# William Windom (actor)

William Windom (September 28, 1923 – August 16, 2012) was an American actor. He was known as a character actor of the stage and screen. He is well known for his recurring role as Dr. Seth Hazlitt alongside Angela Lansbury in the CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote and his intense guest role as Commodore Matt Decker in Star Trek.
Windom made his television debut in 1949 in the NBC anthology series The Philco Television Playhouse. He continued acting in shows such as Studio One, Masterpiece Playhouse, Omnibus, and Kraft Television Theatre. During this time, he also appeared on The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. He then gained acclaim in his television career for his portrayal of cartoonist John Monroe in the short-lived NBC sitcom My World and Welcome to It (1969–1970), winning him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
He then guest-starred in various programs, including Columbo, Night Gallery, Marcus Welby M.D., and Quincy M.E. before gaining acclaim for his recurring role on the CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote (1986-1996), portraying Dr. Seth Hazlitt of Cabot Cove opposite Angela Lansbury. During this time, he also appeared on other programs, including St. Elsewhere, Magnum, P.I., Newhart, L.A. Law, and Murphy Brown, and voiced Uncle Chuck in Sonic the Hedgehog. His final television appearances include roles in Ally McBeal and The District.
Windom is also known for his film roles in the Academy Award-winning movie To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Detective (1968), Brewster McCloud (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Miracle on 34th Street (1994), and True Crime (1999).

## Early life

Windom was born in Manhattan in New York City, the son of Paul Windom, an architect, and Isobel Wells (née Peckham). He was a descendant of the United States Secretary of the Treasury of the same name. He attended Williams College and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He participated in the Army Specialized Training Program, studying at The Citadel, Antioch College, and the University of Kentucky.
Windom became a paratrooper with Company B, 1st Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. While stationed in Frankfurt during the Allied occupation of Germany, he enrolled in Biarritz American University in France and became involved in theater.

## Career

His screen career began in the 1950s. Windom appeared in various TV series, including Omnibus and Robert Montgomery Presents. He continued guest-starring in series during the 1960s including playing The Major in "Five Characters in Search of an Exit", a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone; Windom considered this guest appearance as his West Coast television debut. He later reported that Richard Widmark was originally offered the role, but when Widmark learned that the pay was only to be $1,000, he turned it down. Actress Susan Harrison, who played the Ballerina, got first billing, while Windom got second.
His first leading role came in the sitcom The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966), a series based on the 1947 film about a young Minnesota woman (played by Inger Stevens) who became the housekeeper for a widowed congressman (Windom). It ran for three seasons.
Windom's first role in film was alongside Gregory Peck in the Oscar-winning movie To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); he played Horace Gilmer, the prosecutor of Tom Robinson (Brock Peters).
He appeared on The Donna Reed Show, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible (four episodes), and Ironside.
In Star Trek, he played Commodore Matt Decker, commander of the doomed USS Constellation, in the 1967 episode "The Doomsday Machine", a role he reprised nearly 40 years later for Star Trek: New Voyages. He played a recurring role (three episodes) in "The Invaders" in 1967. In 1968, Windom guest-starred on Ironside in the episode "Trip to Hashbury."
Also in 1968, Windom starred alongside Peter Falk and Gene Barry in the TV movie Prescription: Murder, the pilot for the TV series Columbo. He starred in another episode of the series titled "Short Fuse" in 1972. In 1971 he played a supporting role alongside Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy, and Kurt Russell in the Columbia production Fools' Parade.
Windom starred with Frank Sinatra in the film The Detective (1968), playing a homophobic killer, a role appreciated in The New York Times. The following year, he had the lead role as cartoonist John Monroe in the sitcom My World and Welcome to It. Although the series only aired for one season, he won the 1970 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
In 1971, Windom guest-starred as a victim of blackmail on Cannon in the episode "Death Chain". In 1975, he guest-starred as George Kane, a desperate drug dealer, in the series finale of Mannix in the episode "Hardball".
In 1980, he appeared as Amos Krebbs, the alleged father of Ray Krebbs, on the hit primetime television drama Dallas on the episode "The Fourth Son".
Windom toured the country in a one-man James Thurber show. Afterward, he filmed the pilot for a new series Is There a Doctor in the House? with Rosemary Forsyth that was not picked up by a network.
