Paul Gleason

For people with a similar name, see Paul Gleeson.

American actor (1939–2006)

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|

Paul Gleason

Gleason in 1984

Born|

Paul Xavier Gleason

(1939-05-04)May 4, 1939

Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.[1]

Died| May 27, 2006(2006-05-27) (aged 67)

Burbank, California, U.S.

Resting place| Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation| Actor
Years active| 1965–2006
Spouses|

Candy Moore

(m. 1971; div. 1978)​

Susan Kehl

(m. 1995)​

Children| 2

Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places, and Die Hard.

## Early life[edit]

Gleason was born on May 4, 1939, in Jersey City, New Jersey,[2] the son of Eleanor (née Doyle), a registered nurse, and George L. Gleason, a restaurateur, professional boxer, iron worker, and roofing manufacturer.[1] Gleason was raised in Miami Beach, Florida. At age 16, he ran away from home and hitchhiked across the east coast, sleeping on beaches and playing baseball.[3] He attended North Miami High School and Florida State University, where he played football with Burt Reynolds.[4] He signed a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians, but played just briefly in two minor league seasons between 1959 and 1960.[5]

During that last season, a West Coast trip led to an introduction to sitcom icon Ozzie Nelson, which, in turn, led to an appearance on Ozzie and Harriet (per Nelson's habit of hiring athletes for guest spots on the show). Suddenly, acting was an option, and an increasingly attractive one, given Gleason's failing baseball career. He moved to New York City, eventually joining The Actors Studio,[6][7] where he would study for four years before moving to Los Angeles.[8]

## Career[edit]

Gleason starred in many movies, and became well-known initially as Dr. David Thornton on All My Children, playing the role from 1976 to 1978. He then portrayed Capt. Ernest "Tex" Lee in the 1979 television miniseries Ike. He guest-starred in "The Trouble with Harry" and "Fire", two episodes of The A-Team. Gleason was known to Star Wars fans for his role as Jeremitt Towani in the 1985 made-for-TV film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. He played the villainous Clarence Beeks, the Duke brothers' security consultant, in the 1983 comedy Trading Places starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy.

Gleason played Richard Vernon, the disciplinarian high school vice principal, in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. He played similar characters in the 1988 film Johnny Be Good (as a high school football coach), the 2002 film Van Wilder (as an antagonistic professor), and on several episodes of the TV sitcom Boy Meets World (as a university dean). He directly parodied his Breakfast Club role in the 2000 A-Teens music video for "Dancing Queen" and in the 2001 comedy film Not Another Teen Movie. He also played Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson in the 1988 Bruce Willis action film, Die Hard.

In 2002, Gleason appeared in episodes of Dawson's Creek as Larry Newman, the sex-and-violence obsessed chief of a B movie studio. He appeared as a nonsensical judge in an episode of Drake & Josh, as well as in an episode of George Lopez as the brother of George's boss, a crazy old drunk. In 2005, he appeared as the Sheriff in the horror film Abominable. His final appearance before his death was in an independent film called The Book of Caleb.

Gleason made a guest appearance on Friends as Jack, Phoebe's boss at an investment company, in the season 6 episode "The One That Could Have Been," and also appeared in one episode of Seinfeld, as the man ultimately responsible for George Costanza being hired by the New York Yankees.

## Personal life[edit]

Gleason, in addition to his acting career, participated in many celebrity charity golf events each year, and was known to mingle with fans and sign autographs during these golf tournaments.

From 1971 to 1978, he was married to actress Candy Moore; they had one daughter, Shannon. From 1995 until his death, he was married to Susan Kehl; they had one daughter, Kaitlin.

## Death[edit]

Gleason died on May 27, 2006, at a Burbank, California, hospital from pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung connected with asbestos, which he is thought to have contracted from asbestos exposure on building sites while working for his father as a teenager. Gleason was 67 years old.[3] He is buried near the southeast corner of the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, Los Angeles.

