George Gaynes

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George Gaynes , actually George Jongejans (born May 16, 1917 in Helsinki , Grand Duchy of Finland , † February 15, 2016 in North Bend , Washington ) was an American actor . In Germany he was best known for the role of police commander Eric Lassard , whom he played in a total of seven films in the successful comedy series Police Academy .

Life

George Gaynes was born in Helsinki to the Russian artist and actress Iya De Gay and her husband Gerrit Jongejans, a Dutch businessman. His uncle was the Russian-American actor Gregory Gaye (1900-1993), who himself had a long career in American film. Gaynes' family immigrated from Finland to the United States during his childhood. After studying singing in Milan, he embarked on a career as a singer and actor. First, however, he served in the British and Dutch navies during World War II. In the 1950s he became known as a comedy actor on Broadway , for example in the successful musical Wonderful Town from 1953. He made his first appearances on American television in the mid-1950s, but Gaynes did not make his first film Patrol Boat PT 109 until 1962. He was already 45 years old then.

In film and television, the tall actor with the deep voice embodied mostly high-ranking, but still comical personalities. Gaynes regularly portrayed doctors, scientists, politicians and generals.

In the 1960s Gaynes received mostly only minor supporting roles, for example in Lost in Space (1969) alongside Gregory Peck and Gene Hackman . Later, his roles were larger: In Tootsie (1982) he wants the disguised as a woman in the role of an older actor Dustin Hoffman seduce, in Arthur Miller's film version Crucible (1996), he played alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder to Judge Samuel Sewall . It wasn't until the mid-1980s, at the age of almost 70, that the character actor became known primarily for one role: he played the role of the absent-minded but good-natured police commander Eric Lassard in a total of seven films in the successful Police Academy comedy series . In addition to his film work, Gaynes also had guest roles in numerous well-known television series, including Bonanza , A Cage Full of Heroes , Columbo , Cheers and Chicago Hope . He was also known to the American audience for his leading role in the comedy series Punky Brewster (1984–1988), which, however, was never broadcast on regular television in Germany. He also played Senator Smithers in the sitcom Kiss Me, John between 1992 and 1993 . After a role as pastor in the comedy Vollmarried , he retired from the acting business in 2003.

Georges Gaynes spoke seven languages ​​and was a supporter of the Democratic Party. He was married to the actress and singer Allyn Ann McLerie (1926-2018) from 1953 until his death , the couple had two children. Gaynes died on February 15, 2016, at the age of 98 in North Bend, a small town near Seattle , at his daughter's home.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Gaynes at Filmreference
  2. ↑ IMDb biography
  3. ↑ George Gaynes is dead: "Police Academy" star dies at the age of 98. In: gmx.net. GMX , February 17, 2016, accessed on February 17, 2016.
  4. ^ Daniel E. Slotnik: George Gaynes, a Versatile Character Actor, Dies at 98. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times , February 17, 2016, accessed February 17, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Gaynes, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jongejans, George (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Helsinki , Grand Duchy of Finland
DATE OF DEATH 15th February 2016
Place of death North Bend , Washington , United States