# John Lawlor (actor)

John Henry Lawlor III (June 5, 1941 – February 13, 2025) was an American actor and assistant director.

## Early life

Lawlor was born on June 5, 1941, in Troy, New York, but spent much of his early life in Boulder, Colorado, where his mother was a teacher of special needs children at Casey Jr. High School. In the late-1960s, he worked as a AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer trainer in Denver.

## Career

His best known roles were Supervisor Leonard Marsh on the television series Phyllis from 1976 to 1977, and later of Headmaster Steven Bradley on the television series The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1980. The name Steven Bradley was likely meant as a tribute to Steve Bradley in Boulder, a friend and one-time manager of the Winter Park ski area.
He also guest-starred in L.A. Law, Knots Landing, Mr. Belvedere, Barney Miller, The Rockford Files, Ellery Queen, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Alice. He played the locksmith exhorted by Skylar White in Breaking Bad.
He appeared in the movies National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982), S.O.B. (1981), Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977), The Gumball Rally (1976), Wyatt Earp (1994) and Mr. Fixit (1988).
In a 1980s TV commercial for Malt-O-Meal hot cereal, he played a father telling his son's invisible friend that Malt-O-Meal was, "Good stuff, Maynard!" a line which became a popular phrase.

## Personal life and death

Lawlor was divorced from Tantoo Cardinal, with whom he had two children. He also had four other children.
Lawlor died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 13, 2025, at the age of 83.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1976 | Jackson County Jail | Deputy Burt |
| 1976 | The Gumball Rally | Jake |
| 1977 | Billy Jack Goes to Washington | Dan McArthur |
| 1981 | S.O.B. | Capitol Studios Manager |
| 1982 | National Lampoon's Movie Madness | Mr. Haggis |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Judge Spicer |
| 2011 | Naked Run | Max Siegel |
| 2011 | The Reunion | Lenny Cleary |
| 2016 | Gold | Mining Expert |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | The Rockford Files | Dave Kruger | Episode: "Resurrection in Black & White" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Director / Radio Technician | 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Bureau | Agent Butterfield | Television film |
| 1976 | Baa Baa Black Sheep | Dr. Jim Reese | Episode: "Flying Misfits" |
| 1976–1977 | Phyllis | Leonard Marsh / Officer Hale | 25 episodes |
| 1977 | Relentless | Walker | Television film |
| 1977 | Alice | Henderson | Episode: "The Sixty Minutes Man" |
| 1978 | Outside Chance | Bill Hill | Television film |
| 1978 | Barney Miller | Morris the Dogcatcher | Episode: "Dog Days" |
| 1979 | A New Kind of Family | Tom | Episode: "Are You Sure Barnum and Bailey Started Like This?" |
| 1979–1980 | The Facts of Life | Steven Bradley | 13 episodes |
| 1980 | United States | Josh | Episode: "Josh" |
| 1981 | A Matter of Life and Death | Bud Coggins | Television film |
| 1981 | Here's Boomer | John Hawthorne | Episode: "Boomer in the Pound" |
| 1981 | Why Us? | Jules Sanborn | Television film |
| 1982 | Cassie & Co. | Merritt | Episode: "Dark Side of the Moon" |
| 1982 | Newhart | Director of Vermont Today | Episode: "Vermont Today" |
| 1984 | T. J. Hooker | Charles Bowers | Episode: "Pursuit" |
| 1984 | Simon & Simon | Scott Banfield | Episode: "Almost Completely Out of Circulation" |
| 1984 | ABC Weekend Special | Paul Landry | Episode: "Henry Hamilton Graduate Ghost" |
| 1985 | The Best Times | Willis Troutman | Episode: "Snake Meat" |
| 1985, 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Brad / Earl | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Stingray | Dr. Jimmy Monroe | Episode: "That Terrible Swift Sword" |
| 1986 | Sledge Hammer! | Chief Reisner | Episode: "Under the Gun" |
| 1987 | She's the Sheriff | Diamond | Episode: "Max Moves In" |
| 1988–1989 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Walter Talbert | 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Mr. Belvedere | Dr. Peterson | Episode: "Fear of Flying" |
| 1990 | After the Shock | Fireman | Television film |
| 1991 | The New Lassie | Jim Berger | Episode: "Kitty Saver" |
| 1992 | FBI: The Untold Stories | Steve Gates | Episode: "Millionaire Murderer" |
| 1992–1993 | Knots Landing | Larry Lambert | 4 episodes |
| 1993 | L.A. Law | Howard Bowling | Episode: "Bourbon County" |
| 1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Horatius | Episode: "Stranger and Stranger" |
| 2003 | The Lyon's Den | Mr. Dilby | Episode: "Privileged" |
| 2004 | Cold Case | Father Declan | Episode: "Glued" |
| 2005 | McBride: Tune in for Murder | Don | Television film |
| 2008 | The Roaring Twenties | Gary | Miniseries |
| 2009 | In Plain Sight | Judge John Metcalf | Episode: "Who's Bugging Mary?" |
| 2010 | Scoundrels | Herbert West | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Breaking Bad | Locksmith | Episode: "Box Cutter" |
| 2014 | Killer Women | Judge Walter Garrity | Episode: "Some Men Need Killing" |
| 2014 | Longmire | Oren Mallory | Episode: "Miss Cheyenne" |
| 2014 | Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs | Judge Shumate | Television film |
| 2016 | Graves | Dr. Mirsky | Episode: "A Tincture of Madness" |
| 2017 | Godless | Elmer Knowland | 4 episodes |