Ron Carey, Levitt on 'Barney Miller,' dies

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Ron Carey, the actor who played Officer Carl Levitt on the comedy hit "Barney Miller," died of a stroke in a Los Angeles hospital at age 71.

Carey was a member of Mel Brooks' comedy troupe, starring in films such as "High Anxiety" and "Silent Movie." He also appeared in supporting roles in other films and on television, and was seen in scores of commercials, the Los Angeles Times said.

"Ron Carey was truly talented, very funny and one of the dearest men I've ever worked with," Brooks said in a statement Thursday.

But television viewers knew Casey as "little Levitt," as he was affectionately called in the fictitious squad room on ABC's "Barney Miller." The 5-foot-7 Carey became a semi-regular on the show in 1976, the second year of the sitcom starring Hal Linden, and remained with the show until it ended in 1982.

A former stand-up comic, Carey broke into films playing a cab driver in "The Out of Towners," the 1970 comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.

Carey, who died Tuesday, is survived by his wife and a brother.