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CAST BIOS
DICK VAN DYKE (Dr. Jonathan Maxwell) -- With his starring role as Rob Petrie on
the comedy series “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” whose theme song any baby boomer can
hum, and eight seasons as crime-solving physician Dr. Mark Sloan on the mystery series
“Diagnosis Murder,” Emmy Award® winner Dick Van Dyke is a beloved television icon.
Oddly enough, before landing his career-defining role on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” it
looked as if his network TV career had fizzled out without going anywhere. It took a
breakthrough Tony Award®-winning role on Broadway in the long-running hit musical
Bye Bye Birdie, to make television producers recognize his unique talent.
Born in Missouri and raised in Danville, Illinois, the actor began his broadcast career in
radio while serving in the Air Force. Back in civilian life in Danville, after a brief stint in
advertising, he formed a pantomime act, “The Merry Mutes,” with another local talent,
which landed them a daytime TV spot in Atlanta. In 1955 his Air Force mentor, Byron
Paul, now a television director, brought him to New York, where CBS put him under
contract. The network started him out as host of their morning show, where he worked
with Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite and Merv Griffin, then tried him out in a variety of
genres including a children’s cartoon show, a talk show, a game show, and a series
pilot. He also was a guest star on popular series of the day like “The Phil Silvers Show.”
But nothing seemed to fit his distinctive performing style. Finally he was released from
his contract in 1958, four years early, to pursue other opportunities.
Director/choreographer Gower Champion saw the struggling actor in a short-lived stage
revue, The Boys Against the Girls and signed him to star opposite Chita Rivera in ByeBye Birdie, where he performed the show stopper “Put on a Happy Face” and won a
Tony Award® in 1960. When producer/writers Sheldon Leonard and Carl Reiner caught
the show, they knew they had found the star for a series they were developing about
the life of a television comedy writer. “The Dick Van Dyke Show” premiered in 1961,
ran five seasons and won Van Dyke three Emmy® Awards.
The series was still a ratings winner when it left the air, but in the meantime Van Dyke’s
movie career was booming. While on hiatus, he had reprised his Broadway role in the
motion picture version of “Bye Bye Birdie” and starred opposite Julie Andrews in the
classic “Mary Poppins.” He went on to star on the big screen in “Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang,” “Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN,” “Divorce American Style,” “The Comic,” “Some Kind of
Nut,” “Cold Turkey,” and “The Runner Stumbles,” among others.
He returned to series television in 1970 with “The New Dick Van Dyke Show,” which ran
three seasons. He then demonstrated his dramatic acting abilities in an Emmy®nominated performance as a PR executive whose life and career is destroyed by
alcoholism in the 1974 television movie, “The Morning After.”
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Following an eclectic career path, he starred in thirteen “Van Dyke and Company”
variety specials (for which he picked up another Emmy®, this time as a producer),
played a troubled priest in Stanley Kramer’s final feature film, “The Runner Stumbles,”
and appeared on stage in a Broadway revival of “The Music Man” and a road tour of
“Damn Yankees.” He starred in the 1982 special “Wrong Way Kid” and along with
several other television movies, mini-series and specials, including “Drop Out Father,”
“Found Money,” “Breakfast with Les and Bess,” “The Country Girl,” and “Strong
Medicine.”
Van Dyke introduced television audiences to Dr. Mark Sloane in an episode of “Jake and
the Fat Man” in 1991. He returned to star as the sleuthing physician in the series
“Diagnosis Murder” in 1993, playing the role for eight seasons and in two television
movie sequels. Like “The Van Dyke Show,” “Diagnosis Murder” continues to air in
worldwide syndication.
Most recently, Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore teamed up again, first to play two lonely
retirees in the 2003 PBS Hollywood Theater production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning
drama “The Gin Game” and then to reprise their roles as Rob and Laura Petrie in the
2004 special “The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited.”
