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Actors who appeared on Newhart before they were famous?

posted 16 years ago by rebound4july
22 replies | jump to latest

Are there any actors who had guest appearances on the show, then went on to become famous later in their career? There must've been a few considering how long the show aired.

The only one I can think of is Jason Alexander. He was on the show playing a guest at the inn who was always trying to over-generously tip the staff in order to get better service. I remember Stephanie going down the stairs with a bunch of bills in her hand saying "I wish all our guests were like him."

Are there any others that anyone can think of?

Another Newhart-Seinfeld connection: In the Seinfeld episode "The Bubble Boy", after George pops the kids bubble some of the guys in the town form a posse to get revenge on him. Anyways, one of the guys in it is played by the actor who played Darryl #1. And he even gets to speak a line!

[–] fader089 16 years ago

Kathy Kinney was in a few episodes very early in her career.

She isn't as famous as Jason Alexander but most people have probably seen her and just don't know her by name. I think her biggest role was Mimi on "The Drew Carey Show".

[–] Str74 10 years ago

She is the librarian, I am watching her now :)

[–] gaffer-16 16 years ago

Lisa Kudrow. Last episode. One of the wives.

[–] IsoldeJaneHolland 16 years ago

Wow, I didn't recognise either Lisa or Tony P, despite the fact that she's my favourite 'Friend' and I've seen The Bubble boy episode at least three times.

The wife in that couple who checked in because they wanted to go clam-digging is Eric's mom Kitty from That 70s show. And she was also on Seinfeld (Jerry's agent) and 'Friends' (as Phoebe's sister-in-law.)

About a year before she was cast as Sophia Petrillo in Golden Girls Estelle Getty guest-starred on one of the funniest Newharts (IMHO). It was he one where Dick tries to win a VITA award by being a bombastic loudmouth on the show, guffawing, sobbing and telling lame jokes. Estelle played librarian Elsa Carruthers, who devised an alternative to the dewey decimal system.

And a few weeks I was stunned to see pundit/comic Bill Maher (HBO's 'Real Time' 'Politically Incorrect') as a guest at the inn who had a crush on Stephanie. I didn't even know he'd been an actor.

[–] cjr3559 16 years ago

I could of sworn I just saw Dana Carvey in the "dreams" episode. I thought he was a reporter or something during Michael's TV executive dream. I am unable to confirm if it was Carvey or not, but it sure looked like him. He was on screen for about 10 seconds.

[–] IsoldeJaneHolland 16 years ago

I recorded both episodes tonight, so I'll double check and get back to you before I go to bed tonight. Good episode; I loved Stephanie's dream of 'evil' Joanna.

EDIT: Just checked and no, it doesn't look like him to me.

But here's an example of "in-joke" casting. In the episode where Dick conducts an auction one of the inn's guests is a man who thinks he's the reincarnation of a soldier in Washington's army who'd stayed at the Stratford back in 1775. He's played by Robert Shenkman, who in the 1984 movie George Washington had a very sizeable role as Washington's Aide-de-Camp Alexander Hamilton!

[–] cjr3559 16 years ago

Appreciate the update!

[–] RoIn100 15 years ago

Bill Mahr. He played an inn guest who was very smitten with Stephanie.

I don't recall the main plot or the season, but I noticed it several weeks ago during a WGN America broadcast.

[–] dini0519 11 years ago

It was the episode called "The Buck Stops Here", about a great white stag that supposedly brings good luck to the town. Maher plays a guest in the inn who pursues Stephanie relentlessly until she finally agrees to a short date with him only to have him change his mind and dump her! He was youngish with dark brown hair during that time period of 1988.

[–] leachboy 15 years ago

In the episode "Mrs. Newton's body lies a mouldrin' in the grave," the kid from the mortuary was Dan Frischman, who went on to play Arvid Engen on "Head of the Class."

[–] VacuumMouse 14 years ago

hmmm Those are interesting all right.

Usually, "Newhart" has established celebrities as guest stars, like Elke Sommer with Stella Stevens substituting in the re-shots, Ruth Gordon, Johnny Carson, Russell Johnson, George McGovern, Edwin Newman, Don Rickles, Jack Riley and Jerry Van Dyke.

Mellow Salutations!

[–] Sitcom_Sally 9 years ago

The actor who played The Professor on Gilligan's Island plays a member of The Beavers when Michael goes with George for spaghetti night. Someone asks Michael who is responsible for the Gilligan's Island marathon. When he realizes they like it Michael says he is. They al go back to his apartment and watch it. The Professor jokes, "I think this is the one where they finally get off the island." (Correction: The Professor says, as being forced out of Michael's apartment, "I want to see how it ends," and Michael says, "They never get off the island.")

In the episode where George promises a visitor that he can predict precisely the week the leaves will turn and eventually jusf gets a baset of leaves and pours them over the guy's head from the second floor the visitor is the son of Jean Stapleton. In the episode "Me and My Gayle," George's Gayle at his school reunion is the woman who played the mother of Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th.

"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on." - Rod Serling

[–] rebound4july 14 years ago

I caught "The Prodigal Darryl" episode on TV tonight, and one of the stoners that Darryl was staying with looked familiar but I couldn't place him; so I looked it up and it was Dave Coulier (later became famous on "Full House").

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] rebound4july 14 years ago

I came up with a couple more:

James Avery ('Uncle Phil' on "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air"): played one of the construction workers who were making fun of George after he claimed to have seen a UFO.

Robert Pastorelli ('Eldin' on "Murphy Brown"): played the leader of the motorcycle gang who showed up to join George's new lodge after he quit the Beavers.

[–] davidcl19 14 years ago

Alan Autry who played Bubba on "in the Heat of the Night" was in the episode "Will the Real Dick Loudon Please Shut Up". He plays the actor replaces Dick on the video howto's.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] stevenackerman69 13 years ago

It may be already mentioned on here, but Lisa Kudrow was one of the wives in the finale.

[–] Str74 10 years ago

He is not famous but Willie Garson (Mozzie from White Collar) was in two episodes I noticed.

[–] neglndr 10 years ago

Lindsay Price played on of the Ranger Girls in Camp Stephanie.

[–] cherylelliotcrna 9 years ago

Another one of the Ranger Girls was Bob's real daughter Courtney Newhart. She has two lines and it's funny because she looks exactly like him.

I spotted most of the ones already mentioned.

[–] crlnrgbrght5 9 years ago

Now, I want to see the Seinfeld, Bubble Boy episode, because I want to see if I can recognize Darryl #1 (he's the dark haired one, right)?