Windom joined Murder, She Wrote in October 1985 as Dr. Seth Hazlitt. He had previously appeared on the series as a guest star playing another character in April 1985. The producers invited him thereafter to return at the beginning of the second season in a continuing role. Windom briefly left the show in 1990 to work on the first television version of Parenthood, based on the 1989 film of the same name, playing the role of patriarch Frank Buckman--a role played by Jason Robards in the film and, later, Craig T. Nelson in the second TV version. The show was canceled after 12 episodes and Windom returned to Murder, She Wrote as a semiregular. Windom appeared in 53 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, second only to Lansbury.
Windom continued to appear in film and TV guest roles during the 1990s and 2000s, including Sommersby (1993), Miracle on 34th Street (1994), and Clint Eastwood's True Crime (1999), and series including Ally McBeal (2000) and The District (2001). His final acting appearance came in the 2005 drama Yesterday's Dreams.

## Personal life

Windom married Carol Keyser in New York City in August 1947. They worked together and he worked for her father selling insurance for three years. They divorced in December 1955. In 1958, he married actress Barbara Joyce. She was six years older than Windom. He soon moved to California for work. Windom said the marriage lasted three years, although the divorce was not finalized until 1963. A few weeks later, he married his third wife, Barbara Clare. She was the granddaughter of MGM's founder, Louis B. Mayer, and 11 years Windom's junior. He became stepfather to Barbara's two daughters. His first child, Rachel, was born in 1964. Windom and Barbara divorced in 1968. In October 1969, he married his fourth wife, Jacqulyn D. Hopkins, 19 years his junior. They had two daughters: Heather Juliet (b. 1970) and Hope Teresa (b. 1973).
In 1974, Windom met Patricia (Fehrle) Tunder while shooting a TV movie; 12 years his junior, she was working for the production company at the time. Almost a year later, in July 1975, he filed for divorce from Jacqulyn. Windom married Patricia in 1975. In 1978, Windom welcomed his final child, a son named Rebel Russell.
Windom was a tournament chess player, a sailor, a tennis player, and a life member of the United States Chess Federation.

### Death

Windom died on August 16, 2012, at age 88 at his home in Woodacre, California, from congestive heart failure.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Horace Gilmer - Prosecutor | Film debut |
| 1963 | Cattle King | Harry Travers | |
| 1963 | For Love or Money | Sam Travis | |
| 1963 | One Man's Way | Rev. Clifford Peale | |
| 1964 | The Americanization of Emily | Captain Harry Spaulding | |
| 1967 | Hour of the Gun | Texas Jack Vermillion | |
| 1968 | The Detective | Colin MacIver | |
| 1968 | The Angry Breed | Vance Patton | |
| 1969 | The Gypsy Moths | John Brandon | |
| 1970 | Brewster McCloud | Haskell Weeks | |
| 1971 | The Mephisto Waltz | Dr. Roger West | |
| 1971 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | The President | |
| 1971 | Fools' Parade | Roy K. Sizemore | |
| 1972 | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | Prof. Lufkin | |
| 1972 | The Man | Arthur Eaton | |
| 1975 | Stevie, Samson and Delilah | Narrator | |
| 1976 | Echoes of a Summer | Dr. Hallet | |
| 1978 | Mean Dog Blues | Victor Lacey | |
| 1978 | Goodbye, Franklin High | Clifford Armer | |
| 1981 | Separate Ways | Huey Block | |
| 1983 | Last Plane Out | James Caldwell | |
| 1984 | Prince Jack | Ferguson | |
| 1984 | Grandview, U.S. | Bob Cody | |
| 1985 | Space Rage | Gov. Torah | |
| 1985 | Means and Ends | Burt | |
| 1987 | Funland | Angus Perry | |
| 1987 | Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Mr. Bryant | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night | Puppetino (voice) | |
| 1987 | Dead Aim | McWhorter | |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Russ Bainbridge | |