## Filmography[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1962  | Panic in Year Zero! | Gas Station Owner  | Uncredited, Acting and Film Debut
1965  | Winter A-Go-Go | Ski Resort Guest  |
1967  | It's About Time | Man  | Television Debut; One Episode
The Green Hornet | Paul Garrett  | Television; One Episode
C'mon, Let's Live a Little | Frat Boy  | Uncredited
The Invaders | Alien (Episodes: The Experiment and Task Force)  | Television; Two Episodes
1968  | The F.B.I. | Officer Dan Ryan  | Television; One Episode
The Secret War of Harry Frigg | Prisoner  | Uncredited
1969  | Then Came Bronson | Deputy  | Television; One Episode
1971  | Private Duty Nurses | Dr. McClintock  |
Adam-12 | Smitty  | Television; One Episode
1972  | Where Does It Hurt? | Mr. Leffingwell's Aide  | Role Unspecified
Mission: Impossible | Blair  | Television; One Episode
Banacek | Border Guard  | Television; One Episode
Adam-12 | Patrolman Arnold  | Television; One Episode
Hit Man | Cop  | Uncredited
Adam-12 | Instructor Chuck Williams  | Television; One Episode
1973  | Little Laura and Big John | Sheriff  |
1974  | Adam-12 | John Suntor  | Television; One Episode; As Paul Xavier Gleason
1975  | Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze | Maj. Thomas J. "Long Tom" Roberts  |
Columbo | Parsons  | Television; One Episode
1976  | Vigilante Force | Michael J. Loonius  | As Paul X Gleason
1976-78  | All My Children | Dr. David Thornton  | Television
1979  | Women at West Point | Major James T. Kirk  | TV movie
Ike | Capt. Ernest "Tex" Lee  | Television miniseries; aka Ike: The War Years
The Great Santini | Lt. Sammy  |
1980  | He Knows You're Alone | Det. Frank Daley  |
1981  | Fort Apache the Bronx | Detective  |
Another Life | Lee Carothers #1  | Television
Arthur | Executive  |
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper | Remson  |
1982  | MysteryDisc: Murder, Anyone? | Stewart Cavanaugh  | Interactive Direct-to-video film
1983  | Tender Mercies | Reporter  |
Trading Places | Clarence Beeks  |
MysteryDisc: Many Roads to Murder |  | Interactive Direct-to-video film
1984  | The A-Team | Roy Kelsey  |
Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Edson Ballon  | Television; One Episode
Remington Steele | Sheriff Jeff 'Jed' Nebbins  | Television; One Episode
Cagney & Lacey | Detective Crespi  | Television; One Episode
Call to Glory | Marty Colby  | Television; One Episode
Hardcastle and McCormick | Jack Fish  | Television; One Episode
Riptide | Detective Commander Phillip Hallins Everitt  | Television; Two Episodes
Hill Street Blues | Biff Lowe  | Television; Two Episodes
Magnum, P.I. | Ronnie Meeder AKA Jacques Arnot  | Television; One Episode
1985  | The Breakfast Club | Asst. Principal Richard Vernon  |
Challenge of a Lifetime | John Schoonover  | TV movie
Dallas | Lt. Lee Spaulding  | Television; Three Episodes
Anything for Love | Larry Worth  | TV movie
Doubletake | Howie Henley  | TV movie
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | Jeremitt  | TV movie
1986  | Kate & Allie | Tom Fitzgerald  | Television; One Episode
The A-Team | Harry Sullivan  | Television; One Episode
Miami Vice | Bunny Berrigan  | Television; One Episode
The Equalizer | Greenleaf  | Television; One Episode
Gimme a Break! | Mr. Kimball  | Television; One Episode
Superior Court | Attorney  | Television
1987  | Morgan Stewart's Coming Home | Jay Le Soto  |
Sidekicks | Fargo  | Television; One Episode
Falcon Crest | Andy Stryker  | Television; One Episode
Forever, Lulu | Robert  |
Hollywood-Monster | Stan Gordon  |
Beauty and the Beast | Henry Dutton  | Television; One Episode
1988  | She's Having a Baby | Howard  |
Johnny Be Good | Wayne Hisler  |
Die Hard | Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson  |
Lifted | Supercarrier Pilot Movie  | Commanding Officer U.S.S Georgetown
1989  | Nightmare Beach |  |
Night Game | Broussard  |
21 Jump Street | Phil Daniels  | Television; One Episode
1990  | Miami Blues | Sgt. Frank Lackley  |
