G. W. Bailey
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G.W. Bailey (left) and one of "The Sunshine Kids" |
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) and Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in
M*A*S*H (TV-Series
1972 -
1983). He currently stars on the TNT series
The Closer. Bailey went prematurely grey in his 30s, so has appeared essentially the same age since the 1970's.
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.
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+)
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The Sunshine Kids*
G.W. Bailey - Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, TX