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Mr. Hatfield (voice) | |
| 1991 | Committed | Dr. Magnus Quilly | |
| 1993 | Sommersby | Reverend Powell | |
| 1994 | Miracle on 34th Street | C.F. Cole | |
| 1996 | Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering | Doc Rob Larson | |
| 1999 | True Crime | Neil, the bartender | |
| 2000 | The Thundering 8th | Old Joe | |
| 2001 | Early Bird Special | Fred | |
| 2002 | Raising Dead | Chief Silton | |
| 2003 | Dopamine | Tom - Rand's Father | |
| 2003 | Dismembered | Police Capt. Hart | |
| 2005 | Yesterday's Dreams | Herb Radford | Final film role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1949 | Philco Television Playhouse | Tybalt/Dennis | 2 episodes |
| 1950 | Lights Out | Performer | Episode: The Heart of Jonathan O'Rourke |
| 1950 | Masterpiece Playhouse | King Richard III | Episode: "Richard III" |
| 1950-51 | Martin Kane, Private Eye | Performer | 1 episode |
| 1950-51 | Famous Jury Trials | Performer | 1 episode |
| 1950 | Studio One | Pilgrim | Episode: "The Scarlet Letter" |
| 1950-51 | Cameo Theatre | Performer | Various episodes |
| 1950-51 | Tom Corbin, Space Cadet | Performer | 1 episode |
| 1951 | The Plainclothesman | Performer | 1 episode |
| 1951-57 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Various Roles | 4 episodes |
| 1954-1955 | The Secret Storm | Performer | Various episodes |
| 1955 | Appointment With Adventure | Dan Vance | Episode: "Relative Strangers" |
| 1955 | Omnibus | Various | 2 episodes |
| 1957 | Hotel Cosmopolitan | Performer | Various episodes |
| 1958 | Dial M for Murder | Max Halliday | Television Movie |
| 1960 | Play of the Week | Bob | Episode: "Seven Time Monday" |
| 1960 | Guestward, Ho! | Performer | Episode: "The Christmas Spirit" |
| 1961-62 | Surfside 6 | Shrewdie McDoug/Robby Brooks | 2 episodes |
| 1961-62 | The Donna Reed Show | Ed Perkins/David Adams | 2 episodes |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | The Major | Episode: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" |
| 1961-72 | Gunsmoke | Lee Sharkey/Paul Hill/Ira Spratt | 3 episodes |
| 1961 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Performer | Episode: "Black Market Babies" |
| 1961 | The Detectives | Sutter | Episode: "Tobey's Place" |
| 1961 | The New Breed | Warren Giles | Episode: "The Compulsion to Confess" |
| 1961 | Checkmate | Peter Morell | Episode: "Through a Dark Glass" |
| 1961 | Cheyenne | Dennis Carter | Episode: "Legacy of the Lost" |
| 1961 | Ben Casey | Dr. Bill Owen | Episode: "The Sweet Kiss of Madness" |
| 1962-63 | 77 Sunset Strip | Calvin Otterman Cuthbert Carmichael | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | Mrs. G. Goes to College | Ernie | Episode: "Goodbye Mr. Howell" |
| 1962 | Bus Stop | Ed Henderson | Episode: "The Ordeal of Kevin Brooke" |
| 1962 | Follow the Sun | Meredith St. John | Episode: "A Ghost in Her Gazebo" |
| 1962 | Thriller | Lou Walters | Episode: "Man of Mystery" |
| 1962 | Kraft Television Theatre | Vincent Fuller | Episode: "In Close Pursuit" |
| 1962 | The Gallant Men | Private Jake Miller | Episode: Pilot |
| 1962 | The Lucy Show | Henry Taylor | Episode: "Lucy Digs Up a Date" |
| 1962 | Seven Times Monday | Bob | Television Movie |
| 1962 | Stoney Burke | Reese Ludlow | Episode: "A Matter of Pride" |
| 1963-66 | The Farmer's Daughter | Congressman Glen Morley | 101 episodes |
| 1963 | Combat! | Captain Lew Anders | Episode: "Off Limits" |
| 1963 | The Twilight Zone | Dr. Charles Wallman | Episode: "Miniature" |
| 1963 | Empire | Lawrence Rowan | Episode: "Hidden Asset" |
| 1966 | The F.B.I. | Anton Christopher | Episode: "The Assassin" |
| 1966 | Twelve O'Clock High | Lt. Col. Bill Christy | Episode: "Gauntlet of Fire" |
| 1966 | The Wild Wild West | Ben Victor | Episode: "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate" |
| 1966 | Iron Horse | Colin McCrory | Episode: "Town Full of Fear" |
| 1967 | Mission: Impossible | Deputy Premier Milos Pavel | Episode: "The Train" |