In “Murder 101,” Van Dyke’s character, criminology professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell,
shares Van Dyke’s passion for high-tech toys and vocal harmony. The actor’s barber
shop quartet, the Vantastix, made its debut in 2001 and has performed at numerous
charitable events. Van Dyke’s personal charity is the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles,
for which he helped raise millions for a new mission which opened in April 2005. He’s
been serving meals to the homeless at the mission on Thanksgiving, Christmas and
Easter for the past 15 years.
In addition to his Emmy® and Tonys ®, Van Dyke received the Lifetime Achievement
Awards from the American Comedy Awards and the Television Critics Association, the
Disney Legend Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1995, he was
inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Van Dyke has two sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
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BARRY VAN DYKE (Mike Bryant) – Best known for playing Detective Steve Sloane
for eight seasons on the popular mystery series “Diagnosis Murder,” Barry Van Dyke is
the second oldest of Dick Van Dyke’s four children.
He was born in Atlanta, where his father was appearing on local television, and spent
much of his early childhood in New York City. After moving with his family to Los
Angeles, he made his television debut on the classic television series “The Dick Van
Dyke Show,” playing a nine year-old violinist.
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Barry Van Dyke has starred on series television as a pilot of a high tech helicopter in the
action series “Airwolf II” and as Sergeant Dwight Stryker on “The Redd Foxx Show.” He
starred in the series “Gun Shy” and was a regular on “Galactica 1980” and “Tabitha,” the
follow-up to “Bewitched.” In his first series pairing with his father, he played the owner
of a small regional theater in the comedy “The Van Dyke Show.”
He reprised his role as Detective Sloane in two “Diagnosis Murder” television movies, “A
Town Without Pity” and “Without Warning.” His credits also include the feature film
“Foxfire Light” and the television movies “The Canterville Ghost,” “Casino,” “Conquest of
the Earth,” “It Happened at Lakewood Manor.” and “Stalk the Wild Child.” He has been
seen frequently in guest star roles on television series.
The actor is an avid motorcyclist, dirt biker and surfer. He met his wife Mary when he
was a 16-year old movie theater ticket taker and married her seven years later. They
have four children: Carey, Shane, Wes and Taryn.
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TRACEY NEEDHAM (Cheryl Collins) – Tracey Needham first came to the attention of
television audiences when she took over the role of Paige Thatcher in the second season
of “Life Goes On.” She subsequently starred as Meg Austin on “JAG” and as Inspector
CD DeLorenzo for three seasons on “The Division.” Last year she starred with Meredith
Baxter in the Hallmark Channel holiday movie “Angel in the Family.”
Born in Dallas, Needham grew up with three brothers in a family that split its time
between the suburbs of Dallas and Denver, the two cities where her father worked as a
homebuilder. She became interested in acting early on but almost gave up after a high
school drama teacher told her that she was too tall. After graduating high school and
touring Europe and Australia, Tracey moved to Los Angeles to study acting and almost
immediately hit the audition trail. She landed her first role in an episode of “Jake and
the Fatman” and then had a recurring role in “Coach,” before being cast in “Life Goes
On.”
Needham, who often plays strong women, also starred in the series “Total Security,” as
one of a team of detectives working out of a high tech agency, and had a recurring role
in the sci-fi series “VR.5.” She starred as notorious gangster Bonnie Parker in the
television movie “Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story.” Other notable television movie
credits include “Lush Life,” “Last Stand at Sabre River,” the PBS production of Eudora
Welty’s “The Ponder Heart,” “Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story,” “Backlash,”
“Buried Alive II,” and “919 Fifth Avenue.”
Needham worked behind the camera as writer, producer and director of the short film
“The Tupperware Party,” and this year produced the short film “Escape.” She is married
to actor Tommy Hinkley. They have a daughter, Katie.
