Andrews was born Tiger Androwas[2] in Brooklyn, New York, one of ten children[3] to Selma (née Shaleesh; Arabic: سيلما شاليش) and George E. Andrews (Arabic: جورج اندروز), who immigrated from what is now Syria and Lebanon.[4] His family's surname was originally "Androwas".[2] His parents, following Syrian custom, named him after a strong animal to ensure good health.[5] His mother died when he was three years old, and his father later remarried.[6] Andrews moved with his family to Middlesex, New Jersey,[7] where Andrews graduated from Bound Brook High School.[8] His father was in the fruit business, and Andrews worked for his father.[3]
After graduating from the Academy, Andrews made his Broadway debut in the play Hidden Horizons, in which he used his Syrian background to speak Arabic.[3] He then appeared in the original 1948 cast of Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan's war comedy Mister Roberts, in which he played the roles of Schlemmer and Insigna.[9] He changed his stage name from "Tiger" to "Tige" in 1954.[10]
Director John Ford saw the play while visiting New York and, remembering his performance in it years later,[3] cast him in the 1955 film version of Mister Roberts.[6] Andrews and Henry Fonda were the only members of the Broadway cast to appear in the film.[9]
His best known roles were Lieutenant Johnny Russo on The Detectives and as Captain Adam Greer on The Mod Squad. For the latter role, he received both an Emmy and a Golden Globe award nomination and won a Logie Award. Andrews reunited with his fellow Mod Squad cast members for a 1979 made-for-television film, The Return Of Mod Squad; it was their last appearance together. After The Mod Squad ended, Andrews continued to make guest appearances on various television series, such as Kojak; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Police Story; CHiPs; and Murder, She Wrote.[11]
In addition to his acting career, Andrews was an accomplished painter and singer. His artwork has been shown in Los Angeles art galleries, and some was published in the book Actors As Artists by Jim McMullan and Dick Gautier. He collaborated with Sandy Matlowsky and Sid Kuller on two original songs on his Tiger Records label in Los Angeles, California. "The Modfather" and "Keep America Beautiful" were the A and B sides of the vinyl 45 single release.[13]
Personal life
In 1950 he married Norma Thornton, a ballerina who was a regular on The Ed Sullivan Show and appeared in the Broadway play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.[14][15] They had six children, three boys and three girls: Barbara, Gina, Julie, John, Steve and Tony, and eleven grandchildren.[7][16] He was previously married to Josephine Phillips, whom he wed in 1944 after his medical discharge from the Army.[8] Norma Thornton Andrews died in 1996.[17]
Death
Andrews died of cardiac arrest at his home in Encino, California, on January 27, 2007, aged 86.[16]