| 1967 | Run for Your Life | Ralph Wilson | Episode: "The List of Alice McKenna" |
| 1967 | The F.B.I. | David Roger "Davey" Spiers | Episode: "By Force and Violence" |
| 1967 | The Fugitive | Professor Fritz Simpson | Episode: "The Ivy Maze" |
| 1967 | Mission: Impossible | Alex Cresnic | Episode: "The Widow" |
| 1967 | Star Trek | Commodore Matt Decker | Episode: "The Doomsday Machine" |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Maj. Rick Graves | Episode: "Doomsday Minus One" |
| 1967 | Custer | Clark Samson | Episode: "Under Fire" |
| 1967 | Gentle Ben | James Harkness | Episode: "Jennifer" |
| 1967 | Dundee and the Culhane | Robert Campbell | Episode: "The Thy Brother's Keeper Brief" |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Michael Tressider | Episode: "Summit Meeting" |
| 1967 | Judd, for the Defense | Ira Creighton | Episode: "Commitment" |
| 1968-70 | The Name of the Game | Charlie Ross/Mr. John Price | Episode: 2 episodes |
| 1968-72 | Ironside | Eldon Chase/Judge Van Buren | Episode: 2 episodes |
| 1968 | Mannix | Calvin Norris | Episode: "The Girl in the Frame" |
| 1968 | The F.B.I. | Howard Converse | Episode: "The Nightmare" |
| 1968 | Columbo | Burt Gordon | Episode: Prescription: Murder |
| 1968 | Bonanza | Marshal Passmore | Episode: "Star Crossed" |
| 1968 | The Virginian | the doctor | saison 6 épisode 11: "To bear witness" |
| 1969 | The Virginian | Joss Cardine | Episode: "Halfway Back from Hell" |
| 1969-70 | My World and Welcome to It | John Monroe | 26 episodes |
| 1969 | Mannix | Nils Sanderson | Episode: "Shadow of a Man" |
| 1969-74 | Hawaii Five-O | Ossie Connors/Harlan Henderson | 2 episodes |
| 1969-76 | Medical Center | Various roles | 5 episodes |
| 1969 | The Mod Squad | Fred Williams | Episode: "Hello Mother, My Name Is Julie" |
| 1969 | Lancer | Claude Buttermere | Episode: "The Great Humbug" |
| 1969 | The Outcasts | Lafe Partman | Episode: "The Stalking Devil" |
| 1969 | The Outsider | Bernard Christie | Episode: "Service for One" |
| 1969 | CBS Playhouse | Art Richardson | Episode: "Shadow Game" |
| 1969 | My Friend Tony | Phil Wiser | Episode: "The Shortest Courtship" |
| 1970-72 | Love, American Style | Charlie/Harrison/Hubert | 3 episodes |
| 1970-76 | Insight | God/Mr.Clark/Todd | 3 episodes |
| 1970 | House on Greenapple Road | Paul Durstine | Television movie |
| 1970 | The Forty-Eight Hour Mile | Bernard Christie | Television movie |
| 1971 | The Virginian | Foster Bonham | Episode: "The Politician" |
| 1971 | That Girl | Joseph Nelson | Episode: "That Script" |
| 1971 | Mission: Impossible | Stu Gorman | Episode: "Blues" |
| 1971 | Big Fish, Little Fish | William Baker | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Assault on the Wayne | Captain Frank Reardon | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | Jeremiah Daley | Episode: "Wrong Train to Brimstone" |
| 1971 | Men at Law | Dr. Simon Branby | Episode: "Let the Dier Beware" |
| 1971 | Is There a Doctor in the House? | Dr. Tim Newley | Unsold television pilot |
| 1971 | All in the Family | Eddie Frazier | Episode: "Success Story" |
| 1971 | Escape | Dr. Henry Walding | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Cannon | Harry Kendrix | Episode: "Death Chain" |
| 1971 | A Taste of Evil | Harold Jennings | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Marriage: Year One | Warren Duden | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Cade's County | Frank Leonard | Episode: "Violent Echo" |
| 1971 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Dr. Sam Mason | Episode: "Ask Me Again Tomorrow" |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | Randy Lane | Episode: "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" |
| 1971 | Robert Young Presents the Family | Performer | 1 episode |
| 1971 | The Man and the City | Congressman Ralph Lawson | Episode: "The Deadly Fountain" |
| 1971 | The Homecoming: A Christmas Story | Charlie Snead | Television Movie |
