North Bend, Wash–Versatile character actor George Gaynes, who played a grouchy foster parent on the 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster,” the beleaguered commandant in seven “Police Academy” films and a soap opera star with a crush on Dustin Hoffman in drag in the Hollywood hit “Tootsie,” died at his daughter’s home here Feb. 15. He was 98.
MSTies will recall that he played the mission director in the movie in episode 401- SPACE TRAVELERS.
The New York Times has an obit.
Thanks to Paul for the heads up!
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He also played an actor in a Polish theater troupe in Mel Brooks’ remake of To Be or Not To Be.
And of course he played the rather thankless role of Juliet Forrest’s dad in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.
Seen Tootsie and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, but not Punky Brewster or the MST3K-riffed movie.
Punky Brewster’s dad, the dead years (a play on the joke from Space Travelers)
He also played a scientist who worked with Reed Richards in the Corman Fantastic Four film, justifiably riffed by the RiffTrax boys. RIP, Mr. Gaynes.
No, they only riffed the two with Jessica Alba and Chris Evans. They haven’t done the Cormnan movie, or last year’s less than Fantastic reboot. Yet.
@6
the Corman one looks better then the reboot (but not by much).
Gaynes was actually a good stage actor before becoming the Other Cute-Kid Sitcom Dad of the 80’s–In “Vanya on 42nd St.”, he has a good grasp of Chekov against a similarly underestimated Wallace Shawn.
And ftr, the first Police Academy was the funny one, not just because of Gaynes. :)
Oh. Well, they should. Actually, the Thing costume in the Corman film looks better than the ones in the other movies. Go figure. I guess there’s a benefit to actually having to keep track of your money rather than to pour it all down a drainpipe and hope the CGI functions right…
Wow, 98 is a good long life. We should all be so lucky. RIP George.