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Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and Stand-up comedy. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years.
After graduating from high school, he majored in English Literature in college and received a B.A. degree in 1961 from the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University. While in college, he played basketball. Lauter served for two years in the U.S. Army.
As a character actor, Lauter was known for his 6'2" height and balding looks. He starred with Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, Karen Black, and William Devane in Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot. Hitchcock was impressed by Lauter and asked him to play a major role in the romantic espionage thriller he planned as his next film; the director's failing health and eventual death in 1980 meant that The Short Night never went into production.
Lauter appeared in many films, including half a dozen in 1972 alone. Among his most prominent film roles were The Longest Yard (a.k.a. The Mean Machine) (1974), Breakheart Pass (1975), King Kong (1976), Magic (1978), Death Hunt (1981), Timerider (1982), Cujo (1983), Death Wish 3 (1985), My Blue Heaven (1990), The Rocketeer (1991), Seraphim Falls (2006), and The Artist (2011).
Lauter's television appearances included the role as the villain sheriff Martin Stillman in the How the West Was Won TV series, and guest-performances on The New Land, Psych, The X-Files (as Mulder's childhood hero, Gemini astronaut Col. Marcus Aurelius Belt in the season 1 episode "Space"), The Streets of San Francisco (on the series debut episode), Kojak, The A-Team, Miami Vice (season 3 episode 6 Shadow in the Dark), Magnum, P.I. (episode Operation Silent Night), Booker, Charmed, , Law & Order, (as Lt. Cmdr. Albert in the season 5 episode "The First Duty"), The Equalizer, The Waltons, "The Waltons" The Car (TV Episode 1974) IMDb and ER (with a recurring role as Fire Captain Dannaker).
Following his death, Lauter's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against many well-known broadcasting, automotive, and manufacturing companies for exposing Lauter to asbestos, which led to his death. The suit alleges that Lauter was exposed to asbestos at various movie studios and location sets over his 40-year career as an actor in Los Angeles. The lawsuit remains pending as of late 2020.
Married five times, he is survived by his fifth wife, Mia Lauter, and his four children from previous marriages. He continued to work until a few months before his death, completing roles in several films still to be released after his death.
To honor his work, the Ed Lauter Foundation is being established, which will award a scholarship yearly to aspiring young actors. Reflecting on his lengthy career, Lauter said in a 2012 interview with the Los Angeles Times:
| 1972 | The Magnificent Seven Ride! | Scott Elliot | |
| The New Centurions | Galloway | ||
| Hickey & Boggs | Ted | ||
| Bad Company | Orin | ||
| Dirty Little Billy | Tyler | ||
| Rage | Simpson | ||
| 1973 | Lolly-Madonna XXX | Hawk Feather | |
| The Last American Hero | Burton Colt | ||
| Executive Action | Operations Chief, Team A | ||
| 1974 | The Midnight Man | Leroy | |
| The Longest Yard | Captain Wilhelm Knauer | ||
| 1975 | Satan's Triangle | Strickland | |
| French Connection II | General Brian | ||
| Breakheart Pass | Major Claremont | ||
| 1976 | Family Plot | Joseph Maloney | |
| King Kong | First Mate Carnahan | ||
| 1977 | The White Buffalo | Tom Custer | |
| The Chicken Chronicles | Mr. Nastase | ||
| 1978 | Loose Shoes | Sheriff Bob | |
| Magic | Duke | ||
| 1981 | Death Hunt | Hazel | |
| The Amateur | Anderson | ||
| 1982 | Padre Quinn | ||
| 1983 | Eureka | Charles Perkins | |
| Cujo | Joe Camber | ||
| The Big Score | Parks | ||
| 1984 | Lassiter | "Smoke" | |
| Finders Keepers | Josef Sirola | ||
| Nickel Mountain | W.D. Freund | ||
| 1985 | Girls Just Want to Have Fun | Colonel Robert Glenn | |
| Real Genius | David Decker | ||
| Death Wish 3 | Police Chief Richard Shriker | ||
| 1986 | Youngblood | Murray Chadwick | |
| Raw Deal | Detective Baker | ||
| 3:15 | Moran | ||
| 1987 | "Buzz" | ||
| 1989 | Gleaming the Cube | Mr. Kelly | |
| Tennessee Waltz | Unknown | ||
| Fat Man and Little Boy | Whitney Ashbridge | ||
| Born on the Fourth of July | Legion Commander | ||
