Comedy actor Randall Carver, best known for playing naive cab driver John Burns on the classic television sitcom Taxi, has been seen during a rare public outing in Los Angeles.
The 80-year-old actor put on a casual display during the daytime walk, going shirtless as he smiled and waved at his wife, writer Shelley Herman.
Carver looked sprightly and animated as he enjoyed the afternoon in Southern California. The outing marks a rare public appearance for the veteran television actor, who has maintained a quiet lifestyle in recent years.
Carver married Herman in 2012, and the couple have been together for 14 years. He lit up television screens in the late 1970s alongside comedy stars Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, and Marilu Henner before his sudden departure from primetime television.
Carver achieved television fame in 1978 when he was cast in the premiere season of Taxi. He portrayed John Burns, a naive newcomer who decides to become a cab driver in the pilot episode after riding as a passenger in the vehicle driven by Alex Reiger, played by Judd Hirsch.
The ensemble comedy series followed the daily lives, personal struggles, and career ambitions of an eccentric group of New York City cab drivers working the night shift for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company. The workplace was managed by tyrannical dispatcher Louie De Palma, played by Danny DeVito, while the drivers included aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler, played by Jeff Conaway, struggling boxer Tony Banta, played by Tony Danza, single mother Elaine Nardo, played by Marilu Henner, and mechanic Latka Gravas, played by Andy Kaufman.
Despite the instant success of the series, Carver was dropped from the show after its first season in 1978. His character was written out of the storyline before the second season began.
Departure From Hit Comedy
The sudden dismissal came as a shock to viewers, but records indicate the decision was creative rather than personal. According to an interview with Carver featured in Marley Brant's book Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984, cited on IMDb, producers released him not because of poor acting performance or interpersonal friction on the set.
Instead, writers on the series deemed the character of Burns too bland and struggled to generate storylines for him alongside the show's more outlandish characters.
Carver reflected candidly on the axing during an interview with Cracked in June 2025. He acknowledged the professional anxiety that accompanied being written off a breakout television hit.
Carver said: "I’ve thought a lot about getting the boot from the show because that’s generally the kiss of death."
He added: "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."
Taxi went on to become one of the most critically acclaimed comedy series in American television history. The show ran for five seasons, broadcasting on ABC before moving to NBC, until its final cancellation in 1983. Over the course of its run, Taxi earned 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, including three consecutive wins for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Television Career and Feature Films
Despite his early exit from Taxi, Carver quickly landed new work across television and film. His immediate recovery was aided by the very casting director who had hired him for Taxi.
Carver recalled securing a major role in the 1980 sitcom Six O'Clock Follies, a comedy set around an Armed Forces Television station in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
Carver said: "I did a series called Six O'Clock Follies about Armed Forces Television in Vietnam. I was the third lead in that. That came from the casting director of Taxi who realized what a raw deal I got."
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Carver built a steady career with guest roles on prominent American television programs. His screen credits include appearances on popular series such as The Love Boat, The Norm Show, and Malcolm in the Middle.
In 1984, Carver shared the screen with veteran actress Angela Lansbury in an episode of the long-running CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote.
Carver also earned roles in feature films, most notably appearing as Mr. Bankside in the acclaimed 2007 period drama There Will Be Blood. In the film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Carver appeared in scenes alongside actress Coco Leigh.
The Oscar-winning film, which explored the ruthless rise of a California oilman at the turn of the 20th century, stands among Carver's highest-profile film achievements. Carver's last credited television role came in 2016, when he appeared in an episode of the comedy series Oobered.
Cast Reunions and Later Life
Carver maintained strong ties with his former Taxi castmates despite his brief tenure on the show. In 1999, he joined the original ensemble for a special appearance in the biographical feature film Man on the Moon.
The film, directed by Miloš Forman, depicted the life and career of groundbreaking comedian Andy Kaufman, with Jim Carrey starring in the lead role. Carver described walking back onto the reconstructed set of the Sunshine Cab Company garage as a surreal moment of recognition.
Carver said: "It was wonderful. It was déjà vu all over again. When we walked onto the sound stage, they had recreated the Taxi garage. It was perfect. It was the exact size and everything. The stains on the wall, the cab there, Louie’s cage - all of it was spot-on."
Carver reunited with his former castmates once again in 2007 for another cast gathering celebrating the legacy of the iconic series.
Carver currently lives in California with his wife, Shelley Herman. Representatives for Carver were contacted by the Daily Mail for comment regarding his recent public outing, but have not yet responded.
