John Bennett Perry

John Bennett Perry (born January 4, 1941) is an American actor, singer, and former model. He is the father of actor Matthew Perry.
== Life and career ==
Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the son of Maria Schaefer-Bennett (1910–1970) and Alton L. Perry (1906–2003).[1] He attended college at St. Lawrence University, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappafraternity.[2] He married twice. His first wife was Suzanne Langford, a former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, with whom he fathered Matthew Perry. Perry and Langford divorced before Matthew's first birthday. He has a daughter, Mia Perry, born 1982, with his second and current wife, Debbie.
His stage credit includes the 1967 musical Now Is The Time For All Good Men.
Perry is well known for playing the clean-shaven "sailor" in the Old Spicecommercials of the 1970s and 1980s. He has appeared in numerous films such as Lipstick (1976), Midway (1976), The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), Only When I Laugh (1981), Independence Day (1996) and George of the Jungle (1997), and television programs, including The West Wing, L.A. Law, Days of Our Lives, Little House on the Prairie, Centennial, 240-Robert, Nakia, Falcon Crest, Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder and Magnum, P.I.. He also portrayed General Douglas MacArthur in the 1989 film Farewell to the King.
In the 1978-79 TV season, he and Stephanie Edwards co-hosted EveryDay, a syndicated daytime talk/variety series that also featured Murray Langston, Tom Chapin and Anne Bloom. He and Edwards were both nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series.
He appeared alongside his son, "Friends" star Matthew Perry, in the 1997 movie Fools Rush In, and in the episode "My Unicorn" of the sitcom Scrubs, both times as the father of his son's characters. He also appeared in an episode of Friends, "The One with Rachel's New Dress", playing the father of Rachel Green's boyfriend Joshua.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1976	Lipstick 	Martin McCormick 	
1976	Midway 	ARM1c Walter G. Chochalousek	
1981	The Legend of the Lone Ranger	Ranger Captain Dan Reid 	
1981	Only When I Laugh 	Vincent Heller (Lou) 	
1989	Farewell to the King 	General MacArthur 	
1996	Independence Day 	Secret Serviceman 	
1996	The Evening Star 	Sitcom Parent 	
1997	Fools Rush In 	Richard Whitman 	
1997	George of the Jungle 	Arthur Stanhope 	
1998	Circles 	Bob Miano 	
1998	Ground Control 	Senator Rutherford 	
2002	The Sweetest Thing 	Judy's Father 	
2007	Agenda 	John Linney 	
2007	Protecting the King 	Vernon Presley 	
2008	Loaded 	Evan Price 	
2011	Bob's New Suit 	Buster 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1972 	Bobby Jo and the Good Time Band 	Jeff 	Television Movie
1973–1974	Police Story 	Sergeant Chick Torpi 	recurring role (5 episodes)
1974 	Mannix 	Steve Walker 	Episode: "Walk a Double Line"
1974 	Nakia 	unknown role 	Episode: "The Moving Target"
1975 	Kung Fu 	Deputy Hank Archer 	Episode: "Battle Hymn"
1975 	S.W.A.T. 	Johnny Brewer 	Episode: "The Vendetta"
1975 	Barbary Coast 	Commander Stark 	Episode: "An Iron-Clad Plan"
1977 	Little House on the Prairie 	Andrew Hobbs / Frank James 	Episode: "The Aftermath"
1978 	Everyday 	Himself (Host) 	2 episodes
– "#1.1"
– "#1.11"
Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series
1978–1979	Centennial 	Mahlon Zent 	Miniseries (2 episodes)
– "The Wagon and the Elephant" (1978)
– "The Storm" (1979)
1979–1981	240-Robert 	Deputy Theodore Roosevelt 'Trap' Applegate III	series regular (16 episodes)
1981 	A Matter of Life and Death 	Shad Fleming 	Television Movie
1982 	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color 	Russell Donovan 	Episode: "Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang"
1982 	Today's F.B.I. 	Parrish 	Episode: "Tapper"
1982 	Money on the Side 	Tom Westmore 	Television Movie
1982 	Seven Bridges for Seven Brothers 	Eckworth 	Episode: "Heritage"
