# Ritch Brinkley

Ritch Brinkley (March 18, 1944 – November 5, 2015) was an American character actor who appeared in over 50 films and television programs in a career that spanned three decades. He is best known for playing William in Beauty and the Beast and cameraman Carl Wishnitski on Murphy Brown, as well as for roles in films such as Cabin Boy (1994) and Breakdown.
Brinkley died on November 5, 2015, at age 71.

## Filmography

Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1972 | Curse of the Headless Horseman | Ritch | |
| 1980 | Brubaker | Gate Guard | |
| 1984 | Rhinestone | Luke | |
| 1985 | The Man with One Red Shoe | Hulse | |
| 1988 | Big Business | Mayor Bill Finker | |
| 1990 | Book of Love | Moving Van Driver | |
| 1992 | Ruby | Attorney Howard | |
| 1992 | Doctor Mordrid | Gunner | |
| 1994 | Cabin Boy | Captain Greybar | |
| 1997 | Breakdown | Al | |
| 1997 | Cyclops, Baby | Bait | |
| 2002 | Children on Their Birthdays | Acey Trump | (final film role) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976 | Great Performances | Frontiersman | Episode: "The Patriots" |
| 1984 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Starkey | Episode: "Play It Again, Luke" |
| 1984 | The Master | Ralph Carter | Episode: "State of the Union" |
| 1984 | Mama's Family | Bert Wembly | Episode: "Mama's Birthday" |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | Prison Doctor | Episode: "Watt a Way to Go" |
| 1984 | Falcon Crest | Mr. Tower | Episode: "Shadows" |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Guro of Cosmic Love | Episode: "Over the Limit" |
| 1985 | Wild Horses (1985 film) | Wedge Smithfield | TV movie |
| 1985 | Night Court | Biker | Episode: "Dan's Boss" |
| 1985 | Misfits of Science | Bart | Episode: "Twin Engines" |
| 1986 | The Defiant Ones | Lonny | TV movie |
| 1986 | The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special | Cowboy | TV special |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Middle-Aged Man (segment "Dead Run") | Episode: "The Leprechaun-Artist/Dead Run" |
| 1986 | Stingray (1985 TV series) | Westcott | Episode: "Ancient Eyes" |
| 1986 | 1st & Ten (1984 TV series) | Otto | Episode: "Quarterbacks Tell No Tales" |
| 1986 | Manhunt for Claude Dallas | Judge Lodge | TV movie |
| 1986 | Houston: The Legend of Texas | Sen. Buckley | TV movie |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories (1985 TV series) | Mayor Chestor A. Barnsworth | Episode: "The Pumpkin Competition" |
| 1987 | Mathnet | Jasper Stoutman | Episode: "The Mystery of the Maltese Pigeon" |
| 1987 | Newhart | Farmer Bagley | Episode: "Jail, Jail, the Gang's All Here" |
| 1987 | Timestalkers | Barman | TV movie |
| 1987 | My Sister Sam | Dan | Episode: "Exposed" |
| 1987-1988 | Dolly (TV series) | Charlie Boil | 9 episodes |
| 1988 | My Two Dads | Truck | Episode: "Nicole's Big Adventure" |
| 1988 | Blue Skies (1988 TV series) | Fred | Episode: "Something Old, Something New" |
| 1988 | Something Is Out There | Maxie | Episode: "In His Own Image" |
| 1990 | Normal Life (TV series) | Burt | Episode: "P.O.V." |
| 1988-1990 | Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series) | William | 15 episodes |
| 1990 | Twin Peaks | D.A. Daryl Lodwick | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Silhouette | Gene the Mechanic | TV movie |
| 1991 | Shades of LA | Actor | Episode: "Cross the Center Line" |
| 1991 | Get a Life (American TV series) | Dick | Episode: "The Construction Worker Show" |
| 1991 | Jailbirds (1991 film) | Beetle | TV movie |
| 1991 | Cast a Deadly Spell | Owl Wagon Manager | TV movie |
| 1992 | FBI: The Untold Stories | Actor | Episode: "Claude Dallas" |
| 1992 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Wiley | Episode: "Jerry's Journey" |
| 1992 | The Edge (Fox TV series) | Santa Claus | Episode #1.11 |
| 1993 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Stan | Episode: "Neverending Battle" |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Zach Warmly | Episode: "Who Killed the Fashion King?" |
| 1994 | Dead Man's Revenge | Valdez Sheriff | TV movie |
| 1994 | Thunder Alley (TV series) | Walter | 8 episodes |
| 1994 | Something Wilder | Vince | Episode: "Love Native American Style" |
| 1995 | Virus (1995 film) | Restaurant Host | TV movie |
| 1995 | Amanda & the Alien | Bubba the Truck Driver | TV movie |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Sheriff Nathan Decker | Episode: "The Lynching" |
| 1995 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Grandpa Eddie Powers / Grandpa Ernie Powers | 3 episodes |
| 1996 | Malcolm & Eddie | Dan | Episode: "Big Brother is Watching" |
| 1996 | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Santa Claus | Episode: "Merry Christmas, Y'All" |
| 1988-1997 | Murphy Brown | Carl Wishnitski | 28 episodes |
| 1998 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Schmorg | Episode: "Honey, Meet the Barbarians" |
| 1995 & 1998 | Weird Science (TV series) | Baldash Stuart Donnelly / Mr. Cabeza | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Maggie (1998 TV series) | Dr. Babcock | Episode: "Ballad of Maggie Day" |
| 1999 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series) | 50 Year Old Man | Episode: "The Long and Winding Short Cut" |