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TONY DENISON (Ben Raymond) – Tony Denison, who plays Detective Andy Flynn in
the hit series “The Closer,” made a big splash in his television debut as the villainous
Ray Luca in the acclaimed series “Crime Story.” Television viewers also know him as Jim
Reilly on “Melrose Place” and Coach George on the sports series “Playmakers.” He
played John Gotti in the television movie “Getting Gotti” and Joey Buttafuoco, opposite
Drew Barrymore, in the television movie “The Amy Fisher Story.” He famously stepped
in, mid-story arc, to pinch hit for an indisposed Ken Wahl for several episodes of the
series “Wiseguy.”
Born Anthony John Serrero, Denison was raised in Italian neighborhoods in East Harlem
and the Bronx. He took his professional name from a family friend and mentor. He
began acting on stage in New York while working as an insurance agent before moving
to Los Angeles and pursuing a career in movie and television. His feature films include
“Rocket’s Red Glare,” “Chasing Papi,” “City of Hope,” “Men of War,” “Choker” and the
upcoming “Karla,” among others. He also starred in the television series “Love and
Marriage,” and “Undercover” and in numerous television movies including “The Haunted
Heart,” “Full Eclipse,” and “Sex, Love and Cold Hard Cash.”
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LISA THORNHILL (Dr. Louise Raymond) – Perhaps best known to TV audiences for
her recurring role as Celeste Kane on the series “Veronica Mars,” Lisa Thornhill was a
regular on the series “18 Wheels of Justice” and “The Brian Benben Show” and had
recurring roles on “The Closer,” “The Client” and “Savannah.”
Born and raised in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, Thornhill moved to Nashville when she was
15 to do commercials and modeling. Her feature film credits include supporting roles in
“After the Sunset,” “Life, Or Something Like It,” “Family Man,” “Meet Wally Sparks” and
“A Very Unlucky Leprechaun.” Her television credits also include the miniseries “The
Shining,” as well as guest star appearances in several series.
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CARMEN ARGENZIANO (Karl Larch)- SciFi fans know Carmen Argenziano as Selmak
on “Stargate SG-1,” but the busy actor also has appeared in 50 feature films and 45
television movies and series (not counting his more than 100 series guest star
appearances) and is an award-winning stage actor.
A native of Sharon, Pennsylvania, he was a series regular on “Crime and Punishment,”
“Booker” and “Heartbeat” and had recurring roles on “Melrose Place,” “Sisters” and “LA
Law.” His long list of feature film credits includes supporting roles in “Identity,” “The
Accused,” “Stand and Deliver,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” “Broken Arrow,” “Swordfish,”
“Blue Streak” and “Sudden Impact.”
Among his notable television movies are
“Andersonville,” “Fatal Vision,” “Between Two Women,” “The Burning Season,” “Against
the Wall,” “Bella Mafia,” “Momentum,” and “Dancing at the Harvest Moon.”
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Argenziano trained for the stage at the Academy of the Dramatic Arts and is a lifetime
member of the Actors Studio. He won the Los Angeles Dramatic Critics Circle Award for
his performance in A Prayer for My Daughter. Most recently he appeared in the Los
Angeles production of the Tony® Award-winning play Take Me Out.
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ROXANNE HART (Betty Larch) – Television viewers will recognize Roxanne Hart as
head nurse Camille Shutt on the critically acclaimed series “Chicago Hope.” Born in
Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in New York City, the actress also has played lead and
supporting roles in movies such as “Highlander” and “The Good Girl” and was nominated
for a Tony® Award for her performance on Broadway in the drama Passion.
Hart began her career on the stage, appearing on Broadway and in the national
company of the hit play Equus. After a small role in the movie “The Bell Jar,” she won a
featured role in the courtroom drama “The Verdict,” starring Paul Newman. She was
the female lead in “The Highlander,” opposite Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery,
and starred in the thriller “Pulse” and the comedy “Oh God! You Devil.” Her big screen
credits also include supporting roles in “Old Enough,” “Once Around,” “Home Room” and
“Moonlight Mile.”