| 1971 | Jamison's Kids | Performer | Pilot episode |
| 1972-76 | The Streets of San Francisco | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Columbo | Everett Logan | Episode: "Short Fuse" |
| 1972 | Second Chance | Stan Petryk | Television Movie |
| 1972 | The Jimmy Stewart Show | Mike Carruthers | Episode: "Old School Ties" |
| 1972 | The New Healers | Mr. Farrigan | Television Movie |
| 1972 | Banacek | Harry Wexler | Episode: "Projet Phoenix" |
| 1972 | Ghost Story | Charlie Pender | Episode: "The Summer House" |
| 1972 | The Rookies | Frank Queenlin | Episode: "Time Is the Fire" |
| 1972 | A Great American Tragedy | Rob Stewart | Television Movie |
| 1972 | Pursuit | Robert Phillips | Television Movie |
| 1972 | Night Gallery | Prof. Putnam | Episode: "Little Girl Lost" |
| 1972 | The F.B.I. | Elias Devon | Episode: "The Jug Marker" |
| 1973-74 | The Girl with Something Extra | Stuart Kline | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | The Partridge Family | Uncle Erwin | Episode: "Bedknobs and Drumsticks" |
| 1973 | Mission: Impossible | Paul Mitchell | Episode: "The Fighter" |
| 1973 | The Girls of Huntington House | Sam Duton | Television Movie |
| 1973 | Winesburg, Ohio | Dr. Reefy | Television Movie |
| 1973 | The Flip Wilson Show | Self | 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Delphi Bureau | Broker | Episode: "The Terror Broker Project" |
| 1973 | Dr. Simon Locke/Police Surgeon | Delbert Norman Woodward | Episode: "Losers, Weepers" |
| 1973 | Tenafly | Weyburn | Episode: "The Cash and Carry Caper" |
| 1973 | Griff | Christopher Woods | Episode: "The Last Ballad" |
| 1973 | Hawkins | Joe Hamilton | Episode: "A Life for a Life" |
| 1974-75 | Petrocelli | Alan Brewster/Alex Mayberry | 2 episodes |
| 1974-77 | McMillan & Wife | Whalen/Ted Hoffenstein | 2 episodes |
| 1974-77 | Police Woman | Ted Adrian/Silky Chamberlain | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Chopper One | Marklund | Episode: "The Drop" |
| 1974 | Murder in the First Person Singular | Alfred Emerson | Television Movie |
| 1974 | The Day the Earth Moved | Judge Tom Backsler | Television Movie |
| 1974 | Male Menopause: The Pause That Perplexes | Performer | PBS Special |
| 1975-81 | Barney Miller | George Webber/Voice of Cellmate | Episode: 3 episodes |
| 1975 | The Abduction of Saint Anne | Ted Morrisey | Television Movie |
| 1975 | Lucas Tanner | Ed Michaelson | Episode: "Shattered" |
| 1975 | Journey from Darkness | Dr. Cavaliere | Television Movie |
| 1975 | Mannix | George Kane | Episode: "Hardball" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Ross Collins | Episode: "A Coven of Killers" |
| 1975 | Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case | Walt Adamson | Television Movie |
| 1975 | Doctors' Hospital | Dr. Ralph Keyes | Episode: "Surgeon, Heal Thyself" |
| 1976 | Bridger | Sen. Daniel Webster | Television Movie |
| 1976 | Doc | Dr. Pike | Episode: "Come Scrub with Me" |
| 1976 | Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours | Arthur Springfield | Television Movie |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman | Warfield | Episode: "Black Magic" |
| 1976 | Gibbsville | Charlie Paxton | Episode: "Saturday Night" |
| 1976 | The Feather and Father Gang | General Northrup | Episode: "Two-Star Killer" |
| 1976 | Once an Eagle | Gen. Duke K Pulleyne | Miniseries |
| 1976 | The Tony Randall Show | Hamilton Kiss | Episode: "Case: Money vs. Stature" |
| 1976 | Heck's Angels | Col. Gregory Heck | Pilot Episode |
| 1977 | Seventh Avenue | John Meyers | Miniseries |
| 1977 | Hunter | Josef Patel | Episode: "The Lysenko Syndrome" |
| 1977 | Quincy, M.E. | Arthur Brandeis | Episode: "The Hot Dog Murder" |
| 1977 | Family | Howard Stone | Episode: "An Endangered Species" |
| 1977 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Phil Wainwright | Episode: "The Bluegrass Special" |
| 1977 | The Oregon Trail | Packy Devlin | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Kojak | K.C. Milano | Episode: "Once More from Birdland" |
