Paul Gleason

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Paul Gleason
Gleason in 1984
Born	Paul Xavier Gleason (1939-05-04)May 4, 1939 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Died	May 27, 2006(2006-05-27) (aged 67) Burbank, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–2006
Spouses	Candy Moore ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1978)​ Susan Kehl ​ ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2

Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places, and Die Hard.

Early life

Gleason was born on May 4, 1939, in

Gleason starred in many movies, and became well-known initially as Dr. David Thornton on All My Children, playing the role from 1976 to 1978. He guest-starred in "The Trouble with Harry" and "Fire", two episodes of The A-Team. Gleason was known to Star Wars fans for his role as Jeremitt Towani in the 1985 made-for-TV film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. He played the villainous Clarence Beeks, the Duke brothers' security consultant, in the 1983 comedy Trading Places starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. He also played Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson in the Bruce Willis action film, Die Hard.

Gleason played Richard Vernon, the disciplinarian high school vice principal, in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. He played similar characters in the 1988 film Johnny Be Good (as a high school football coach) and on several episodes of the TV sitcom Boy Meets World (as a university dean). He directly parodied his Breakfast Club role in the 2000 A-Teens music video for "Dancing Queen" and in the 2001 comedy film Not Another Teen Movie.

In 2002, Gleason appeared in episodes of Dawson's Creek as Larry Newman, the sex-and-violence obsessed chief of a B movie studio. He appeared as a nonsensical judge in an episode of Drake & Josh, as well as in an episode of George Lopez as the brother of George's boss, a crazy old drunk. In 2005, he appeared as the Sheriff in the horror film Abominable. His final appearance before his death was in an independent film called The Book of Caleb.

Gleason made a guest appearance on Friends as Jack, Phoebe's boss at an investment company, in the season 6 episode "The One That Could Have Been," and also appeared in one episode of Seinfeld, as the man ultimately responsible for George Costana being hired by the New York Yankees.

Personal life

Gleason, in addition to his acting career, participated in many celebrity charity golf events each year, and was known to mingle with fans and sign autographs during these golf tournaments.

From 1971 to 1978, he was married to actress Candy Moore; they had one daughter, Shannon. From 1995 until his death, he was married to Susan Kehl; they had one daughter, Kaitlin.

Death

Gleason died on May 27, 2006, at a Burbank, California, hospital from pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung connected with asbestos, which he is thought to have contracted from asbestos exposure on building sites while working for his father as a teenager. Gleason was 67 years old.^[3] He is buried near the southeast corner of the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, Los Angeles.

Filmography

References