The actress has appeared in many television movies including “Big Time,” “Living a Lie,”
“Kent State,” “Special Bulletin,” “The Last Innocent Man,” “When Secrets Kill,”
“Daughters” (aka “My Mothers Murder”), and the Hallmark Hall of Fame productions
“Follow the Stars Home,” “The Runaway,” and “In From the Night.” Her television series
credits include a regular role in “The Road Home,” recurring roles on “Oz” and “Dream
On,” and guest star roles on several series.
In addition to Passion, Hart appeared on Broadway in The Devil’s Disciple, The Cherry
Orchard, Loose Ends and Cheaters. She won a Drama Logue Award for the offBroadway play Digby. Other off-Broadway and regional theater credits include Lips
Together, Teeth Apart, Hedda Gabler and Vanities.
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LARRY DRAKE (Max Arnholdt) – Although he has played everything from a psychotic
killer to a scientist, Larry Drake is most familiar for his two-time Emmy® Award winning
portrayal of gentle Bennie Stulwicz on “LA Law.”
The Tulsa native was also a regular on the series “Prey” and has provided character
voices for the animated series “Johnny Bravo” and “Road Rovers,” and the animated
television movie “Batman Beyond: The Movie.” Among his television movies are
“Officer Down,” “Runaway Virus”, “Skin of Our Teeth,” “Dark Night of the Scarecrow,”
“Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story,” “Too Good to Be True,”
“One More Mountain,” “The Beast,” “Prey,” and “LA Law: The Movie.”
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Drake has appeared on the big screen in “Darkman,” “American Pie 2,” “Bean,” “Spun,”
“Overnight Delivery,” “The Karate Kid,” “For Keeps?” and “Dr. Giggles.”
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WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG (Lieutenant Dietrich) - Best known as loving father Frank
Mitchell on the series “Moesha,” William Allen Young also played Judge Terhune on “Any
Day Now” and was a regular on “Knots Landing” and “Mariah.”
The actor has appeared on television in the miniseries “Arthur Hailey’s Detective” “The
Women of Brewster Place” “The Atlanta Child Murders,” “Joan Collins’ Sins,” and the
movies “Matlock: The Vacation,” “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer
Story,” “The Day After,” “Wisdom,” and “Simple Justice,” among many others. His
theatrical feature films include “Jagged Edge,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “Lock Up,” “Wisdom,”
and “The Waterdance.”
Born in Washington D.C. and raised as the third of seven children in South Central Los
Angeles, Young wore orthopedic shoes to correct a congenital foot deformity in
childhood. He began acting to raise his self esteem and at 15 he won a scholarship to
study at the acclaimed Inner City Acting Academy and later studied under John
Houseman at the Masters Company. He studied rhetoric in college and twice was
named Top Collegiate Speaker in the Nation by the National Forensic Association.
In 1985, Young and his family created The Young Foundation, an organization that
mentors and provides scholarships for disadvantaged youth to encourage them to
continue their education beyond high school. For his efforts, Young received the
NAACP’s “Outstanding Social Achievement Award.” He also received the distinguished
“Humanitarian Service Award” for his years of work with disabled children and was
recognized by The National Organization of Women at Work who unanimously selected
him as the 1997 Man of the Year.
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JOHN ROSENFELD (Charles Drake) - John Rosenfeld was previously seen on the
Hallmark Channel playing a district attorney in the Mystery Movie MCBRIDE, “Tune in
For Murder.” He had a recurring role on the series “Citizen Baines,” and has appeared
on episodes of “NYPD Blue,” “Navy NCIS,” “CSI,” “ER,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,”
among others.
The actor has had lead roles in the feature films “Urban Mythology,” “Rat Bastards” and
“Dangling Conversations,” and the award-wining short “Whacked” and played supporting
roles in “Bruce Almighty” and “Extreme Days.” He won an award from LA Weekly for his
performance in the one-man play Grimm! and has appeared on stage in New York and
regionally with the PlayMakers Repertory Company.
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