Ed Lauter obit

Ed Lauter, Veteran Character Actor, Dead at 74

He was not on the list

Veteran character actor Ed Lauter, whose long, angular face and stern bearing made him an instantly recognizable figure in scores of movies and TV shows during a career that stretched across five decades, died Wednesday. He was 74.

Lauter died of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer most commonly caused by asbestos exposure, said his publicist, Edward Lozzi.

Whether he was an irascible authority figure, a brutal thug or a conniving con man, Lauter's presence made him all but impossible to miss in any film he was in. That was so even on those occasions when he was playing a character more bumbling than menacing, although menacing was clearly his forte.

He was the brutal prison guard who was Burt Reynolds' nemesis in the 1974 comedy-drama The Longest Yard and the sleazy gas-station attendant in Alfred Hitchcock's last film, The Family Plot. In Death Wish 3, he was the violent cop who teams with Charles Bronson's vigilante to rid New York City's streets of criminals, not by incarcerating them but by killing them.

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1972      The Magnificent Seven Ride!       Scott Elliot          

The New Centurions       Galloway             

Hickey & Boggs Ted       

Bad Company    Orin      

Dirty Little Billy Tyler     

Rage      Simpson              

1973      Lolly-Madonna XXX         Hawk Feather   

The Last American Hero                Burton Colt        

Executive Action               Operations Chief - Team A           

1974      The Midnight Man           Leroy    

The Longest Yard              Captain Knauer

1975      Satan's Triangle                 Strickland           

French Connection II       General Brian    

Breakheart Pass                Maj. Claremont                

1976      Family Plot          Joseph Maloney              

King Kong            Carnahan            

1977      The White Buffalo            Tom Custer        

The Chicken Chronicles Mr. Nastase       

1978      Loose Shoes       Sheriff Bob         

Magic    Duke     

1981      Death Hunt         Hazel    

The Amateur      Anderson           

1982      Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann                Padre   

1983      Eureka Charles Perkins

Cujo       Joe Camber        

The Big Score     Parks    

1984      Lassiter                 Smoke

Finders Keepers                Josef Sirola         

Nickel Mountain               W.D. Freund      

1985      Girls Just Want to Have Fun         Col. Glenn          

Real Genius        David Decker     

Death Wish 3     Inspector Richard Shriker             

1986      Youngblood        Murray Chadwick            

Raw Deal             Detective Baker               

3:15       Moran  

1987      Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise            Buzz      

1989      Gleaming the Cube          Mr. Kelly             

Tennessee Waltz              Unknown character        

Fat Man and Little Boy   Whitney Ashbridge         

Born on the Fourth of July            Legion Commander        

1990      My Blue Heaven               Underwood       

1991      The Rocketeer   Fitch     

1992      Judgement         Dallas Hale         

School Ties          Alan Greene      

1993      Extreme Justice                 Captain Shafer  

True Romance   Police Captain Quiggle   Uncredited

Under Investigation        Captain Maguire              

1994      Extreme Justice                 Captain Shafer  

Wagons East      John Slade          

Trial by Jury        John Boyle         

1995      Leaving Las Vegas            Mobster #3        

Girl in the Cadillac            Ben Wilmer       

Digital Man         General Roberts              

Breach of Trust Colin Kreuger    

1996      Rattled Murray Hendershot       

Raven Hawk       Sheriff Daggert

Mulholland Falls               Earl       

Coyote Summer                Mitchell Foster

Mercenary          Jack Cochran     

The Sweeper      Molls    

1997      Top of the World              Mel Ridgefield  

Allie & Me           Detective Frank Richards              

1999      Out in Fifty          Ed Walker           

Night of Terror Father Connelly                

2000      Farewell My Love             Sergei Karpov    

Python Pilot      

Thirteen Days    Gen. Marshall Carter      

Civility   Detective Erickson          

2001      Knight Club         Fire Marshall     

Not Another Teen Movie              The Coach          

2002      Go for Broke       Warden Lessen

2003      Gentleman B.     Harry Koslow     

2003      Seabiscuit            Charles Strub    

Nobody Knows Anything               Gun Expert         

The Librarians    John Strong       

2004      Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation         Gen. Jack Gordon Shepherd       