1991  | Rich Girl | Marvin Wells  |
L.A. Law | Coach John Lungren  | Television; One Episode (5x19; "Speak, Lawyers, for Me")
False Arrest | Arthur Ross  | TV movie
1992  | Wishman | Silverstein  |
The Wonder Years | Arthur Jensen  | Television; One Episode (6x03; "Scenes from a Wedding")
1993  | Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence | Hank Cooney  |
Loaded Weapon 1 | FBI Agent  |
Wild Cactus | Sheriff Brenner  |
Boiling Point | Transaction Man  |
Running Cool | Calvin Hogg  |
1994  | Seinfeld | Cushman  | Television; One Episode: (5x22, "The Opposite")
I Love Trouble | Kenny Bacon  |
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Henry Harrison  | Television; One Episode: (1x16, "The Ides of Metropolis")
There Goes My Baby | Mr. Burton  |
Nothing to Lose | Elliot  |
In the Living Years | Tony  |
1994-1996  | One West Waikiki | Captain Dave Herzog  | recurring role
1995  | Digital Man | Dr. Parker  |
1997  | Shadow Conspiracy | Blythe  |
Money Talks | Detective Bobby Pickett  |
Walker, Texas Ranger | Dr. Harold Payton  | Television; One Episode (5x08, "Brainchild")
Boy Meets World | Dean Borak  | Television; Two Episodes
NewsRadio | Steve Johnson  | Television; One Episode (4x03, "The Public Domain")
A Time to Revenge | Whittmar  |
1998  | Day at the Beach | Detective Johnson  |
No Code of Conduct | John Bagwell  |
1999  | Nash Bridges | Micky Tripp (Radio DJ)  | Television; One Episode (4x10, "Hardball")  |
| A*teens | Asst. Principal Richard Vernon  | Music video, Dancing Queen  |
2000  | The Giving Tree | Mr. Forrester  |
Red Letters | Dean Van Buren  |
Friends | Jack  | Television; One Episode (6x16, "The One That Could Have Been")
2001  | Not Another Teen Movie | Principal Richard "Dick" Vernon  |
The Organization | Death  |
The Myersons | Dean Hanson  |
Social Misfits | Warden Doyle  |
2002  | National Lampoon's Van Wilder | Professor McDougal  |
2003  | Dawson's Creek | Larry Newman  | Television; Two Episodes
2004  | Drake & Josh | Mr. Thompson  | Television; One Episode (2x14, "Honor Council")
2004  | Malcolm in the Middle | Mystery Man (Gordon Walker)  | Television; Two Episodes (5x21, 5x22, "Reese Joins the Army: Part 1 & 2")
2005  | Abominable | Sheriff Halderman  |
2005  | George Lopez | Lou Powers  | Television; One Episode (4x13, "George to the Third Power")
2005  | Cold Case | Stewart Adams  | Television; One Episode
2008  | The Book of Caleb | James Paddington  |
2011  | The Passing | Det. Sanders  | (final film role)

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Paul Gleason Biography (1939-)". Film Reference. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
2. ^ Obituary: Paul Gleason, The Telegraph, 30 May 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
3. ^ a b "Paul Gleason". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. May 30, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
4. ^ "The former tribe: Paul Gleason". The Hardball Times. March 16, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
5. ^ "Paul Gleason Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
6. ^ Anderson, Jack E. (September 10, 1976). "One Of 'Children' Takes Off". The St. Petersburg Evening Independent. Miami: Knight Newspapers. p. 12-B. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
7. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
8. ^ Woods, Sherri (November 29, 1975). "Paul Gleason: Miamian Stars as Soaps' Newest Angry Young Man". The Miami News. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2014.

## Further reading[edit]

* Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59393-342-5.

## External links[edit]

* Paul Gleason at IMDb
* Paul Gleason at the TCM Movie Database
* Paul Gleason at AllMovie
* Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
* Paul Gleason at Find a Grave

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Spain
* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Poland

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced