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Charles Cyphers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Cyphers
Cyphers in Halloween in 1978
Born(1939-07-28)July 28, 1939
DiedAugust 4, 2024(2024-08-04) (aged 85)
OccupationActor
Years active1972–2021

Charles George Cyphers (July 28, 1939 – August 4, 2024) was an American actor who is known in the horror movie community for his work in the films of John Carpenter, especially his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in Carpenter's 1978 movie Halloween. He reprised this role in the 1981 sequel Halloween II and the 2021 sequel Halloween Kills.

Career

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Cyphers's first feature film was the 1974 movie Truck Turner, and he first worked with Carpenter in the 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13, in which he played Starker, one of the ill-fated police officers gunned down by gang members.

He later appeared as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween. Cyphers worked with Carpenter two years later, playing Dan O'Bannon in The Fog, a 1980 horror film which also starred Tom Atkins, Cyphers's fellow Halloween cast member Jamie Lee Curtis, his Assault on Precinct 13 co-star Darwin Joston, and Nancy Kyes, who worked with Cyphers in both Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. He then played the Secretary of State in Carpenter's popular 1981 film Escape from New York, in which he appeared with Atkins and Halloween actress Nancy Stephens. He reprised the role of Sheriff Brackett in Halloween II.

In 2005, he appeared in the movie Dead Calling, and in 2007 he was set to appear in Ethan Dettenmaier's unreleased film, Sin-Jin Smyth, and in the film Methodic in a role which paid homage to his character in Halloween.

Cyphers later returned to the Halloween franchise, reprising the role of Brackett in the 2021 film Halloween Kills.[1][2][3]

Cyphers appeared in numerous television productions. During the 1970s, he had a recurring role, as Hugo Muncy, in The Betty White Show,[4] and he guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville in 1976. In addition, he had guest roles in popular television series such as Barnaby Jones, Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard, and he played Drake in the 1977 mini series Roots.

More recently, Cyphers appeared in Sliders, ER, Seinfeld, JAG, and Any Day Now. From 1996 to 1998, Cyphers played Al Yaroker in the 1990s series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He also acted in various made-for-television movies.

Other work

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Cyphers' roles on the stage, both on- and off-Broadway, include 12 Angry Men, in which he portrayed "Juror #3" to Julie Cobb's "#2" (her father portrayed "#3" in the 1957 movie). Cyphers appeared on The Dating Game in 1967 to compete for a date with Yvonne Craig ("Batgirl" from the 1960s Batman TV series).

