Howard Hesseman(1940-2022)
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Howard Hesseman was a leading counter-culture figure since the late 1960s. He was a member of the improv group, "The Committee", for a decade in the 1960s/1970s. A character actor for many years on different television shows since the 1960s, he took small parts inThe Andy Griffith Show (1960),Dragnet 1967 (1967),Soap (1977),andSanford and Son (1972).The role that brought him to prominence was Howard Johnson in the cult classicBilly Jack (1971).
He was a frequent guest star onThe Bob Newhart Show (1972)but would become best-known for his role on the classic seriesWKRP in Cincinnati (1978),as anti-disco hipster DJ "Dr. Johnny Fever". Also in the 1970s, he appeared inThe Sunshine Boys (1975),Tunnel Vision (1976),Silent Movie (1976)andThe Big Bus (1976).After the cancellation ofWKRP in Cincinnati (1978),he went on to star as the husband of Ann Romano inOne Day at a Time (1975).After that series was cancelled, Hesseman starred inThis Is Spinal Tap (1984),Doctor Detroit (1983),Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985),Clue (1985),andFlight of the Navigator (1986).
He then starred as history teacher Charlie Moore inHead of the Class (1986).He left that show in 1990 and appeared in a steady stream of television guest roles. In 1987, he appeared inAmazon Women on the Moon (1987).In 1991, he starred inRubin and Ed (1991).Afterward, he appeared in other films, includingGridlock'd (1997)(withTupac Shakur). His work in later years concentrated mostly on television, where he took mostly small guest roles, in such shows asThat '70s Show (1998),Touched by an Angel (1994),The Practice (1997),andCrossing Jordan (2001).
He was a frequent guest star onThe Bob Newhart Show (1972)but would become best-known for his role on the classic seriesWKRP in Cincinnati (1978),as anti-disco hipster DJ "Dr. Johnny Fever". Also in the 1970s, he appeared inThe Sunshine Boys (1975),Tunnel Vision (1976),Silent Movie (1976)andThe Big Bus (1976).After the cancellation ofWKRP in Cincinnati (1978),he went on to star as the husband of Ann Romano inOne Day at a Time (1975).After that series was cancelled, Hesseman starred inThis Is Spinal Tap (1984),Doctor Detroit (1983),Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985),Clue (1985),andFlight of the Navigator (1986).
He then starred as history teacher Charlie Moore inHead of the Class (1986).He left that show in 1990 and appeared in a steady stream of television guest roles. In 1987, he appeared inAmazon Women on the Moon (1987).In 1991, he starred inRubin and Ed (1991).Afterward, he appeared in other films, includingGridlock'd (1997)(withTupac Shakur). His work in later years concentrated mostly on television, where he took mostly small guest roles, in such shows asThat '70s Show (1998),Touched by an Angel (1994),The Practice (1997),andCrossing Jordan (2001).