How Many Episodes Of Friends Did Larry Hankin Star In?

Larry Hankin has been acting since 1966, with an impressive resume that includes "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," "Pretty Woman," and "Home Alone." The longtime actor also had one-offs on some major television series, including "Malcolm in the Middle," "Party of Five," and "Home Improvement" to name a few.

Perhaps one of the roles he is most memorable for is that of Mr. Heckles, the annoying downstairs neighbor of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Rachel Greene (Jennifer Aniston) on "Friends." The hit NBC sitcom was known for its lovable recurring guest characters like Mr. Heckles, who despite being a total weirdo, was a fan favorite. He had a decent run on the series, with more appearances than other guest characters including Gary (Michael Rapaport), Erica (Anna Faris), and Paolo (Cosimo Fusco). You might be surprised to find out just how many times Hankin appeared in the show, and how many seasons he popped up in.

Believe it or not, Larry Hankin appeared in five episodes of "Friends." We met his character, Mr. Heckles, in Season 1, Episode 7 ("The One With the Blackout"), but at the time, he was just known as the Weird Man, per his IMDb page. His first appearance came when Rachel knocked on his door looking for the cat that had jumped on Ross's (David Schwimmer) back earlier in the episode. He showed up again that season in Episode 16 ("The One With Two Parts, Part 1") and in Episode 19 ("The One Where the Monkey Gets Away") where he tried to pretend that Ross's monkey, Marcel, was his after the Capuchin got lost in the building.

The episode Mr. Heckles is most known for only features him for one brief moment, but the entire episode revolves around his character. In Season 2, Episode 3 ("The One Where Heckles Dies"), he comes to Monica and Rachel's door and tells them to keep it down one last time. A few minutes later, he is heard banging on the ceiling with his broom, till eventually, he stops. The women think they've won after battling Mr. Heckles for years over making noise, but they find out that he stopped banging on the ceiling because he dropped dead. The gang spends the rest of the episode cleaning out his apartment, as he left all of his belongings to "the noisy girls in the apartment above mine."

Luckily, we get to see Mr. Heckles one more time in Season 3 Episode 6 ("The One With the Flashback"). As we're taken back in time to see how Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) became roommates, it's revealed that it was all thanks to Mr. Heckles. Chandler chooses a photographer to be his roommate, but when the man shows up to move in, Mr. Heckles is in the hallway and tells him he's Chandler's new roommate and goes into the apartment. Chandler, thinking he was stood up when the guy doesn't show up, ends up letting Joey move in.