| 1990 | My Blue Heaven | Robert Underwood | |
| 1991 | The Rocketeer | FBI Agent Fitch | |
| 1992 | Judgement | Dallas Hale | |
| School Ties | Alan Greene | ||
| 1993 | Extreme Justice | Captain Shafer | |
| True Romance | Captain Quiggle | Uncredited | |
| Under Investigation | Captain Maguire | ||
| 1994 | Wagons East | John Slade | |
| Trial by Jury | John Boyle | ||
| 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | Mobster #3 | |
| Girl in the Cadillac | Ben Wilmer | ||
| Digital Man | General Roberts | ||
| Breach of Trust | Colin Kreuger | ||
| 1996 | Rattled | Murray Hendershot | |
| Raven Hawk | Sheriff Daggert | ||
| Mulholland Falls | Detective Earl | ||
| Coyote Summer | Mitchell Foster | ||
| Mercenary | Jack Cochran | ||
| The Sweeper | Molls | ||
| 1997 | Top of the World | Mel Ridgefield | |
| Allie & Me | Detective Frank Richards | ||
| 1999 | Out in Fifty | Ed Walker | |
| Night of Terror | Father Connelly | ||
| 2000 | Farewell My Love | Sergei Karpov | |
| Python | Pilot | ||
| Thirteen Days | General Marshall Carter | ||
| Civility | Detective Erickson | ||
| 2001 | Knight Club | Fire Marshall | |
| Not Another Teen Movie | The Coach | ||
| 2002 | Go for Broke | Warden Lessen | |
| 2003 | Gentleman B. | Harry Koslow | |
| 2003 | Seabiscuit | Charles Strub | |
| Nobody Knows Anything | Gun Expert | ||
| The Librarians | John Strong | ||
| 2004 | General Jack Gordon Shepherd | ||
| Art Heist | Victor Boyd | ||
| 2005 | Into the Fire | Captain Dave Cutler | |
| The Longest Yard | Duane | ||
| Venice Underground | Captain John Sullivan | ||
| Brothers in Arms | Mayor Crawley | ||
| Purple Heart | Civilian | ||
| 2006 | The Lost | Ed Anderson | |
| Love Hollywood Style | Lawrence | ||
| John Hanafin | Uncredited (scenes deleted) | ||
| Seraphim Falls | Parsons | ||
| 2007 | The Number 23 | Father Sebastian | |
| Pop | |||
| 2008 | Camille | Sheriff Steiner | |
| The American Standards | Harry | ||
| Something's Wrong in Kansas | Amos | ||
| 2009 | Expecting a Miracle | Walter Enright | |
| Godspeed | Mitch | ||
| 2011 | The Frankenstein Syndrome | Dr. Walton | |
| The Artist | Peppy's Butler | ||
| 2012 | The Fitzgerald Family Christmas | Jim Fitzgerald | |
| Trouble with the Curve | Max | ||
| 2014 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown | Sheriff Underwood | Posthumous release |
| 2016 | Chief Zabu | Skip Keisel | |
| 1971 | Mannix | Sergeant | Episode: "The Man Outside" |
| 1971–1972 | Longstreet | Uniformed Officer / Detective | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Cannon | Deputy | Episode: "A Flight of Hawks" |
| Ironside | Newton | Episode: "The Countdown" | |
| 1972–1973 | The Streets of San Francisco | Dr. Joseph Ford | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Class of '63 | Dave McKay | Television film |
| 1974 | The Waltons | Hyder Rudge | Episode: "The Car" |
| The Migrants | Mr. Barlow | Television film | |
| Kojak | Floyd | Episode: "Mojo" | |
| The New Land | Unknown | Episode: "The Word Is: Growth" | |
| The Godchild | Crees | Television film | |
| 1975 | Satan's Triangle | Strickland | |
| Baretta | Ed Borgue | Episode: "Woman in the Harbor" | |
| Last Hours Before Morning | Bud Delaney | Television film | |
| 1976 | Police Story | Ralph Coleman / Joseph Kinsella | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Lieutenant Howard Fine | Episode: "The Blue Angels" |
| The Rockford Files | Joseph Bloomberg | Episode: "The Dog and Pony Show" | |
| 1978 | How the West Was Won | Martin Stillman | 5 episodes |
| The Clone Master | Bender | Television film | |
| Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Ularat | 2 episodes | |
| 1979 | The Jericho Mile | Jerry Beloit | Television film |
| Love's Savage Fury | Sergeant Weed | ||
| Undercover with the KKK | Raleigh Porter | ||
| The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Captain John Sebastian Cain | 3 episodes | |
| 1979–1980 | B. J. and the Bear | Captain John Sebastian Cain | 5 episodes |
| 1980 | Hawaii Five-O | Jonas Halloran | Episode: "The Golden Noose" |
| The Boy Who Drank Too Much | Gus Carpenter | Television film | |
| Jim Jones Sr. | Miniseries | ||
| Frank Morris | Television film | ||
| 1981 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Clay Baylor | Episode: "Sweet Revenge" |
| 1982 | In the Custody of Strangers | Judge Halloran | Television film |
