RANDALL CARVER

            Randall was born May 25th in Fort Worth, Texas, the adopted son of Russell and Virginia Carver ("the best thing that ever happened to me".)  His father, a successful businessman, became President of the Hereford State Bank and his mother, a three time Life Master Bridge Player. Randy spent his early childhood in Canadian, Texas, a town much like the one seen in "The Last Picture Show". It is here that Randy got his first taste of acting and learned to read while holding his mothers scripts while she rehearsed for community theatre productions.

            After he was graduated from Missouri Military Academy, Randy returned to Amarillo where he appeared in the first production of the outdoor musical "Texas". Graduated from West Texas State University, Randy is a member of Kappa Alpha Order and was involved in Student Politics.  In 1968, Randy landed a small pivotal role in his first feature film with Jon Voight in "Midnight Cowboy,"

            Having served a stint in Korea as a Lieutenant, Tank Platoon Leader on the DMZ for one year and one day, Randy was accepted for the Masters of Fine Arts Graduate Program at UCLA.  One year later, Randy starred in his first feature film, "Time to Run."  A special screening was held at the movie theatre he used to frequent every Saturday morning in his hometown.

            Numerous feature films and guest starring roles followed, but it wasn't until Norman Lear hired him to play "Jeffrey DeVito" on the "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" that he had his first steady job.

            In the spring of 1978, Randy read for the role of "John Burns", the naive, small-town guy on the ABC series "Taxi".  "When I read for the part, it felt right, so natural.  It took the producers a long time to make up their minds, but I had a feeling from the beginning I was going to get it. I played it true to my instincts and creativity.  It was the best possible learning experience because I was able to work with the best people in the business".

            Randy went on to star in the Vietnam-era series "Six OClock Follies" and dozens of television movies, his favorite being "Detour to Terror", where he got to play his first bad-guy role terrorizing O.J. Simpson.

            In March of 1991, Randy reunited with his fellow "Taxi" cast members where they were honored by the Museum of Television and Radio at the Los Angeles Country Art Museum.  Once again, the gang from the Sunshine Cab Company gathered to recreate their "Taxi" roles for the feature film "Man on the Moon" starring Jim Carrey as the late Andy Kaufman.  In 2008, Randy was offered the role of Mr. Bankside in the Paul Thomas Anderson film "There Will Be Blood" opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. 

            After an exhaustive search, Randall was able to locate his biological sister and they met for the first time in the summer of 1996.  He is now the proud Brother and Uncle to his new, loving extended family.   

            Randy makes his home in the San Fernando Valley with his fiance Shelley and their three feline friends named "Kitty" Carlisle, "Cat"alina and "Kath"mandu.

            Recently, Randy was asked to be an Elder at The First Christian Church and now works as a liaison between the church staff and the community.

            A recent graduate of the Skip Barber Racing School, Randy would give it all up in a minute to realize his impossible dream... to drive at the Indy 500.