| 1978 | Hunters of the Reef | Panama Cassidy | Television Movie |
| 1978 | W.E.B. | Paul Brisbane | Episode: "Good Night and Good Luck" |
| 1979-82 | Trapper John, M.D. | Harry Duvall/Theodore Rankin | 2 episodes |
| 1979-83 | The Love Boat | Bill Kelly/Harold Wallingford | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Brothers and Sisters | Larry Krandall | 12 episodes |
| 1979 | Blind Ambition | Richard Kleindienst | Miniseries |
| 1980 | Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger | Mons. Soldini | Television Movie |
| 1980 | Landon Landon & Landon | Ben Landon | Pilot episode |
| 1980 | Dallas | Amos Krebbs | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Walking Tall | Matthew Whittaker | Episode: "The Protectors of the People" |
| 1981 | Quick & Quiet | Thaddeus Charles "T.C." Cooper | Pilot episode |
| 1981 | The Incredible Hulk | Sgt. Jack Keeler | Episode: "East Winds" |
| 1981 | Foul Play | Franklin Mills | Episode: "Play It Again Tuck" |
| 1981 | 100 Years of Golden Hits | Thomas Edison | TV special |
| 1981 | A House Divided | Gov. Thomas Bennett, jr. | Episode: "The Denmark Vesey Rebellion" |
| 1981 | One Day at a Time | Mr. Tiller | Episode: "Caveat Emptor" |
| 1981 | Leave 'em Laughing | Smiley Jenkins | Television Movie |
| 1981 | Side Show | Byron Gage | Television Movie |
| 1981 | Flamingo Road | Charlie Banks | Episode: "The Stranger" |
| 1982-83 | Matt Houston | Dr. Walter Belkamp | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Bill Ackland | Episode: "Daddy's Little Girl/The Whistle" |
| 1982 | Desperate Lives | Dr. Jarvis | Television Movie |
| 1982 | The Rules of Marriage | George Olsen | Television Movie |
| 1982 | Hart to Hart | Charles Baines | Episode: "With This Hart, I Thee Wed" |
| 1982 | The Suzanne Somers Show | Landlord | Unaired Pilot episode |
| 1983 | The Greatest American Hero | Henry Williams | Episode: "Live at Eleven" |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Al Massey | Episode: "Mexican Slayride" |
| 1983 | Mama's Family | Woody Miller | Episode: "Mama's Boyfriend" |
| 1983 | The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour | Bronco Mallory | Television Movie |
| 1983 | The Facts of Life | Pete Dawson | Episode: "Store Games" |
| 1983 | Lottery! | Arthur | Episode: "Boston: False Illusion" |
| 1983 | Automan | Judge Alexander Farnsworth | Episode:Staying Alive While Running a High Flashdance Fever |
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Charlie Halloran | Episode: "In Sickness and in Health" |
| 1984 | Simon & Simon | Dr. Lloyd - Chief of Surgery | Episode: "Under the Knife" |
| 1984 | Why Me? | General | Television Movie |
| 1984 | Reading Rainbow | Self | Episode: "Hot Air Henry" |
| 1984 | The Yellow Rose | Mayor Virgil Mapes | Episode: Far Side of Fear |
| 1984 | Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks) | Mayor Malcolm Wallwood | Television Movie |
| 1984 | Pink Panther and Sons | Dr. Marcus Wealthy/Ticket Seller | Voice; Episode: Rocko's Last Round |
| 1984 | Velvet | Government Official | Television Movie |
| 1984 | Hot Pursuit | Performer | Episode: "Twilight Home" |
| 1984 | Hunter | Commissioner Larry Crenshaw | Episode: "The Hot Grounder" |
| 1985-96 | Murder, She Wrote | Sam Breen/Dr. Seth Hazlitt | Recurring Role; 53 episodes |
| 1985 | Highway to Heaven | Rev. David Stearns | Episode: "A Child of God" |
| 1985 | Surviving: A Family in Crisis | Dr. Madsen | Television Movie |
| 1985 | Hotel | Uncle Ray | Episode: "Anniversary" |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | James Maxwell | Episode: "Surprise on Seagull Beach" |
| 1985 | Dirty Work | Cmdr. Leevanhoek | Pilot |
| 1985 | The Jetsons | Saturn Cyclops | Episode: "Elroy in Wonderland" |
| 1985 | Airwolf | Lou Stappleford | Episode: "Eagles" |
| 1985 | Knight Rider | Wayne Altfield | Episode: "Knight Racer" |
| 1985 | Glitter | Performer | 1 Episode |
| 1986 | Magnum, P.I. | Captain James T. Lyle | Episode: "All Thieves on Deck" |