| Rooster | Jack Claggert | ||
| 1983 | Simon & Simon | Colonel Lawrence Grayson | Episode: "What's in a Gnome?" |
| St. Elsewhere | Stan Morgen | Episode: "Working" | |
| Hardcastle and McCormick | Rick Vetromile | 2 episodes | |
| Manimal | Colonel Hunt | Episode: "Manimal" | |
| Magnum, P.I. | Captain Quintin | Episode: "Operation: Silent Night" | |
| 1983–1984 | The A-Team | Major Douglas Kyle / Sheriff Hank Thompson | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | The Seduction of Gina | Carl | Television film |
| CBS Schoolbreak Special | Buddy Evans | Episode: "Dead Wrong: The John Evans Story" | |
| The Three Wishes of Billy Grier | Mr. Grier | Television film | |
| Automan | Michael Hagedorn | Episode: "Murder, Take One" | |
| The Yellow Rose | Cal Everett | Episode: "Land of the Free" | |
| Crazy Like a Fox | Emmett Laszlo | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| The Cartier Affair | Lyndon Dean | Television film | |
| 1985 | Our Family Honor | Ray Wilfong | Episode: "End of the Line" |
| 1986 | The Defiant Ones | Sheriff Leroy Doyle | Television film |
| The Last Days of Patton | Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Paul S. Hill | ||
| Screen Two | Jerry Tyler | Episode: "Double Image" | |
| Miami Vice | Captain Cahill | Episode: "Shadow in the Dark" | |
| The Thanksgiving Promise | Coach Gruniger | Television film | |
| 1987 | Ohara | Vanders | Episode: "Will" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Sheriff Orville Yates | Episode: "The Cemetery Vote" | |
| The Equalizer | Walter Rowan | Episode: "A Place to Stay" | |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Robert Nichols | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| 1989 | Booker | Kendall | Episode: "High Rise" |
| 1990 | Father Dowling Mysteries | Rex Burnham | Episode: "The Confidence Mystery" |
| Monsters | Malcolm | Episode: "Malcolm" | |
| Kojak: Flowers for Matty | Police Armorer | Television film | |
| 1991 | Golden Years | General Louis Crewes | Miniseries |
| 1992 | Lieutenant Commander Albert | Episode: "The First Duty" | |
| Calendar Girl, Cop, Killer? The Bambi Bembenek Story | Lieutenant Driscoll | Television film | |
| 1993 | Renegade | Jack Barnell | Episode: "Partners" |
| Gruszynski | Episode: "And the Rockets' Dead Glare" | ||
| Murder So Sweet | Glen Emory | Television film | |
| The Return of Ironside | Chief Bell | ||
| The X-Files | Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Aurelius Belt | Episode: "Space" | |
| 1994 | Secret Sins of the Father | Arnold Carter | Television film |
| Birdland | Captain John Swede | Episode: "Plan B" | |
| Avery Hoskins | Episode: "Bless the Child" | ||
| 1995 | The Tuskegee Airmen | General Stevenson | Television film |
| 1996 | Paladin | Episode: "Circle of Light" | |
| Raven Hawk | Sheriff Daggert | Television film | |
| 1997 | Married to a Stranger | Harry, Megan's Father | |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Silas Bedoe | 2 episodes | |
| Under Wraps | Kubat | Television film | |
| 1998 | Millennium | Warden Kellard | Episode: "In Arcadia Ego" |
| A Bright Shining Lie | General Weyand | Television film | |
| Dollar for the Dead | Jacob Colby | ||
| ER | Fire Captain Dannaker | 6 episodes | |
| 1999 | The Magnificent Seven | Hank Conley | Episode: "Vendetta" |
| 2000 | Law & Order | Defense Counsel | Episode: "Entitled" |
| 2001 | Charmed | Sutter | Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Cursed" |
| 2002 | Barclay Tobin | Episode: "Cats in the Cradle..." | |
| 2004 | JAG | General Hughes | Episode: "Whole New Ball Game" |
| 2005 | Into the Fire | Captain Dave Cutler | Television film |
| NYPD Blue | Jerry Rasmussen | Episode: "Old Man Quiver" | |
| 2008 | Cold Case | Shep "Mack" McAvoy '08 | Episode: "One Small Step" |
| Chocolate News | Jack Cagney | Episode: "#1.5" | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Timothy Miller | Episode: "These Ties That Bind" | |
| 2009 | Expecting a Miracle | Walter Enright | Television film |
| 2009–2010 | Psych | Deputy Commissioner Ed Dykstra | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Carnal Innocence | Austin Hatinger | Television film |
| 2012–2013 | Shameless | Dick Healey | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | The Office | Sam Stone Sr. | Episode "Suit Warehouse" |
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