G. W. Bailey
George W. Bailey (born August 27, 1945 in Port Arthur, Texas) is a veteran stage, television and film character actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Captain Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy (1984-1994) and Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H (TV-Series 1972 - 1983). He currently stars on the TNT series The Closer. Bailey has a very distinctive appearence, and, having went prematurely grey in his 30s, has appeared essentially the same age since the 1970's, and arguably portrayed an older man than himself in most of his 1980s roles.
Biography
Bailey went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur with Janis Joplin. He started college at Lamar University in nearby Beaumont and transferred to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He left college and spent the mid-1960s working at local theater companies before moving to California in the 1970s, where he landed roles on television programs of the day such as Starsky and Hutch and Charlie's Angels.
His movie debut was in A Force of One (1979), an early Chuck Norris film. He then got his breakout role as Rizzo in M*A*S*H.
He returned to college in 1993, attending Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He graduated in May of 1994 with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts, Theatre. For the 1999 - 2000 school year, he was the Artist-in-Residence.
Since 2001, Bailey has served as the Executive Director of the Sunshine Kids Foundation, which provides trips and activities for hundreds of young cancer patients annually. He has volunteered for over fifteen years since being introduced to the organization by his goddaughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia.
Selected filmography
- A Force of One (1979)
- M*A*S*H (TV-Series 1972-1983) Bailey appeared 1979 - 1983
- Murder in Texas (1981) (TV)
- St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) Bailey appeared in the 1982-1983 season
- Police Academy (1984)
- Runaway (1984)
- Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985)
- Short Circuit (1986)
- Mannequin (1987)
- Burglar (1987)
- Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
- Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988)
- Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)
- Dead Before Dawn (1993) (TV)
- Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)
- Scorcher (2002)
- Home on the Range (2004) (voice)
- The Closer (TV-Series 2005+)
- Cake: A Wedding Story (2007)