Barnard Hughes

Barnard Hughes Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: July 16, 1915

Death Date: July 10, 2006

Birth Place: Bedford Hills, New York

Veteran character player of the New York stage since the 1930s who has been a familiar face in TV and films since the 60s. Hughes began his acting career as a member of the Shakespeare Fellowship Company, making his stage debut in a 1934 NY production of "The Taming of the Shrew." He went on to play more than 400 roles on the stage alone. Fame, though, waited until the veteran actor reached his vigorous middle age, when he offered finely nuanced portraits of somewhat flawed doctors, judges, clergymen and other men of authority.

Hughes was memorable in several notable films of the late 60s and early 70s, including "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) as an aging gay john who gets beaten by Jon Voight; as a war-loving general in "Where's Poppa" (1970); and as an apparently lost patient in "The Hospital" (1971). As his features grew more grizzled and his voice endearingly gruff, Hughes came to specialize at playing cantankerous and/or eccentric oldsters (e.g. the vampire-hunting grandfather in "The Lost Boys" 1987; the grandfather of NBC-TV's "Blossom" in its first two seasons). His most celebrated role both on Broadway and in film was "Da" (staged in 1978 and filmed ten years later), an irascible Irish father who visits his son after his death. Hughes won the Tony for best actor for his stage performance. Hughes became a TV fixture in the 70s with guest shots, superior TV-movies and specials ("Pueblo" 1973 and "The UFO Incident" 1975), and recurring roles on popular sitcoms. He was the often exasperated but always witty Father John Majesky on "All in the Family" and the moody father of Dr. Bob Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show." Hughes also starred in several enjoyable if short-lived sitcoms, "Doc" (CBS, 1975, 1976), "Mr. Merlin" (CBS, 1981-82), and "The Cavanaughs" (CBS, 1987-89). He memorably pulled out all the stops to play a low down evil landlord who receives a hellish comeuppance in "Trick or Treat" (1983), a syndicated special that served as the pilot for "Tales From the Darkside." Hughes' feature credits in the 90s include the comedies "Doc Hollywood" (1991) and "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (1993).

Credits

Cradle Will Rock

Actor
Frank Marvel
Movie
1999

The Odd Couple IIStream

Actor
Beaumont
Movie
1998
27%

The Marshal

Guest Star
Series
1995

Past the Bleachers

Actor
Ed Godfrey
Movie
1995

The Fantasticks

Actor
Henry
Movie
1995

Trick of the Eye

Actor
Harry Pitt
Movie
1994

Sister Act 2: Back in the HabitStream

Actor
Father Maurice
Movie
1993
18%

Miracle Child

Actor
Judge
Movie
1993

BlossomStream

Actor
Buzz Richman
Series
1991

Doc HollywoodStream

Actor
Dr. Aurelius Hogue
Movie
1991
69%

The Emperor's New Clothes

Voice
Treasurer
Movie
1991

The Incident

Actor
Doc Hansen
Movie
1990

Home Fires Burning

Actor
Jake Tibbetts
Movie
1989

Guts & Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North

Actor
CIA Director William Casey
Movie
1989

Da

Actor
Da
Movie
1988

The Lost BoysStream

Actor
Grandpa
Movie
1987
77%

A Hobo's Christmas

Actor
Chance Grovner
Movie
1987

Night of Courage

Actor
Movie
1987

Where Are the Children?

Actor
Jonathan Knowles
Movie
1986

Under the Biltmore Clock

Actor
Ludlow Whitney
Movie
1985

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Actor
The King
Movie
1985

Maxie

Actor
Bishop Campbell
Movie
1985

Hotel

Guest Star
Soap
1983

El Cielo No Es Frontera

Actor
Movie
1983

A Caribbean Mystery

Actor
Mr. Rafiel
Movie
1983

Little Gloria... Happy at Last

Actor
Show
1982

TronStream

Actor
Dr. Walter Gibbs/Dumont
Movie
1982
73%

Best FriendsStream

Actor
Tim McCullen
Movie
1982
62%

Mr. MerlinStream

Actor
Max Merlin
Series
1981

First Monday in October

Actor
Chief Justice James Jefferson Crawford
Movie
1981

Homeward Bound

Actor
Harry Seaton
Movie
1980

Sanctuary of Fear

Actor
Father Brown
Movie
1979

See How She Runs

Actor
John Matusak
Movie
1978

Oh, God!Stream

Actor
Judge Baker
Movie
1977
75%

Tell Me My Name

Actor
Uncle Tyler
Movie
1977

Ransom for Alice

Actor
Jess Halliday
Movie
1977

Kill Me if You Can

Actor
Judge Fricke
Movie
1977

The UFO Incident

Actor
Dr. Benjamin Simon
Movie
1975

Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case

Actor
Attorney Philip J. Madden
Movie
1975

A Memory of Two Mondays

Actor
Jim
Show
1974

Love Story

Actor
Andrew Corby
Show
1973

SistersStream

Actor
Arthur McLennen
Movie
1973
85%

The Borrowers

Actor
Mr. Crampfurl
Movie
1973

The Thanksgiving Treasure

Actor
Walter Renquist
Movie
1973

The Bob Newhart ShowStream

Guest Star
Herb Hartley
Series
1972

Rage

Actor
Dr. Spencer
Movie
1972

Cannon

Guest Star
Jack Spicer
Series
1971

All in the FamilyStream

Guest Star
Series
1971

The HospitalStream

Actor
Edmund Drummond
Movie
1971
100%

Dr. Cook's Garden

Actor
Elias Hart
Movie
1971

Cold Turkey

Actor
Dr. Proctor
Movie
1971

The Pursuit of HappinessStream

Actor
Judge Vogel
Movie
1971

Where's Poppa?Stream

Actor
Colonel Hendricks
Movie
1970
82%

Midnight CowboyStream

Actor
Towny
Movie
1969
89%

Hawk

Guest Star
Show
1966

The Trials of O'Brien

Guest Star
Chief Judge
Show
1965

The Million Dollar Incident

Actor
Mr Wallace
Movie
1961