> Tige Andrews, a character actor who earned an Emmy nomination for
> portraying Capt. Adam Greer, the officer who recruited the undercover
> cops of television's "The Mod Squad," has died. He was 86.

> Andrews, who often played detectives during a TV career that spanned
> five decades, died of cardiac arrest Jan. 27 at his longtime home in
> Encino, his family said.

> "Dad was really proud of 'The Mod Squad.' He felt the show made a big
> difference because it was one of the first television series to
> address social issues such as drugs, prostitution and teen pregnancy
> that were more hush-hush before that time," said Barbara Andrews, one
> of his six children

> He also loved "working with 'the kids,' " which was how he always
> referred to the show's young stars - Clarence Williams III, Michael
> Cole and Peggy Lipton, his daughter said.

> Andrews appeared in several episodes of the ABC series that aired from
> 1968 to 1973.

> After seeing Andrews in "Mister Roberts" on Broadway, director John
> Ford cast him in the 1955 film version and at least two other
> projects.

> "To us, John Ford was Uncle Plum because Ford loved him and kept
> giving him more lines here and there," Barbara Andrews said. "He was a
> huge influence in his life."

> The actor worked on more than 60 television shows, including a lead
> role as tough-talking Lt. Russo in "The Detectives Starring Robert
> Taylor," which aired from 1959 to 1962.

> Tiger Andrews was born March 19, 1920, in Brooklyn, N.Y. His immigrant
> parents, following Syrian custom, named him after a strong animal
> because it was supposed to ensure good health, his family said.

> When Andrews was 3, his mother, Selma, died and his father, George,
> later remarried. He grew up in a large family in Middlesex, N.J.,
> where his father ran a fruit stand.

> During World War II, Andrews served in the Army but returned home
> after being wounded in Sicily.

> A former standout in high school plays, he graduated from the American
> Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

> In an off-Broadway revival of "The Threepenny Opera" that debuted in
> 1955, he appeared as Streetsinger, an experience his family said he
> cherished.

> His wife of 46 years, Norma Thornton, a dancer who appeared regularly
> on "The Ed Sullivan Show," died in 1996.

> In addition to his daughter Barbara, Andrews is survived by children
> John, Gina, Steve, Julianna and Tony; and 11 grandchildren.