Art Heist              Victor Boyd        

2005      Into the Fire       Captain Dave Cutler       

The Longest Yard              Duane  

Venice Underground      Captain John Sullivan     

Brothers in Arms              Mayor Crawley

Purple Heart       Civilian

2006      The Lost               Ed Anderson     

Love Hollywood Style     Lawrence            

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby          John Hanafin      Uncredited

Seraphim Falls   Parsons               

2007      The Number 23                 Father Sebastian              

A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper            Pop       

2008      Camille Sheriff Steiner  

The American Standards               Harry    

Something's Wrong in Kansas     Amos    

2009      Expecting a Miracle         Walter Enright  

Godspeed           Mitch   

2011      The Frankenstein Syndrome        Dr. Walton         

The Artist             Peppy's Butler  

2012      The Fitzgerald Family Christmas                 Jim Fitzgerald    

Trouble with the Curve Max      

2014      The Town That Dreaded Sundown            Sheriff Underwood        

2016      Chief Zabu           Skip Keisel          

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1971      Mannix                 Sergeant              Episode: "The Man Outside"

1971–1972          Longstreet          Uniformed Officer / Detective    2 episodes

1972      Cannon                 Deputy Episode: "A Flight of Hawks"

Ironside                Newton                Episode: "The Countdown"

1972–1973          The Streets of San Francisco        Doctor Joseph Ford         2 episodes

1973      Class of '63          Dave McKay       Television film

1974      The Waltons       Hyder Rudge      Episode: "The Car"

The Migrants      Mr. Barlow          Television film

Kojak     Floyd     Episode: "Mojo"

The New Land    Unknown character         Episode: "The Word Is: Growth"

The Godchild      Crees     Television film

1975      Satan's Triangle                 Strickland

Baretta Ed Borgue            Episode: "Woman in the Harbor"

Last Hours Before Morning          Bud Delaney       Television film

1976      Police Story        Ralph Coleman / Joseph Kinsella                2 episodes

1977      Charlie's Angels                 Lt. Howard Fine                 Episode: "The Blue Angels"

The Rockford Files            Joseph Bloomberg           Episode: "The Dog and Pony Show"

1978      How the West Was Won               Martin Stillman 5 episodes

The Clone Master             Bender Television film

Greatest Heroes of the Bible       Ularat    2 episodes

1979      The Jericho Mile               Jerry Beloit          Television film

Love's Savage Fury           Sergeant Weed

Undercover with the KKK              Raleigh Porter

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo           Captain John Sebastian Cain        3 episodes

1979–1980          B. J. and the Bear             Captain John Sebastian Cain        5 episodes

1980      Hawaii Five-O    Jonas Halloran   Episode: "The Golden Noose"

The Boy Who Drank Too Much   Gus Carpenter   Television film

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones Jim Jones, Sr.      Miniseries

Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story          Frank Morris      Television film

1981      A Nero Wolfe Mystery   Clay Baylor          Episode: "Sweet Revenge"

1982      In the Custody of Strangers          Judge Halloran Television film

Rooster                Jack Claggert

1983      Simon & Simon Col. Lawrence Grayson Episode: "What's in a Gnome?"

St. Elsewhere     Stan Morgen      Episode: "Working"

Hardcastle and McCormick           Rick Vetromile   2 episodes

Manimal              Col. Hunt             Episode: "Manimal"

Magnum, P.I.     Captain Quintin                 Episode: "Operation: Silent Night"

1983–1984          The A-Team        Major Douglas Kyle / Sheriff Hank Thompson       2 episodes

