53Z")
My father was 66 when I was born, and 68 when my younger brother was born. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/194 "2021-08-27T19:10:43Z")
Crap, I thought I was going to win. My dad was 62 when I was born, 65 when my sister was born. Plus 5 older kids and 2 adopted. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/195 "2021-08-27T19:24:54Z")
There should be two “divisions” here: _Planned_ pregnancies (as I presume was the case with Tony Randall, et al) and _Accidents_ like my brothers and me. I’ve often wondered how my dad’s doctor reacted to a 68-year old requesting a vasectomy. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/196 "2021-08-27T20:04:24Z")
I don’t know that I was an accident, more like no precautions taken. Luckily for her, my mom says, she had a hysterectomy shortly after my sister was born. In this case, nine was enough. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/197 "2021-08-27T20:15:07Z")
Whenever I took my daughter out when she was tiny, people thought I was her grandpa. I was just 40 or so. Mind you, this was in Russia, where there’s something wrong with you (males and females) if you’re not married and have two kids by the time you’re 25. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/198 "2021-08-29T18:55:27Z")
Looks like Betty White is the sole survivor of Mary Tyler Moore. [RIP, Ed](https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-tv-arts-and-entertainment-ed-asner-f68ac96f09acd7263a476786d3aeed80). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/199 "2021-08-30T00:28:25Z")
Unless you count John Amos, who did 13 episodes as Gordy. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/200 "2021-08-30T00:45:32Z")
Joyce Bulifant (Murray’s wife) and LIsa Gerritsen (Bess, Phyllis’ daughter) are at the same level as John Amos. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=11)