# Raye Birk

Raye Birk (born May 27, 1943) is an American film and television actor. He appeared as Pahpshmir in the first and last of the Naked Gun movies, and his television appearances include The Wonder Years, The Golden Girls, Wings, and Cheers, where he portrayed the mailman Walt Twitchell.

## Career

Birk appeared as a villain in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994). His other film credits include roles in Best Defense (1984), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Doc Hollywood (1991) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).
In addition to these roles, he had a frequently occurring role as the assistant principal Mr. Diperna on The Wonder Years; starting with the pilot episode, when he had a conference with Kevin Arnold's parents for throwing food in the cafeteria. (He originally read for the role of Coach Ed Cutlip). While generally antagonist, a more sympathetic role on the show was seen in the award winning episode "Goodbye" where he confides in Kevin that he is Kevin's new math teacher as Kevin's hardnosed algebra teacher has just died.
Furthermore, in 1985, 1986 and 1992, he appeared in three episodes of Cheers as Walt Twitchell, a mailman who got into minor altercations with Cliff Clavin. Birk reprised the role of Twitchell in a 2002 episode of the Cheers spinoff series, Frasier, in which the title character (played by Kelsey Grammer) returned to Boston and re-acquainted himself with old friends from the bar. He also appeared three times on ALF as Lenny Scott and Officer Griswald. Raye appeared in several episodes on the TV series Night Court. He was also on a pair of The Golden Girls episodes, both times playing a wedding caterer. He played a recurring role on Coach as university band director Riley Pringle from 1989 to 1993. He also appeared in an episode of Mr. Belvedere as an accordion player.
Birk has also guest starred in Due South as the terrorist Francis Bolt in the Episodes "All the Queens Horses", "Red, White and Blue", "Call of the Wild Part One" and "Call of the Wild Part Two". He also had roles in Wings, The X-Files and Babylon 5. He was also on an episode of Home Improvement as one of Tim's poker buddies. His other appearances include Seinfeld, Touched by an Angel, ER, and the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
From 2004 to 2008, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1970 | Gas-s-s-s | Mort Catafalque |
| 1984 | Best Defense | Sonny, Dynatechnics |
| 1984 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | Reporter |
| 1987 | Burglar | The Jogger |
| 1987 | Amazon Women on the Moon | Vanya |
| 1987 | Throw Momma from the Train | Pinsky |
| 1987 | Jake's M.O. | Det. Bushkin |
| 1988 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Pahpshmir |
| 1989 | Martians Go Home | Speaker on TV |
| 1991 | Doc Hollywood | Simon Tidwell |
| 1992 | Class Act | Principal Kratz |
| 1993 | Josh and S.A.M. | Hotel Manager |
| 1994 | Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult | Pahpshmir |
| 1995 | Illegal in Blue | Gary Dedmarch |
| 1996 | The Big Squeeze | Contractor |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Insurrection | Son'a Doctor |
| 2005 | Factotum | Heathercliff |
| 2005 | North Country | Tom Motel Clerk |
| 2005 | Sweet Land | Postal Clerk |
| 2009 | A Serious Man | Dr. Shapiro |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976 | The Taming of the Shrew | Gremio | Television film |
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-O | Parole Officer | Episode: "Target - A Cop" |
| 1981 | A Christmas Carol | Marley's Ghost | Television film |
| 1983, 1984 | Remington Steele | Cecil Cosgrove / Maitre d' | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | Singer | Episode: "The End of Logan's Run" |
| 1984 | Blue Thunder | Martin C. Sharp | Episode: "Clipped Wings" |
| 1984 | Mister Roberts | Dowdy | Television film |
| 1984 | Earthlings | Vince Martoni | Television film |
| 1984 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Harry Stark | Episode: "Torch Song" |
| 1984, 1989 | Newhart | Dean Dackman / Whitley McVeigh | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Deadly Messages | Harding | Television film |
| 1985 | Off the Rack | Crimmins | Episode: "Here Comes the Bribe" |
| 1985 | Stir Crazy | Caterer Herbert | Episode: "Where's Mary" |
| 1985, 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Bearded Man / Time-Traveller | 2 episodes |
| 1985, 1988 | Mr. Belvedere | Mr. Grant / Earl | 2 episodes |
| 1985–1991 | Night Court | Frank Pepitone / Ward / God No. 1 | 5 episodes |