| 1986 | Comedy Factory | Herb Medlock | Episode: "Moscow Bureau" |
| 1986 | There Must Be a Pony | Lee Hertzig | Television Movie |
| 1987 | Mathnet | Judge Herman Hoffman | Episode: "The Trial of George Frankly" |
| 1987 | Square One Television | Judge Hoffman | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Newhart | Lew Brooney | Episode: "Good-Bye & Good Riddance, Mr. Chips" |
| 1987 | Sky Commanders | 'Cutter' Kling (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Dennis the Menace | Mr. George Wilson | Television Movie |
| 1989 | Have Faith | Alex | Episode: "Letters from Home" |
| 1990-91 | Parenthood | Frank Buckman | 12 episodes |
| 1990 | His & Hers | Doug's Father | Episode: "Just Plain Bill" |
| 1990 | The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn | Judge Thatcher | Television Movie |
| 1990 | Amen | Nick St. Nicholas | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Babes | Darryl Kloner | Episode: "All Bummed Out" |
| 1991 | The Fanelli Boys | Ernie | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Chance of a Lifetime | Dr. Edelman | Television Movie |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | Charles Flanagan | Episode: "Diet, Diet My Darling" |
| 1992 | Batman: The Animated Series | Ethan Clark (voice) | Episode: "Prophecy of Doom" |
| 1992 | Goof Troop | Uncle Bob | Episode: "Major Goof" |
| 1992 | Camp Candy | voice | 1 Episode |
| 1993-94 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Uncle Chuck (voice) | 25 episodes |
| 1993 | Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman | Hamilton Cobb | Television Movie |
| 1994 | Murphy Brown | Ross Bowen | Episode: "Be Careful What You Wish For" |
| 1995 | Burke's Law | Dale Montrose | Episode: "Who Killed the Tennis Ace?" |
| 1996 | Fugitive X: Innocent Target | Uncle Billy | Television Movie |
| 1996 | Working Guy | Stockdale | Unaired Pilot |
| 1998 | Boy Meets World | Ned | Episode: "Ain't College Great?" |
| 1999 | Judging Amy | Prof. Barnett | Episode: "Witch Hunt" |
| 1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Judge | Episode: "Rescued" |
| 2000 | Ally McBeal | Henderson Porter | Episode: "The Man with the Bag" |
| 2001 | Providence | Harold Joyce | Episode: "The Invisible Man" |
| 2001 | The District | Harlan Kirby Sr. | Episode: "Bulldog's Ghost" |
| 2002 | JAG | Fmr. Chief of Naval Operations | Episode: "Need to Know" |
| 2004 | Star Trek: New Voyages | Commodore Matt Decker | Episode: "In Harm's Way" |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 1942 | The Royal Family | Oscar Wolfe | Connecticut College for Women |
| 1945 | Richard III | Richard III | American University, Biarritz France |
| 1946 | Richard III | Richard III | Fordham University, New York City |
| 1946 | King Henry VIII | Earl of Surrey | International Theatre, Broadway |
| 1946 | What Every Woman Knows | Ensemble | International Theatre, Broadway |
| 1946 | John Gabriel Borkman | Erhart Borkman | International Theatre, Broadway |
| 1946 | Androcles and the Lion | Retiarius | International Theatre, Broadway |
| 1947 | Yellow Jack | Pvt. McClelland | International Theatre, Broadway |
| 1947 | Alice in Wonderland | The White Rabbit/Man in the Paper Hat | Majestic Theatre, Broadway |
| 1947 | Alice in Wonderland | The White Rabbit/Man in the Paper Hat | Boston Opera House |
| 1947 | Dream Girl | cast | The Cape Playhouse |
| 1947 | The Marquise | cast | The Cape Playhouse |
| 1947 | Joan of Lorraine | poet | The Cape Playhouse |
| 1948 | The Voice of the Turtle | Bill Page | Brookfield Theatre for the Arts |
| 1948 | My Sister Eileen | janitor | Brookfield Theatre for the Arts |
| 1949 | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | Fordham University, New York City |
| 1949 | The Jailor's Wench | cast | The Cape Playhouse |
