# Who are our current "Abe Vigodas"? (people you might be surprised to learn are still alive) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [September 7, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985 "2020-09-07T01:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/321 "2022-08-09T15:37:34Z")
> [@ataraxy22](#): > > Bobby Vinton is still alive. I had no idea. > > Same with Uri Geller. Dammit, now I have an image of those two spooning stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/322 "2022-08-10T04:15:34Z")
So did Norman Lear. ETA: I already mentioned that in this thread. Oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/323 "2022-08-10T11:32:41Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > > [@ataraxy22](#): > > > > Bobby Vinton is still alive. I had no idea. > > > > Same with Uri Geller. > > Dammit, now I have an image of those two spooning stuck in my head. - That’s bent. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/324 "2022-08-17T21:29:32Z")
This thread is almost two years old. Out of idle curiosity, I spent a couple of hours going through all the postings and identified all the celebrities that we Dopers listed here. I counted 126 people, but I could easily have overlooked a couple. Of those 126, 25 have died since being tabbed as an Abe Vigoda. (Two of them, Clu Gulager and Gene LeBell, passed away within the past two weeks.) Here is the list of those 25 people and the year of their death: | Name | Year of Death | | --- | --- | | Chuck Yeager | 2020 | | Marge Champion | 2020 | | Roberta McCain | 2020 | | Larry King | 2021 | | Betty White | 2021 | | Beverly Cleary | 2021 | | Bob Dole | 2021 | | Cloris Leachman | 2021 | | Desmond Tutu | 2021 | | Ed Asner | 2021 | | Gavin MacLeod | 2021 | | George Schultz | 2021 | | Henry Aaron | 2021 | | Jackie Mason | 2021 | | Jane Withers | 2021 | | Mort Sahl | 2021 | | Norman Lloyd | 2021 | | Ramsey Clark | 2021 | | Ruthie Tompson | 2021 | | Clu Gulager | 2022 | | Gene LeBell | 2022 | | Larry Storch | 2022 | | Nehemiah Persoff | 2022 | | Scoey Mitchell | 2022 | | Sidney Poitier | 2022 | And here are the 101 people who are still kicking, along with their current age. Might give you some good ideas for next year’s celebrity death pool. | Name | Current Age | | --- | --- | | Al Jaffee | 101 | | Ray Anthony | 100 | | Norman Lear | 100 | | Rachel Robinson | 100 | | Henry Kissinger | 99 | | Bob Barker | 98 | | Eva Marie Saint | 98 | | Dorothy Claire | 97 | | Jimmy Carter | 97 | | June Lockhart | 97 | | Angela Lansbury | 96 | | Dick Van Dyke | 96 | | Gene Shalit | 96 | | Mel Brooks | 96 | | Robert Clary | 96 | | Roger Corman | 96 | | Shecky Greene | 96 | | Tony Bennett | 96 | | Barbara Rush | 95 | | Doc Severinsen | 95 | | Harry Belafonte | 95 | | Pope Benedict XVI | 95 | | William Daniels | 95 | | Burt Bacharach | 94 | | Dr. Ruth Westheimer | 94 | | Tom Lehrer | 94 | | Bob Cousy | 93 | | Bonnie Bartlett | 93 | | George Maharis | 93 | | Irving Feldman | 93 | | Joseph Hardy | 93 | | Noam Chomsky | 93 | | Sid Krofft | 93 | | Berry Gordy | 92 | | Bob Newhart | 92 | | Buzz Aldrin | 92 | | Gene Hackman | 92 | | Joanne Woodward | 92 | | John Astin | 92 | | Vera Miles | 92 | | Dominic Chianese | 91 | | Hal Linden | 91 | | James Earl Jones | 91 | | Leslie Caron | 91 | | Marla Gibbs | 91 | | Mikhail Gorbachev | 91 | | Robert Duvall | 91 | | Sonny Rollins | 91 | | Willie Mays | 91 | | Barbara Bain | 90 | | Dabney Coleman | 90 | | Loretta Lynn | 90 | | Bernie Kopell | 89 | | Brian Murphy | 89 | | Michael Caine | 89 | | Siân Phillips | 89 | | Annette Dionne | 88 | | Bob Uecker | 88 | | Cécile Dionne | 88 | | Graham Kerr | 88 | | John Mayall | 88 | | Pat Boone | 88 | | Shirley MacLaine | 88 | | Bobby Vinton | 87 | | Dame Judi Dench | 87 | | Erich von Däniken | 87 | | Maggie Smith | 87 | | Jerry Lacy | 86 | | Jerry Lee Lewis | 86 | | Nancy Dussault | 86 | | Richard Wilson | 86 | | Ruth Buzzi | 86 | | Woody Allen | 86 | | Diane Rehm | 85 | | Dick Cavett | 85 | | Edward Fox | 85 | | Garrett Morris | 85 | | James Burke | 85 | | Marty Krofft | 85 | | Vanessa Redgrave | 85 | | John Byner | 84 | | Christopher Lloyd | 83 | | Neil Sedaka | 83 | | Rex Reed | 83 | | Rich Little | 83 | | George Lazenby | 82 | | Lily Tomlin | 82 | | Tony Roberts | 82 | | Ann-Margret | 81 | | Stephanie Cole | 80 | | Ian McDiarmid | 78 | | Terry Funk | 78 | | Wallace Shawn | 78 | | Diane Keaton | 76 | | José Feliciano | 76 | | Uri Geller | 75 | | Brian Eno | 74 | | Michael Hogan | 73 | | Ric Flair | 73 | | Jerry Lawler | 72 | | Cedric the Entertainer | 58 | ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/325 "2022-08-17T23:01:58Z")