1984      The Seduction of Gina    Carl        Television film

CBS Schoolbreak Special                Buddy Evans       Episode: "Dead Wrong: The John Evans Story"

The Three Wishes of Billy Grier   Mr. Grier              Television film

Automan             Michael Hagedorn           Episode: "Murder, Take One"

The Yellow Rose                Cal Everett          Episode: "Land of the Free"

Crazy Like a Fox                 Unknown character         Episode: "Pilot"

The Cartier Affair              Lyndon Dean      Television film

1985      Our Family Honor             Ray Wilfong        Episode: "End of the Line"

1986      The Defiant Ones             Sheriff Leroy Doyle          Television film

The Last Days of Patton Dr. Lt.Col. Paul S. Hill

Screen Two         Jerry Tyler           Episode: "Double Image"

Miami Vice          Capt. Cahill         Episode: "Shadow in the Dark"

The Thanksgiving Promise            Coach Gruniger Television film

1987      Ohara    Vanders               Episode: "Will"

Murder, She Wrote         Sheriff Orville Yates         Episode: "The Cemetery Vote"

1987–1988          The Equalizer     Robert Nichols / Walter Rowan 2 episodes

1989      Booker Kendall Episode: "High Rise"

1990      Father Dowling Mysteries             Rex Burnham     Episode: "The Confidence Mystery"

Monsters             Malcolm               Episode: "Malcolm"

Kojak: Flowers for Matty               Police Armorer Television film

1991      Golden Years      Gen. Louis Crewes           Miniseries

1992      Star Trek: The Next Generation Lt. Cmdr. Albert                Episode: "The First Duty"

Calendar Girl, Cop, Killer? The Bambi Bembenek Story     Lieutenant Driscoll           Television film

1993      Renegade            Jack Barnell         Episode: "Partners"

Homicide: Life on the Street        Gruszynski          Episode: "And the Rockets' Dead Glare"

Murder So Sweet             Glen Emory         Television film

The Return of Ironside   Chief Bell

The X-Files          Lt. Col. Marcus Aurelius Belt        Episode: "Space"

1994      Secret Sins of the Father               Arnold Carter     Television film

Birdland               Capt. John Swede            Episode: "Plan B"

Highlander: The Series   Avery Hoskins    Episode: "Bless the Child"

1995      The Tuskegee Airmen    General Stevenson          Television film

1996      Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Paladin Episode: "Circle of Light"

Raven Hawk       Sheriff Daggert Television film

1997      Married to a Stranger     Harry, Megan's Father

Walker, Texas Ranger     Silas Bedoe         2 episodes

Under Wraps     Kubat    Television film

1998      Millennium         Warden Kellard                 Episode: "In Arcadia Ego"

A Bright Shining Lie         General Weyand              Television film

Dollar for the Dead          Jacob Colby

ER           Fire Captain Dannaker    6 episodes

1999      The Magnificent Seven Hank Conley       Episode: "Vendetta"

2000      Law & Order       Defense Counsel              Episode: "Entitled"

2001      Charmed              Sutter    Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Cursed"

2002      CSI: Crime Scene Investigation    Barclay Tobin     Episode: "Cats in the Cradle..."

2004      JAG        General Hughes                Episode: "Whole New Ball Game"

2005      Into the Fire       Captain Dave Cutler        Television film

NYPD Blue           Jerry Rasmussen               Episode: "Old Man Quiver"

2008      Cold Case             Shep 'Mack' McAvoy '08                Episode: "One Small Step"

Chocolate News                Jack Cagney        Episode: "#1.5"

Grey's Anatomy                Timothy Miller   Episode: "These Ties That Bind"

2009      Expecting a Miracle         Walter Enright   Television film

2009–2010          Psych     Deputy Commissioner Ed Dykstra              2 episodes

2011      Carnal Innocence             Austin Hatinger                 Television film

2012–2013          Shameless           Dick Healey         4 episodes

2013      The Office           Mr. Lauter pere                 Episode "Suit Warehouse"