| 1985–1992 | Cheers | Walt Twitchell | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | Mary | Waiter | Episode: "Table for Two" |
| 1986 | Fresno | Mr. Loats | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | The Stepford Children | George Larson | Television film |
| 1987 | The Popcorn Kid | Leonard Brown | 6 episodes |
| 1987 | Throb | John | Episode: "Moving In" |
| 1987 | Hunter | Lt. Fifer | Episode: "City of Passion: Part 1" |
| 1987 | Amen | Mr. Evans | Episode: "Thelma's Reunion" |
| 1987 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Wrenn | Episode: "Haven" |
| 1987–1988 | ALF | Officer Griswald / Lenny Scott | 3 episodes |
| 1987, 1989 | Duet | Dr. Dellerton / Vladimir Horowitz | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Marblehead Manor | Hansel | Episode: "Tea for Tuba" |
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Edmonton | Episode: "Fever" |
| 1988 | Eisenhower and Lutz | Bjorn | Episode: "Blast from the Past" |
| 1988 | My Sister Sam | Dave Carmichael | Episode: "Good Neighbor Sam" |
| 1988, 1989 | The Golden Girls | Caterer | 2 episodes |
| 1988–1991 | The Wonder Years | Mr. Diperna | 10 episodes |
| 1988, 1993 | Empty Nest | Judge Talmadge / Albert | 2 episodes |
| 1988–1993 | L.A. Law | Judge Steven Lang | 7 episodes |
| 1989 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson | Sam Morgan | Television film |
| 1989 | Matlock | Simon Le Simple | Episode: "The Clown" |
| 1989 | Snoops | Mr. Nelson | Episode: "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Malady" |
| 1989–1993 | Coach | Riley Pringle | 5 episodes |
| 1990 | Challenger | Joseph Kilminster | Television film |
| 1990 | Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again | Judge Brown | Television film |
| 1990 | Perfect Strangers | McNulty | Episode: "Safe at Home" |
| 1990–1992 | Dear John | Dr. Hendricks | 4 episodes |
| 1990, 1995 | Murphy Brown | Judge Quinn / Barney | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Aftermath: A Test of Love | Dr. Frenzel | Television film |
| 1991 | True Colors | Mr. Warner | Episode: "A Matter of Principal" |
| 1991 | Morton & Hayes | Butler / Reginald | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Under Cover | Grimbach | 13 episodes |
| 1992 | Home Improvement | Fred | Episode: "Luck Be a Taylor Tonight" |
| 1992 | Sisters | Carlton Brunell | Episode: "Empty Rooms" |
| 1992 | Picket Fences | Mike Caton | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1992, 1993 | Nurses | Chaplain / Mr. Eckworth | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Life Goes On | Dr. Bryant | Episode: "Bedfellows" |
| 1993 | Barbarians at the Gate | Travis Gaines | Television film |
| 1993 | Shaky Ground | Derek | Episode: "Toupee or Not Toupee" |
| 1993 | Caught in the Act | Sterling | Television film |
| 1993–1995 | Silk Stalkings | Atticus Dunn / Earl Elliott | 7 episodes |
| 1994 | The George Carlin Show | Inspector Driscoll | Episode: "George Speaks His Mind" |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Prosecuting Attorney | Episode: "High Treason: Part 1" |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Superintendent Stoneman | Episode: "Belding's Prank" |
| 1995 | M.A.N.T.I.S. | Mayor | Episode: "Fast Forward" |
| 1995 | My Brother's Keeper | Dr. Roth | Television film |
| 1995 | Seinfeld | Mr. Pless | Episode: "The Face Painter" |
| 1995 | Nowhere Man | Tobe Adler | Episode: "The Enemy Within" |
| 1996 | The X-Files | Dr. Jeff Eckerle | Episode: "War of the Coprophages" |
| 1996 | Wings | Prince Restivon | Episode: "A Tale of Two Sister Cities" |
| 1996 | Due South | Francis Bolt | Episode: "Red, White or Blue" |
| 1996 | After Jimmy | John Davies | Television film |
| 1996 | ER | Mr. Hartley | Episode: "Let the Games Begin" |
| 1997 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Jeweler | Episode: "A Dick on One Knee" |
| 1997 | Caroline in the City | Danny | Episode: "Caroline and the Critics" |
| 1997 | Baywatch | William Lanning | Episode: "Trial By Fire" |
| 1997 | Columbo | Howard Seltzer | Episode: "A Trace of Murder" |
| 1997 | Babylon 5 | William | Episode: "Intersections in Real Time" |
| 1997 | Ned and Stacey | Earl | Episode: "I Like Your Moxie" |
| 1998 | Mike Hammer, Private Eye | Gustav Granville-Dawes | Episode: "The Art of Murder" |
| 1999–2003 | Days of Our Lives | Various roles | 6 episodes |
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Mr. McFarlane | Episode: "Monica's Bad Day" |
| 2001 | Black Scorpion | Dr. Phineas Phoenix | 6 episodes |
| 2002 | My Sister's Keeper | Justice of the Peace | Television film |
| 2002 | Frasier | Walt Twitchell | Episode: "Cheerful Goodbyes" |