What I wouldn’t give to see how Gene Shalit looks at 96! Just imagine the length of his ‘stache!! [![](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/streams/2013/April/130417/1C6966389-http3A2F2Fwww.newsvine.com2F_vine2Fimages2Fusers2Fsveres1232F5441079.jpg) ](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/streams/2013/April/130417/1C6966389-http3A2F2Fwww.newsvine.com2F_vine2Fimages2Fusers2Fsveres1232F5441079.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/326 "2022-08-17T23:06:44Z")
TIL Gina Lollobrigida is 95. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/327 "2022-08-18T11:17:49Z")
Dick Vitale, age 83, is cancer free, baby! > **[ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is cancer free | CNN](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/08/18/sport/dick-vitale-cancer-free-intl-spt/index.html)** > > ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is cancer free after lengthy battles with lymphoma and melanoma, he announced Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/328 "2022-09-02T18:58:28Z")
I was surprised to learn that Edward Packard, the creator and prolific author of the _Choose Your Own Adventure_ series of interactive fiction books, is still alive at 91. And not only that, he’s got [a home-made web page](https://www.edwardpackard.com/) with a blog that he updates daily, and has just finished writing another novel. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/329 "2022-09-05T14:10:41Z")
Ruta Lee is still with us and younger than I though at 87. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/330 "2022-09-05T19:34:12Z")
I just watched the _Scrubs_ episode in which Dick Van Dyke guest-started as an aging doctor who couldn’t keep up with the times. The episode aired 19 years ago, when Van Dyke was a mere 77 years old. He’s still kicking at 96. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/331 "2022-09-05T19:58:58Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > The episode aired 19 years ago, when Van Dyke was a mere 77 years old. He’s still kicking at 96. I saw a picture of him the other day and he was going to the gym wearing a Mary Poppins T-shirt. He seems pretty awesome and a relatively good candidate to reach 100. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/332 "2022-09-09T16:48:38Z")
Speaking of _Mary Poppins_, songwriter [Richard M. Sherman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M._Sherman) is still with us at 94. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/333 "2022-09-13T07:38:56Z")
Yes, well Glynis Johns was in that movie, and she is currently 4 years older than Mr. Sherman. In contrast, the lad was played by Matthew Garber, who expired some 13 years after the movie’s release, at age 21, of hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis – I mean, ewwww. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/334 "2022-09-15T07:00:02Z")
A recent story kind of caught me off guard: Yvon Chouinard is transferring the Patagonia company to a trust, to insure that its profits are used to further environmentalist goals. And, I thought, is he still alive? I mean, only 83, but you would have thought he had fallen off something by now. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/335 "2022-09-21T18:16:22Z")
The infamous comedy actor Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, known to us all as “Baghdad Bob”, is living the good(-ish) life in some place like Durain or Bahbai. At only 85, he is still a pup in vigodaspeak, but it still seems a tiny bit surprising the he yet endures. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/336 "2022-09-21T20:21:07Z")
He will stand next to his casket saying,“Rumors of my death? I’m fine!” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/337 "2022-10-08T19:08:13Z")
Ed Ames ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/338 "2022-10-08T21:47:00Z")
Ed Ames took part in one of the funniest moments in late night TV. Obligatory clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0L5QC9ZJkM8/hqdefault.jpg "Ed Ames Teaches Johnny Carson to Throw a Tomahawk") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L5QC9ZJkM8) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/339 "2022-10-08T23:09:48Z")
He is 95. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/340 "2022-11-25T05:20:33Z")
[Frances Sternhagen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Sternhagen), the actress best known (to me, anyway) for her recurring role as Cliff Clavin’s mother on _Cheers_, is still alive at 92. She already seemed to be an old woman back on _Cheers_, so I had assumed she’d long since passed on. But nope, according to Wikipedia she’s been taking roles on TV, film, and on stage as recently as 2014. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985.md?page=18)