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IMDbPro

John Schuck

  • Actor
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John Schuck
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:41
All Light Will End (2018)
6 Videos
21 Photos
Of English and German heritage, lumbering, oval-faced John Schuck was born Conrad John Schuck, Jr. in Boston, Massachusetts on February 4, 1940, the son of an English professor who taught at, among others, both Princeton College and SUNY Buffalo while John was growing up. Following graduation from Denison University, where he appeared in a number of plays, John turned to regional theatre work ("Marat/Sade," etc.), including the Cleveland Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, and American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

Discovered at ACT for film by Robert Altman, the director featured him as Captain Walter "Painless Pole" Waldowski, the virginal army camp dentist, in the classic Korean War film M*A*S*H (1970), giving him a memorable "deflowering" scene with sexy Jo Ann Pflug. Altman continued to use John in Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and, most assuredly, in Thieves Like Us (1974), arguably his best movie role as a bank robber on the lam.

On 70's television, in addition to guest spots on such programs as "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Room 222," "Bonanza," "Ironside" and "Love, American Style," "Schuck won a regular part as an inept but altruistic sergeant alongside Rock Hudson's police commissioner for six seasons on McMillan & Wife (1971). Following this, however, he found himself somewhat stereotyped as simple-minded, lovable lugs such as the robot on the silly short-lived comedy Holmes and Yoyo (1976), as buddy Murray in the revamped series The New Odd Couple (1982) and as Herman Munster on The Munsters Today (1987), a revisit to the ghoulish 1960s television family. He also kept his name alive on such popular games shows as "The $25,000 Pyramid," "Hollywood Squares" and "Password."

More challenging guest role work has come to him on occasion with television series such as NYPD Blue (1993), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Babylon 5 (1993) and in the historically acclaimed TV movie Roots (1977). In the popular films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), John appeared in various roles and earned himself a place in the hearts of Trekkie fans all over the nation. Other film roles over time have included Blade (1973), Just You and Me, Kid (1979), Earthbound (1981), Finders Keepers (1984), Outrageous Fortune (1987), The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988), My Mom's a Werewolf (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990).

The musical stage also took a shine to him. An accomplished singer, John appeared semi-regularly (from 1979 until 2006) as the bald-domed, gruff-speaking Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks in the hit musical "Annie," not only on Broadway but on tours and in smaller theater venues. He also garnered success playing Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun" with Bernadette Peters on tour. Other roles over time have included the musicals "The Sound of Music", "Peter Pan", "The Most Happy Fella" and "She Loves Me." He co-starred in the original premiere of "Grumpy Old Men" in 2011 and then returned to Broadway in 2013 as a replacement in the Gershwin musical "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

Into the millennium, on TV John played a police captain on an episode of "Diagnosis Murder," had a recurring role as a Chief of Detectives in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and had another recurring role as shop keeper Carl in the skateboarding adventure series Zeke and Luther (2009). He also appeared in the films Closer to God (2014) and All Light Will End (2018).

A sailor on the sly, John Schuck is father to son Aaron via his first marriage (1978-1983) to former actress Susan Bay Nimoy. He married his current wife, painter Harrison Houlé, in 1990.
BornFebruary 4, 1940
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BornFebruary 4, 1940
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Photos21

Robert Duvall, Bud Cort, Rene Auberjonois, Carl Gottlieb, and John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
Tom Skerritt, Donald Sutherland, Bud Cort, Elliott Gould, Kim Atwood, Rene Auberjonois, Timothy Brown, Corey Fischer, Danny Goldman, Carl Gottlieb, and John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
Tony Amendola, Jack Axelrod, Kathleen Garrett, Michael Houston King, John Schuck, and Joseph Will in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Rue McClanahan and John Schuck in The Golden Girls (1985)
Edward Asner and John Schuck in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)
William Shatner, Michael Berryman, Robert Ellenstein, Brock Peters, John Schuck, and Michael Snyder in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Tom Skerritt, Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, David Arkin, Carl Gottlieb, and John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
Tom Skerritt, Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Fred Williamson, Roger Bowen, and John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
John Schuck
John Schuck in M*A*S*H (1970)
John Schuck

Known for

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
7.3
  • Klingon Ambassador
  • 1986
Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, and Jo Ann Pflug in M*A*S*H (1970)
M*A*S*H
7.4
  • Capt. 'Painless' Waldowski
  • 1970
Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
7.2
  • Klingon Ambassador Kamarog
  • 1991
Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy (1990)
Dick Tracy
6.2
  • Reporter
  • 1990

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Rita Moreno, Emily Kinney, and Justin Gaston in Santa Bootcamp (2022)
    Santa Bootcamp
  • Sam Jones III, John Schuck, Bill Billions, Katie Garfield, Josh Moody, James J. Fuertes, Andy Buckley, Aaron Munoz, Ted Welch, Rich Redmond, Ashley Pereira, Alexandra Harris, Kate Kilcoyne, Chris Blake, Jason Hill, Iain Tucker, Waylen Thomas Hardy, and Briana Tedesco in All Light Will End (2018)
    All Light Will End
  • Tale of the Kite (2016)
    Tale of the Kite
  • Closer to God (2014)
    Closer to God
  • Zeke and Luther (2009)
    Zeke and Luther
  • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
  • Great Performances (1971)
    Great Performances
    • (as Conrad John Schuck)
  • Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Connor Trinneer, and Linda Park in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001)
    Star Trek: Enterprise
  • String of the Kite
  • Titus (2000)
    Titus
  • Ice-T, Sam Waterston, Mariska Hargitay, Camryn Manheim, Christopher Meloni, Jeffrey Donovan, Mehcad Brooks, Kelli Giddish, and Danielle Moné Truitt in Law & Order (1990)
    Law & Order
  • The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
    The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
  • The Trial of Old Drum (2000)
    The Trial of Old Drum
  • Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
    Star Trek: Voyager
  • Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke in Diagnosis Murder (1993)
    Diagnosis Murder

Videos6

Trailer
Trailer 6:15
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:00
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:41
Official Trailer
Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight: Blu Ray
Trailer 2:14
Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight: Blu Ray
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Trailer 2:31
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Mcmillan & Wife: Season 1
Trailer 1:10
Mcmillan & Wife: Season 1

Personal details

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    • February 4, 1940
    • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • 1990 - present
  • Other works
    Played "Mr. Kirby" in "You Can't Take It with You", a play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman (Geffen Playhouse at the Brentwood Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA).
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Interviews
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Is the first actor ever to use the f-word in a major motion picture (M*A*S*H (1970)).
  • Quotes
    It's much more fun to come in and do the other stuff. A) You don't have to work as hard, but B) the parts are much more interesting. I would much rather play the character roles I do than the leading guy. As long as you're able, you can keep working. Longevity is terrific.
    • His stage role of Daddy Warbucks in "Annie", with a fully shaved head.

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