Abe Vigoda outlives Steve Landesberg

Dietrich did not replace Yemana. The character first appeared later in Season 2, was a recurring character in Season 3 and was a regular by Season 4. Yemana was on until Season 5, which is when Jack Soo died.

Here's a scene of the two of them together.

 

Double J - I sit corrected.

What an awesome show. It has not gotten close to its due.

 

That's for damned sure.

I forgot to mention Gregory Sierra as a cast member (Seasons 1 and 2) who is also still alive.

 

What an awesome actor on an awesome show. My dad loved watching "Barney Miller" and he got my sister and I hooked on it as kids, too. It was so well written and so well acted.

Side note: Max Gail grew up in our coverage area. I found his photo on the class composite at his high school a few years back. (Hey, they were just outside the gym!).

Second side note: Steve was on one of the worst things I've ever seen - the pilot for the TV show based on "Blazing Saddles" - I think it was called "Black Bart." It's an extra feature on the "Blazing Saddles" DVD. Man, was that painful to watch. I am so glad that it never made it to TV. That would have killed the careers of Steve (who played Gene Wilder's role) and Clevon Little. And, it would have taken the luster off the best comedy film ever made, in my opinion.

 

Oh, man, I almost forgot about "Black Bart." I saw it when I got the Blazing Saddles DVD. I watched it once, and that was enough.

For the record, Landesberg didn't actually play the Waco Kid. For the TV pilot, they made up a character named "Reb" who was supposedly on the South side in the Civil War, defected to the North and became Bart's deputy.

 

Also can't forget James Gregory as the irascible, somewhat racist Lugar. Also from IMDB, Kenneth Tigar played Kopechne. Barney appears in the most episodes (171), with Woj appearing in one less.