Randall Carver, Star Axed From 'Taxi' After First Season, Spotted in Rare Public Appearance
The 80-year-old actor, known for his role as John Burns on the classic sitcom, was seen looking animated during a recent outing with his wife.
Randall Carver, the actor who portrayed the character John Burns on the celebrated 1970s sitcom "Taxi," was recently seen in a rare public appearance. Now 80 years old, Carver was spotted looking animated while out with his wife, Shelley Hermann, to whom he has been married for 14 years.
Carver's role as the naive cab driver John Burns was a featured part of "Taxi" during its inaugural season in 1978. The show, which chronicled the lives of a group of New York City cabbies and their dispatcher, is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. Despite the show's eventual success, which garnered 18 Emmy Awards over its five-season run, Carver was let go by producers at the end of the first season.
According to an interview with Carver featured in Marley Brant's book "Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984," the decision to remove his character was not due to poor acting or on-set issues. Instead, writers reportedly struggled to develop storylines for the "bland" Burns character, leaving them without clear narrative direction.
In a June 2025 interview with Cracked, Carver reflected on his departure from the show, acknowledging that being removed from a hit series after its first season often signifies the end of a performer's broader visibility. He noted, "For a guy to be on a hit series and then he leaves after the first season, there’s not much going to be heard from him ever again." Carver also mentioned a subsequent role in a series called "Six O'Clock Follies," about Armed Forces Television in Vietnam, which he secured after the "Taxi" casting director recognized the "raw deal" he received.
Following his departure from "Taxi," Carver continued to act, appearing in shows such as "The Love Boat," "The Norm Show," and "Malcolm in the Middle." He also had a role in the critically acclaimed 2007 film "There Will Be Blood." In 1999, Carver reunited with many of his "Taxi" co-stars for the film "Man on the Moon," a biopic about comedian Andy Kaufman. He described the experience as "déjà vu all over again," noting the meticulous recreation of the "Taxi" garage set.
Carver married writer Shelley Hermann in 2012. His last credited television role was in a 2016 episode of the series "Oobered."
