Tracey Walter
Tracey Norman Walter (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor and comedian.[1] He has appeared in over 100 films and television series.
Tracey Walter | |
|---|---|
 Walter in 2006 | |
| Born | November 25, 1947 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Children | 2 |
Life and career
Walter was born and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the son of a truck driver.[2] He attended St. Anthony's High School there and played basketball.[3] He has a son and daughter.[3]
He is known for his portrayal of "sidekicks" and "henchmen" such as Bob the Goon in Batman, Cookie in City Slickers, and Malak in Conan the Destroyer.[1] He portrayed Frog Rothchild Jr. on the ABC sitcom Best of the West from 1981-82.[1]
Walter has acted in six Jonathan Demme films: Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).[1] He has been directed by Danny DeVito in three films: Matilda (1996), Death to Smoochy (2002), and Duplex (2003). He acted with and was directed by Jack Nicholson in The Two Jakes (1990). He and Nicholson have appeared in nine films together, beginning with Goin' South in 1978.[1]
He appeared in a small role with Clint Eastwood in the 1982 film Honkytonk Man[1] and has coined the phrase "Right Cheer" (as in right here) while playing a service station attendant, also attributed to Andy Griffith on his first comedy album "What it Was, Was Football" (1953). As well as "Make 'Em Bounce" (as in happy) from the movie Raggedy Man. His portrayal of Miller, the philosopher mechanic of Alex Cox's Repo Man,[1] earned Walter a Saturn Award in 1985 for Best Supporting Actor. In the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, Walter played Charles Embry, the PG&E employee who supplied the memo that tied an executive at the PG&E corporate headquarters to knowledge of the Hinkley station water contamination.
Walter's television credits include guest appearances on WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Charlie's Angels, Hill Street Blues, Amazing Stories, Moonlighting, David Lynch's On the Air, Melrose Place, The Division, Veronica Mars, Criminal Minds and Cold Case. He appeared on Nash Bridges as Angel from 1996–2001 and on Reno 911! as Sheriff Walter Chechekevitch from 2003–2006.
Filmography
Film
- Badge 373 (1973) as Delivery Boy
- Serpico (1973) as Street Urchin (uncredited)
- Annie Hall (1977) as Actor in Rob's T.V. Show
- Mad Bull (1977) as Coley Turner
- Blue Collar (1978) as Union Member
- Goin' South (1978) as Coogan, Moon's Old Gang
- The Fifth Floor (1978) as Mental Patient
- Hardcore (1979) as Male Teller
- The Hunter (1980) as Rocco Mason
- High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980, TV Movie) as Harlan Tyler
- The Hand (1981) as Cop
- Raggedy Man (1981) as Arnold
- Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982) as Carl Dorsett
- Honkytonk Man (1982) as Pooch
- Rumble Fish (1983) as Alley Mugger
- Repo Man (1984) as Miller
- Conan the Destroyer (1984) as Malak
- At Close Range (1986) as Patch
- Something Wild (1986) as The Country Squire
- Malone (1987) as Calvin Bollard
- Mortuary Academy (1988) as Don Dickson
- Under the Boardwalk (1988) as Bum
- Out of the Dark (1988) as Lt. Frank Meyers
- Midnight Run (1988) as Diner Counter Man
- Married to the Mob (1988) as Mr. Chicken Lickin'
- Batman (1989) as Bob the Goon
- Homer and Eddie (1989) as Tommy Dearly
- Young Guns II (1990) as Beever Smith
- The Two Jakes (1990) as Tyrone Otley
- Pacific Heights (1990) as Exterminator
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) as Lamar
- Liquid Dreams (1991) as Cecil
- Delusion (1991) as Bus Ticket Cashier
- City Slickers (1991) as Cookie
- Guncrazy (1992) as Elton
- Amos & Andrew (1993) as Bloodhound Bob
- Cyborg 2 (1993) as Wild Card
- Philadelphia (1993) as Librarian
- Junior (1994) as Janitor With Information (uncredited)
- Fist of the North Star (1995) as Paul McCarthy
- Destiny Turns on the Radio (1995) as Pappy
- Larger Than Life (1996) as Wee St. Francis
- Matilda (1996) as FBI Agent Bill
- Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996) as Joe Bennett
- Amanda (1996) as Father Reckinger
- Wild America (1997) as Leon
- Drive (1997) as Hedgehog
- Playing God (1997) as Jim
- Desperate Measures (1998) as Medical Inmate
- Beloved (1998) as Slave Catcher
- Mighty Joe Young (1998) as Conservacy Guard
- Façade (1999) as Jake
- Man on the Moon (1999) as National Enquirer Editor
- Drowning Mona (2000) as Clarence
- Erin Brockovich (2000) as Charles Embry
- Jack the Dog (2001) as Mortician
- The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) as Bartender
- Impostor (2001) as Mr. Siegel
- How High (2001) as Prof. Wood
- Death to Smoochy (2002) as Ben Franks
- Ted Bundy (2002) as Randy Myers
- Masked and Anonymous (2003) as Desk Clerk
- Manhood (2003) as Attorney
- Duplex (2003) as Pharmacy Customer
- One Last Ride (2004) as Nicky
- The Manchurian Candidate (2004) as Night Clerk
- Berkeley (2005) as Draft Board doctor
- Relative Strangers (2006) as Toupee Salesman
- Man in the Chair (2007) as Mr. Klein
- Nobel Son (2007) as Simon Ahrens
- Wasting Away (2007) as Mr. Whicks
- Trailer Park of Terror (2008) as Ancient Trucker
- Just Add Water (2008) as Clem
- Dark Reel (2008) as Roy White
- The Perfect Game (2009) as Captain Slater
- I Spit on Your Grave (2010) as Earl
- Midnight Son (2011) as Janitor
- Politics of Love (2011) as Glen
- Alyce (2011) as Landlord
- Fred 3: Camp Fred (2012) as Scary Gary
- Savannah (2013) as Mathias
- Swelter (2014) as old man Henry johnson
- 31 (2016) as Lucky Leo
- Middle Man (2016) as Father Ricky / Lil J
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Starsky and Hutch | Leo | |
| 1979 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Don Pesola #2 | |
| 1980 | Charlie's Angels | Clint Mason | Episode: "An Angel's Trail" |
| 1981–1982 | Best of the West | Frog Rothchild Jr. | |
| 1982 | The Fall Guy | Skip | Episode: "The Silent Partner" |
| 1982–1983 | Hill Street Blues | Willie Laporter / Sammy | |
| 1983 | Cagney & Lacey | Boone | |
| 1983 | Taxi | Panhandler | |
| 1984 | Hunter | Archie | Episode: "Pen Pals" |
| 1985-1986 | Amazing Stories | Blaze / Ezra | |
| 1986–1987 | Designing Women | Malcolm Box | |
| 1987 | Moonlighting | Arnie Steckler | |
| 1987–1988 | ALF | Gravel Gus | |
| 1987–1992 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Berik / Kayron | |
| 1989 | Alien Nation | Tom Mulden | Episode: "The Takeover" |
| 1989–1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Eugene Moss / The Gravedigger | |
| 1990 | Get a Life | The Ride Operator | Episodes: "Unaired Pilot" and "Terror on the Hell Loop 2000" |
| 1991 | Monsters | Ed, the Janitor | Episode: "Hostile Takeover" |
| 1991 | She-Wolf of London | Boris | |
| 1992 | On the Air | 'Blinky' Watts | |
| 1992 | Wings | Tucker | |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Phil Swill | |
| 1994 | Melrose Place | Man at 'Dreamy Pines' | |
| 1994 | Ride the Wind | Francis | |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | John Rosten | |
| 1995 | Kidnapped: In the Line of Duty | Oliver Tracy | |
| 1995 | Buffalo Girls | Jim Ragg | |
| 1996–2001 | Nash Bridges | Peter Spielman / Angel | 8 episodes |
| 1997 | Tell Me No Secrets | Sean Ferguson | |
| 2002 | The Division | Tom Johnson | |
| 2002 | Boomtown | Dwayne | |
| 2003 | Teen Titans | Puppet King (voice) | |
| 2003 | Justice League | Mophir (voice) | |
| 2003–2006 | Reno 911! | Sheriff Walter Chechekevitch | |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars | Manager | |
| 2007 | Raines | William Jones | |
| 2007 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Bum | |
| 2008 | Monk | The Professor | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Miracle" |
| 2012 | Southland | Tom Smith | Episode: "Identity" |
References
- "Tracey Walter". The New York Times.
- Profile, FilmReference.com; accessed August 2, 2018.
- Petkovich, Anthony (November 2016). "An Interview with Tracey Walter". Shock Cinema. Edgewater, New Jersey (51): 34–37. shockcinemamagazine.com. Issue No. 51 cover