Death

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On August 4, 2024, Cyphers died in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 85 after a brief illness.[5][6]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1972 Cool Breeze Backstage Police Officer Uncredited
1973 The Slams Nicol Uncredited
1974 Truck Turner Drunk
1976 Vigilante Force Perry Beal
1976 Assault on Precinct 13 Starker
1977 MacArthur Brigadier General Forest Harding
1978 Coming Home Pee Wee
1978 Gray Lady Down Larson
1978 Halloween Sheriff Leigh Brackett
1979 A Force of One Dr. Eppis
1979 The Onion Field Chaplain
1980 The Fog Dan O'Bannon
1980 Borderline Ski
1981 Escape from New York Secretary of State
1981 Halloween II Sheriff Leigh Brackett
1982 Death Wish II Donald Kay
1982 Honkytonk Man Stubbs
1982 Grizzly II: Revenge Steve
1986 Hunter's Blood Woody
1987 Big Bad Mama II Stark
1989 Major League Charlie Donovan
1989 Gleaming the Cube Harvey McGill
1993 Loaded Weapon 1 Interrogator
1995 Murder in the First Bailiff Uncredited
2001 Mach 2 Harry Olson
2001 Critical Mass Henderson
2006 Dead Calling Chuck Walker
2007 Methodic Chief Sperranza
2021 Halloween Kills Leigh Brackett Final film role
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1972–1973 Cannon Janniver's Accomplice Season 2, episode 7
Corky Hill Season 3, episode 13
1973–1975,
1977
Barnaby Jones Mike Hartney Season 1, episode 2
Brad Kirtz Season 3, episode 1
Bill Garwood Season 4, episode 10
Jimmy Dorset Season 6, episode 14
1973 The F.B.I. Charlie Wicker Season 9, episode 3
1974 The Manhunter Emmett Crowley Season 1, episode 4
1974 The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One Arthur 'Doc' Barker TV film
1974 The Missiles of October Press Photographer TV film
1975 The Secrets of Isis Sam Niles Season 1, episode 3
1976 The Six Million Dollar Man Faler Seasons 3–4 (guest role, 3 episodes)
1976 The Bionic Woman Faler Season 2, episode 1
1976 Phyllis Coach Joe Cook Season 2, episode 7
1976,
1978–1979
Starsky & Hutch Arthur Cole Season 2, episode 8
Medical Examiner Delaney Season 4, episode 7
Detective Webster Season 4, episode 15
1976 Gibbsville Wingfield Season 1, episode 3
1977 Charlie's Angels Haller Season 1, episode 15
1977 Roots Fred Drake Miniseries (episode 8)
1977 Wonder Woman Kurt Season 1, episode 13
1977 The Tony Randall Show Eddie Foxworth Season 1, episode 22
1977 Dog and Cat Loomis Season 1, episode 5
1977 Our Town Sam Craig TV film
1977–1978 The Betty White Show Hugo Muncy Season 1 (recurring role, 14 episodes)
1977 The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald Michael Brandon TV film
1978 Alice Allen Wolf Season 2, episode 13
1978 Someone's Watching Me! Gary Hunt TV film
1979 Elvis Sam Phillips TV film
1979, 1984 The Dukes of Hazzard Bumper Season 1, episode 9
Phil Season 6, episode 14
1979 Friendly Fire Tom Loomis TV film
1979 Lou Grant Jerry Baldwin Season 3, episode 4
1981 Hart to Hart Lester Season 2, episode 10
1982 The Quest Peters Season 1, episode 5
1982 Benson Scotty Season 4, episode 7
1983 Memorial Day Jack Ruskin TV film
1983 Little House on the Prairie: Look Back to Yesterday Zack Taylor TV film
1984 Rituals Dutch Unknown episode(s)
1984 Airwolf Joe Ganns Season 2, episode 8
1985, 1987 Hill Street Blues Capt. Leder Season 5 (guest role, 2 episodes)
Commander #1 Season 7, episode 17
1986 Matlock Tom Coyle Season 1, episode 9
1987 Dallas Bertram Pogue Season 10 (guest role, 2 episodes)
1987 Our House Fred Houston Season 1, episode 19
1987 Santa Barbara Sheriff Episode 724
1987 Simon & Simon Sergeant Lester Season 7, episode 1
1988 Night Court Leo Season 5, episode 12
1988 China Beach The General Season 1, episode 1
1988 Aaron's Way Season 1, episode 12
1988 21 Jump Street Team Doctor Season 3, episode 4
1989 Freddy's Nightmares Ben Ostroff Season 2, episode 1
1989 Jake and the Fatman Benny Kraus Season 3, episode 5
1989 Dragnet Coach Simons Season 1, episode 7
1989 Mancuso, F.B.I. Season 1, episode 5
1990 The Outsiders Season 1, episode 13
1991–1992 Roc Mr. Samuels Season 1 (guest role, 2 episodes)
1991 Murder, She Wrote Lt. Timothy Chance Season 8, episode 5
1993 FBI: The Untold Stories Sillous Huddleston Season 2, episode 19
1993 Renegade Zachary Quinn Season 2, episode 11
1993 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Thaddeus Roarke Season 1, episode 11
1994 California Dreams Coach Cotler Season 2, episode 15
1994 seaQuest DSV Calvin Shelley Season 1, episode 22
1994 Hardball Chuck Season 1, episode 1
1994 The George Carlin Show Officer Bill Koski Season 1–2 (guest role, 3 episodes)
1995 Sliders Coach Almquist Season 1, episode 6
1995 Deadly Games General Barnicke Season 1, episode 6
1995 Seinfeld Gardner Season 7, episode 5
1995 E.R. Injured Civil-War Reenactor Season 2, episode 8
1995 JAG Jesse Season 1, episode 8
1995 The George Wendt Show Mr. Blake Season 1, episode 8
1996 Murder One Patrick McQueen Season 1 (guest role, 4 episodes)
1996–1998 Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher Al Yaroker Season 1–2 (main role, 41 episodes)
1998 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Coach Carl Marin Season 2, episode 20
1998 Pensacola: Wings of Gold General Stabler Season 2, episode 6
1998 Hyperion Bay Season 1, episode 9
1999 Any Day Now Season 2 (guest role, 2 episodes)
2001 Cousin Skeeter Season 3, episode 1

References

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  1. ^ Roffman, Michael (October 9, 2019). "Charles Cyphers returns as Sheriff Brackett in Halloween Kills". Consequence. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Dick, Jeremy (October 9, 2019). "Halloween Kills Set Photo Reveals Charles Cyphers' Return as Sheriff Brackett". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Langston, Keith (October 17, 2023). "Halloween Cast: Where Are They Now?". People. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Tucker, David (March 26, 2015). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 9780786487325 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Zee, Micaela. "Charles Cyphers, 'Halloween' Actor, Dies at 85". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Charles Cyphers, Who Played Sheriff Brackett in 'Halloween,' Dies at 85". The New York Times. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
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