George Gaynes
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)
- 1955: NBC Television Opera Theater (TV series, episode)
- 1962: patrol boat PT 109 (PT 109)
- 1962: Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series, an episode)
- 1966: The Group
- 1968: Bonanza (TV series, an episode)
- 1968: Cobra, Take Over (TV series, episode)
- 1969: Lost in Space (Marooned)
- 1971: A Cage Full of Heroes (TV series, episode)
- 1971–1972: Search for Tomorrow (soap opera)
- 1973: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
- 1973: The Way We Were (The Way We Were)
- 1972/1973: Columbo (TV series, episodes: Etude in black and wine is thicker than blood )
- 1976: And Tomorrow A Thing Will Be Made (Harry and Walter Go to New York)
- 1976: Nickelodeon
- 1976–1977: Rich and Poor (TV miniseries)
- 1979–1981: Quincy (TV series, two episodes)
- 1980: General Hospital (TV series, two episodes)
- 1980: The Hell Trip (Altered States)
- 1981: Evita Peron (TV movie)
- 1982: Tootsie
- 1982: Dead Men Do not Wear Plaid (Dead Men Do not Wear Plaid)
- 1983: To be or not (To Be or Not to Be)
- 1983: Cheers (TV series, episode)
- 1984: Micki & Maude (Micki and Maude)
- 1984: Police Academy - Dumber than the police allow (Police Academy)
- 1984–1988: Punky Brewster (TV series, 86 episodes)
- 1985: Police Academy 2 - Now it's just getting started (Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment)
- 1986: Police Academy 3 - ... and nobody can stop you (Police Academy 3: Back in Training)
- 1987: Police Academy 4 - And now it's going on (Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol)
- 1987: Matlock (TV series, two episodes)
- 1988: Police Academy 5 - Assignment Miami Beach (Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach)
- 1989: Police Academy 6 - Resistance futile (Police Academy 6: City Under Siege)
- 1989–1991: The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (TV series, 17 episodes)
- 1992–1993: Kiss' me, John (TV series, 23 episodes)
- 1994: Police Academy 7 - Mission in Moscow (Police Academy: Mission to Moscow)
- 1994: Vanja on 42nd Street
- 1994: The Fantastic Four
- 1996: Witch Hunt (The Crucible)
- 1996: Chicago Hope (TV series, three episodes)
- 1997: Wag the Dog - When the tail wags the dog (Wag the Dog)
- 1999: Sliders - The Gateway to a Foreign Dimension (TV series, an episode)
- 2003: Fully married (Just Married)
Web links
- George Gaynes in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- George Gaynes in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Literature by and about George Gaynes in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ George Gaynes at Filmreference
- ↑ IMDb biography
- ↑ 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.
- ^ 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 |