| 1950 | Light Up the Sky | author | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | Blithe Spirit | Dr. Bradman | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | It's a Wise Child | cast | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | Meet the Wife | boyfriend | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | The Three-Cornered Moon | cast | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | The Vinegar Tree | cast | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | Your Uncle Dudley | man in love with niece | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1950 | When the Bough Breaks | Bob Sanford | The Master Institute Theatre |
| 1951 | Charm | Joe the drug clerk | Southbury Playhouse, Southbury, Conn. |
| 1951-1953 | Bell, Book and Candle | Nicky Holroyd, a warlock | National Tour |
| 1953 | A Girl Can Tell | David, a voice on the telephone | Royale Theatre, Broadway |
| 1954 | Claudia | David | Putnam Playhouse, Connecticut |
| 1954 | The Starcross Story | cast | Royale Theatre, Broadway |
| 1954 | Mademoiselle Colombe | Edouard | Longacre Theatre, Broadway |
| 1954 | Sabrina Fair | the Frenchman | Scandaga Theatre, New York |
| 1954 | My Three Angels | Snake Man | Putnam Playhouse, Connecticut |
| 1954 | Affairs of State | cast | Theatre in the Round, New York City |
| 1954 | The Automobile Man | physicist | Bucks County Playhouse, Pennsylvania |
| 1954 | I Am a Camera | lead | Theatre in the Round, New York City |
| 1954 | Private Lives | Elyot | Theatre in the Round, New York City |
| 1954 | Voice of the Turtle | cast | Theatre in the Round, New York City |
| 1955 | The Grand Prize | John Condon Mitchell | Plymouth Theatre, Broadway |
| 1955 | The Heiress | Morris Townsend | Tent Theatre, Pennsylvania |
| 1955 | Mrs. Gibbon's Boys | Rodla | Bucks County Playhouse, Pennsylvania |
| 1955 | The Shoemaker's Children | cast | Bucks County Playhouse, Pennsylvania |
| 1955 | You Never Can Tell | Valentine | Olney Theatre Center, Maryland |
| 1956 | Fallen Angels | Frederick Starbuck | Playhouse Theatre, Broadway |
| 1956 | Double in Hearts | Asst. Stage Manager | John Golden Theatre, Broadway |
| 1956 | Candide | stagehand not a cast member | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway |
| 1957 | Career | Sam Lawson | Seventh Avenue Playhouse, New York City |
| 1957 | The Anniversary Waltz | lead | Grant Lee Theatre |
| 1957 | Hotel Paradiso | cast | Henry Miller Theatre, Broadway |
| 1957 | The Greatest Man Alive | Hospital Aide | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
| 1957 | No Laughing Matter | Jean Louis | East Hampton, New York |
| 1957 | Of Time Remembered | understudy for Richard Burton | Morosco Theatre, Broadway |
| 1958 | Twelfth Night | Duke Orsino | New York Shakespeare Festival, Belevedere Lake Theatre, New York City |
| 1958 | The World of Suzie Wong | understudy, Robert Lomax | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway |
| 1959 | USA | cast | Martinique Theatre, New York City |
| 1960 | Viva Madison Avenue! | Jim Leary | Longacre Theatre, Broadway |
| 1960 | Drums Under the Window | Adam and Cockney officer | Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City |
| 1960 | The Rules of the Game | Guido Venanzi | Gramercy Arts Theatre, New York City |
| 1960-62 | USA | cast | UCLA Theatre Group |
| 1961 | Come Blow Your Horn | cast | Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway |
| 1961-62 | The Child Buyer | narrator | UCLA Theatre Group |
| 1961-62 | Period of Adjustment | George Haverstick | UCLA Theatre Group |
| 1969 | The Bertolt Brecht Festival | cast | California |
| 1970s-90s | Thurber | one-man show | around the world |
| 1970s-90s | Thurber II | one-man show | around the world |
| 1970s-90s | Ernie Pyle | one-man show | around the United States |
| 1970s-90s | Ernie Pyle II | one-man show | around the United States |
| 1997 | On Golden Pond | Norman Thayer | Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, California |
| 1999 | Camping with Henry and Tom | Thomas Edison | Mt. Gretna Playhouse, Pennsylvania |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1970 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | My World and Welcome to It | Won |