1983 	I Married Wyatt Earp 	John Behan 	Television Movie
1983 	Little House on the Prairie 	Russell Matthews 	Episode: "Once Upon a Time"
1983 	Teachers Only 	unknown role 	Episode: "Rex, the Wonder Husband"
1983 	Wizards and Warriors 	Colter 	Episode: "The Dungeon of Death"
1983 	Lottery! 	unknown role 	Episode: "Phoenix: Blood Brothers"
1983 	Emerald Point N.A.S. 	Joe 	Episode: "#1.6"
1984 	The Duck Factory 	Brett Higgens / Arnold 	Episode: "It Didn't Happen One Night"
1984 	The Love Boat 	George Washburn 	Episode: "Only the Good Die Young/Honey Beats the Odds/The Light of Another Day"
1984 	Paper Dolls 	Michael Caswell 	series regular (13 episodes)
1985 	The Other Lover 	Peter Fielding 	Television Movie
1985 	I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later	Wes Morrison 	Television Movie
1985 	Magnum, P.I. 	Stephen Parker 	Episode: "Rapture"
1985–1986	Falcon Crest 	Sheriff Floyd Gilmore 	series regular (21 episodes)
1986 	Hotel 	Drew Haywood 	Episode: "Harassed"
1987 	The Last Fling 	Jason Elliot 	Television Movie
1987 	Independence 	Sheriff 	Television Movie
1987 	Throb 	Bobby 	Episode: "Party Games"
1987 	Poker Alice 	Frank Hartwell 	Television Movie
1987 	Rags to Riches 	Tom Honkerson 	Episode: "Wilderness Blues"
1987 	Pursuit of Happiness 	Fast Phil 	Episode: "Advice and Consent"
1987 	Murder, She Wrote 	Judge Perry Sillman 	Episode: "When Thieves Fall Out"
1988 	Nightingales 	Roger Taylor 	Television Movie
1988 	L.A. Law 	Richard Lauderbauch 	Episode: "Romancing the Drone"
1988 	Hunter 	Steven Stag 	Episode: "Dead on Target (Part 1 & 2)"
1989 	She Knows Too Much 	Matthew Bream 	Television Movie
1989 	False Witness 	Dr. Stiner 	Television Movie
1991 	Over My Dead Body 	Raymond 	Episode: "Naked Brunch"
1992 	Secrets 	Dan Adams 	Television Movie
1992 	Coach 	Arthur Blackmore 	Episode: "Dateline-Bangkok"
1992 	Silk Stalkings 	Ronald Bunch 	Episode: "Irreconcilable Differences"
1993 	Civil Wars 	Adam Hunter 	Episode: "Dances with Sharks"
1993 	Murder, She Wrote 	Dan Remsen 	Episode: "Lone Witness"
1993 	Home Fries 	unknown role 	Episode: "Front Page"
1995 	Renegade 	Ted Radford 	Episode: "Rancho Escondido"
1995 	CBS Schoolbreak Special 	Winston Halpern 	Episode: "Kids Killing Kids"
1995 	Eye of the Stalker 	Duncan Emerson 	Television Movie
1996 	Pier 66 	Senator Powers 	Television Movie
1996 	Night Stand 	Colin Hunter 	Episode: "Gays in the Military"
1998 	The Wonderful World of Disney 	Mr. Norman Zapruder 	Episode: "Safety Patrol"
1998 	Friends 	Mr. Burgin 	Episode: "The One with Rachel's New Dress"
1998 	JAG 	Roland Sims 	2 episodes
– "Yesterday's Heroes"
– "Wedding Bell Blues"
1998 	The Army Show 	Nelson Caesar 	Episode: "J. Paul Caesar"
1998–1999	Air America 	Frank Arnett 	recurring role (6 episodes)
1999 	Veronica's Closet 	Byron Blair 	Episode: "Veronica's from Venus/Josh's Parents Are from Mars"
1999 	Nash Bridges 	Frank Morgan 	Episode: "Hide and Seek"
1999 	3rd Rock from the Sun 	Hamilton Bell 	Episode: "Dick v. Strudwick"
1999–2000	Family Law 	Senator Harlan Bell 	recurring role (3 episodes)
1999–2001	It's Like, You Know... 	Barney the Anchorman 	recurring role (3 episodes)
2000 	Diagnosis Murder 	Robert Brantigan 	Episode: "Man Overboard"
2001 	The West Wing 	Representative Bill. D 	Episode: "Two Cathedrals"
2002 	Providence 	Charles Frank 	recurring role (3 episodes)
2003 	7th Heaven 	Detective Terry Richardson 	2 episodes
– "Stand Up"
– "High Anxiety"
2003 	Threat Matrix 	Senator Otto 	Episode: "Flipping"
2004 	Scrubs 	Harrison 	Episode: "My Unicorn"
2005 	Cuts 	Dennis 	Episode: "Mack Daddies"
2005 	Veronica Mars 	Principal Alan Moorehead 	2 episodes
– "Ahoy Mateys"
– "My Mother, the Fiend"
2006 	Principal Dennis 	unknown role 	Episode: "Heiress Bridenapped"
2006 	Our House 	Judge 	Television Movie
2006 	The Closer 	Walter Langer 	Episode: "Heroic Measures"
2008 	Dirty Sexy Money 	Hal Matheson 	Episode: "The Birthday Present"
2009 	Cold Case 	Al 'Baltimore Red' Soddenheim '09 	Episode: "November 22"
2011 	Mr. Sunshine 	Howard 	Episode: "The Best Man"