Film and television
Randolph made numerous screen and television appearances in secondary roles. He played Chief Sidney Green in Serpico (1973), directed by Sidney Lumet. From 1973 to 1976, he made three appearances as Cornelius "Junior" Harrison, Jr., father of Emily Hartley, in The Bob Newhart Show (shows #37, #59, and #106).
In 1974, he played an Air Force Colonel in the Columbo episode "Swan Song". He played a mayor in Earthquake (1974), a disaster film. In 1975, Randolph was cast as General Philip Blankenship in The New Original Wonder Woman pilot. He was replaced by Richard Eastham in the television series.
In 1975, Randolph took over the role of the principal of fictional Harry S. Truman High School in the series Lucas Tanner starring David Hartman. He was with the series for the last half of its single season. He had an uncredited role in the 1976 film All the President's Men as the voice of Richard Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell.
He played Judge J. Waties Waring in "With All Deliberate Speed", a 1976 episode of CBS's mini-series The American Parade, dealing with events culminating in the 1954 Supreme Court decision (Brown v. Board of Education) barring racial segregation in American public schools.
In 1979, Randolph had a guest appearance on M*A*S*H as an adjutant army general admiring the culinary prowess of a master chef errantly assigned as a foot soldier in a front unit. From 1979 to 1980, he played Donna Pescow's father-in-law on the television series Angie.
In 1982, he appeared in a first-season episode of Family Ties as Jake Keaton, Steven Keaton's father. In 1985, he played the father of Charlie Partana (played by Jack Nicholson) in Prizzi's Honor. He was a special guest star in the 1986 ABC made-for-TV movie The Right of the People, playing Police Chief Hollander in a town soon allowing all adults to carry handguns.
In 1988, Randolph appeared in a Season 2 episode of Matlock as the head of a crime family in "The Investigation". In 1989, he appeared in two episodes of Roseanne playing Al, Roseanne's dad, who was later revealed to be an abusive parent. Also in 1989, he played Clark W. Griswold, Sr. in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (with Chevy Chase).
In 1990, he landed a regular series role, co-starring as a family patriarch in the NBC comedy Grand, co-starring Bonnie Hunt, and Michael McKean. In 1991, he guested in an episode of Married... with Children entitled "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick".
Randolph co-starred with Alec Guinness, Leo McKern, Jeanne Moreau and Lauren Bacall, in the BBC production of A Foreign Field (1993) as a World War II veteran returning to France to find the woman he fell in love with.
Also in 1993, Randolph appeared in the fourth season of Seinfeld, as the first actor to play George Costanza's father, Frank Costanza. In the following season, Randolph was replaced in this role by Jerry Stiller.
One of his last film roles was as Joe Fox's grandfather in You've Got Mail (1998).
