Barry Bostwick

From the stage to the screen, Barry Bostwick's roles run the gamut - from bad boys to uptight nerds, men of action or leaders of nations, effortlessly switching from broad comedy to high drama with each role.

Bostwick was born on Feb. 24, 1945, in San Mateo, CA, to Henry, a city planner, and Betty, a homemaker. Bostwick and his older brother, Peter, grew up putting on varying folk music and puppet shows for fellow students in San Mateo High School.

In the mid 1960s, Bostwick headed off to United States International University's School of Performing Arts, but opted to transition from music to acting after an actress he was dating landed him in a play, "Take Her, She's Mine," at the Valley Music Theater.

Upon graduating with an acting degree in 1967, he headed off to continue his graduate training at New York University, taking a year off to perform out west with the APA-Phoenix Repertory Company.

A veteran Tony Award-winning stage actor, Bostwick moved to the screen where he soon found lasting notoriety in the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) opposite a then-unknown Susan Sarandon.

While many of his later efforts were far less memorable - the nostalgic "Movie, Movie" (1978) and ridiculous "Megaforce" (1982) being prime examples - Bostwick nevertheless remained a constant presence, primarily on the small screen.

With his formal bearing and commanding voice, the actor was often cast as military and political leaders, notably in several Judith Krantz adaptations and two famously lengthy turns as George Washington, culminating in an award-winning role as Lieutenant Carter "Lady" Aster in the acclaimed miniseries, "War and Remembrance" (1988).

Bostwick later brilliantly flexed his comedic muscle as the hilariously incompetent New York City mayor on the long-running sitcom "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002) opposite Michael J. Fox.

After the series ended, he remained a familiar face on television with frequent guest spots on popular series like "Law & Order" Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ).

Although never achieving the megawatt stardom of some of his peers, Bostwick has undoubtedly made a mark as one of the more versatile, hardworking and welcome stars of his generation.