Jack Blessing obit

Jack Blessing, Actor on 'Moonlighting' and 'George Lopez,' Dies at 66

He was not on the list.


He also had a regular role on 'The Naked Truth' and did voice work on animated films like 'Megamind' and 'ParaNorman.'

Jack Blessing, an actor who had recurring roles on such series as The Naked Truth, Moonlighting and George Lopez, has died. He was 66.

Blessing died Nov. 14 at his home in Chatsworth, Calif., after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his son Ian told The Hollywood Reporter.

Most recently, Blessing was seen as Jack Powers, who with his brother Mel (Mark Tymchyshyn) owned the Powers Aviation business that employed Lopez's character, on the comic's eponymous 2002–2007 ABC sitcom.

In 1986, the Baltimore native joined the stylish ABC drama Moonlighting in its third season as MacGillicuddy; he worked at the Blue Moon Detective Agency run by Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis) and tussled often with Curtis Armstrong's Herbert.

On The Naked Truth, the 1995-1998 ABC-NBC sitcom that starred Tea Leoni as a tabloid reporter, Blessing portrayed her unbalanced building manager, Mr. Donner.

Early in his career, Blessing starred as Chip Frye opposite Darren McGavin (as Nick Small) on the 1983 Disney-CBS comedy Small & Frye. Both characters were private eyes, and Blessing's could shrink in size to six inches.

Blessing also provided voices for characters in Antz (1998), Open Season (2006), Bee Movie (2007), Megamind (2010), ParaNorman (2012) and Planes (2013) and appeared on the big screen in Heaven's Gate (1980), Galaxy of Terror (1981), Thirteen Days (2000) and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

Blessing played Detective Seybolt on the Steven Bochco 1997 miniseries Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer, then reprised the role for the ABC drama that followed. He also played a cop on another Bochco series, Brooklyn South.

His TV résumé included work on M*A*S*H, Family Ties, Thirtysomething, The Golden Girls, Northern Exposure, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Touched by an Angel, Mike & Molly, The X-Files and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In addition to Ian, survivors include his wife of 32 years, Lora Staley Blessing — an actress who appeared in such films as Risky Business and on a 1989 episode of Moonlighting with her husband (they met while working as understudies on a comedy at the Ahmanson Theatre in L.A.) — and son Christopher.



Film

The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978, TV Movie) as Kabek

Women at West Point (1979, TV Movie) as Tom Fenton

Heavens Gate (1980) as Emigrant boy

Galaxy of Terror (1981) as Cos

Amos (1985, TV Movie) as Scott Lasher

Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986) as Nacio Herb Zipser

Children of a Lesser God (1986) as Announcer (voice)

Summer School (1987) as Student

Uncle Buck (1989) (voice)

The Spirit of '76 (1990) as (voice)

Samantha (1991) (voice)

The New Age (1994) (voice)

Ground Zero (2000) as Sportscaster

Above Suspicion (2000) as Nick

Thirteen Days (2000) as John Scali

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) as Jarvis

Open Season (2006) (voice)

Megamind (2010) as Newscaster (voice)

ParaNorman (2012) as Civil War ghost (voice)

Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013) (voice)

Shock and Awe (2017) as Man on Phone (voice)

Missing Link (2019) as McVitie / Conductor (voice) (Posthumous Release) (final film role)



Television

Year Title Role Notes

1980 Goodtime Girls Uncredited

1981 Quincy M.E. Alex Grauman 2 episodes

1981 M*A*S*H Lt. Rollins Episode: "Snappier Judgement"

1983 Small & Frye Chip Frye 6 episodes

1983 Remington Steele George Plummer Episodes: "Steele Away with me Pt.1 and 2"

1985 Family Ties Leonard Episodes: "Cold Storage" "Oh, Donna"

1985 George Burns Comedy Week Episode: "Disaster at Buzz Creek"

1987 Stingray Episode: "Playback"

1987 Mr. President Brian Episodes: "Love Labor's Last The Magnetic Presidency"

1987 CBS Summer Playhouse Jerry Episode: "In the Lion's Den"

1987 Thirtysomething Jeff Hagis Episode: "We Gather Together"

1988 Amen Lawrence Osborne Episode: "Get 'Em Up, Scout"

1988–1989 Day by Day Kevin Farrell Episodes: "Out for a Stretch How to Succeed in Day Care"

1989 China Beach Sgt. Masters Episode: "Afterburner"

1986–1989 Moonlighting MacGillicudy 17 episodes

1989 Mancuso, FBI Sweson Episode: "Conflict of Interest"

1989 Living Dolls Gibson Episode: "The Not So Sweet Smell of Success"

1990 Empty Nest Evan Phillips Episode: "Complainin' in the Rain"

1990 Babes Crellin Episode: "Marlene's Problem"

1991 The Golden Girls Father Monroe Episode: "There Goes the Bride pt. 2"

1991 Roseanne Cyrano/Phil Episode: "Communicable Theater"

1992 Civil Wars Mark Hayes Episode: "Till Debt Do Us Part"

1992 Dream On Dr. Raines Episode: "For Richard or for Poorer"

1994 SeaQuest 2032 Gaye Episode: "The Stinger"

1994 The Larry Sanders Show Dennis Markle Episode: "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show"

1994 Diagnosis Murder Special Agt. Matthew Dickerson Episode: "The Last Laugh Pt. 2"

1995 Cybill Stan Episode: "How Can I Call You My Ex-Husbands If You Won't Go Away?"

1995 Northern Exposure Professor Aaron Martin Episode: "The Graduate"

1995 Life with Louie Episode: "A Fish Called Pepper"

1995–1996 The Naked Truth Mr. Donner 20 episodes

1996 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Dulmur Episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations"

1996 Dangerous Minds Mr. Overton Episodes: "Evolution Family Ties"

1997 Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer Detective Seybolt 6 episodes

1997 Everybody Loves Raymond Dr. Hammond Episode: "Debra's Sick"

1997 ER Roger Drummond Episode: "Post Modem"

1996–1997 Murder One Detective Seybolt 4 episodes

1997 Home Improvement Dr. Breen Episode: "Room at the Top"

1997 Cracker: Mind Over Murder Detective Bobby Leary Episode: "'Tis Pity She's a Whore"

1997 C-16: FBI Episode: "Orange Kid"

1997 Smart Guy Mr. Delk Episode: "Book Smart"

1997 The Practice D.A. Horowitz Episode: "Hide and Seek"

1997 Profiler Burton Episodes: "Old Acquaintance It Cuts Both Ways"

1997–1998 Brooklyn South Officer Anthony Fiano Episodes: "Gay Avec Love Hurts"

1998 Maximum Bob Agent Neff Episode: "Bay of Big's"

1998 NYPD Blue Dr. Swan 2 episodes

1999 Touched by an Angel Howard Heller Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"

1999 It's Like, You Know... Mr. Lynch 2 episodes

2000–2001 Any Day Now Mr. Schillings 2 episodes

2000–2002 Judging Amy Russell Lynchburg 2 episodes

2000 City of Angels Deputy Chief Shaw Episode: "SWAT's Happening"

2001 That's Life Leo Kelley Episode: "Bad Chemistry"

2002 The X-Files Dr. Jack Preijers Episode: "Audrey Pauley"

2002–2007 George Lopez Jack Powers 20 episodes

2009 The Closer Dr. Dennis Blair Episode: "Walking Back the Cat"

2009 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Officer Danny Finn Episode: "Coupe de Grace"

2012 Mike & Molly Pilot Episode: "The Honeymoon Is Over"