{{short description|American actor (born 1939)}} {{BLP sources|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox person | image = Lawrence Pressman "Ladies' Man" (1980 CBS press photo).jpg | image_size = | caption = Pressman in ''[[Ladies' Man (1980 TV series)|Ladies' Man]]'', {{circa|1980}} | name = Lawrence Pressman | birth_name = David Milton Pressman<ref>[https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/agents/people/2781 Biography], findingaids.library.northwestern.edu. Accessed July 26, 2023.</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|7|10}} | birth_place = [[Cynthiana, Kentucky]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{marriage|[[Lanna Saunders]]|1973|2007|end=died}} | children = 1 | relatives = [[Nicholas Saunders (actor)|Nicholas Saunders]] (father-in-law), [[Nicholas Soussanin]] (grandfather-in-law) | years_active = 1969–present | occupation = Actor }}
'''Lawrence Pressman''' (born '''David Milton Pressman'''; July 10, 1939) is an American actor. He is best known for roles on ''[[Doogie Howser, M.D.]]'', ''[[Ladies' Man (1980 TV series)|Ladies' Man]]'', ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]'', the title character on ''[[Mulligan's Stew]],'' as a fictional scientist in the 1971 film ''[[The Hellstrom Chronicle]]'', as well as films such as [[9 to 5 (film)|''9 to 5'']], [[Shaft (1971 film)|''Shaft'']], and [[American Pie (film)|''American Pie'']].
With an extensive stage career, Pressman starred on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' directed by [[Harold Pinter]] (also on London's [[West End theatre|West End]]), [[Play It Again, Sam (play)|''Play it Again, Sam'']], and ''Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory'', for which he won the [[Theatre World Award]].
==Career== His first role was on the [[soap opera]] ''[[The Edge of Night]]'', and one of his first movie starring roles was in ''[[Shaft (1971 film)|Shaft]]'' (1971). In 1971, Pressman starred in ''[[The Hellstrom Chronicle]]'', which won the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film|Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]], the [[BAFTA Award for Best Documentary]], and premiered at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turner Classic Movies - TCM.com |url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/movie-news.html?id=465849&name=The-Hellstrom-Chronicle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731092851/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/movie-news.html?id=465849&name=The-Hellstrom-Chronicle |archive-date=2013-07-31 |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>
Other film credits include ''[[Making It (film)|Making It]]'' (1971), ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]'' (1980), ''[[The Hanoi Hilton (film)|The Hanoi Hilton]]'' (1987), ''[[Trial and Error (1997 film)|Trial and Error]]'' (1997), ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1998 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1998) and ''[[American Pie (film)|American Pie]]'' (1999).
He has appeared in [[television movie|TV movies]] such as ''[[The Gathering (1977 film)|The Gathering]]'', ''[[A Fighting Choice]]'', ''[[Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story]]''. Guest roles on American television series includes episodes of ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'', ''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'', ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', ''[[Law & Order]]'', ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'', ''[[Marcus Welby, M.D.]]'', ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'', ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', ''[[The West Wing]]'', ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' and ''[[Criminal Minds]]''.
Pressman played Bill Denton in the 1976 miniseries ''[[Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)|Rich Man, Poor Man]]''. He portrayed [[H. R. Haldeman]] in the 1979 CBS miniseries ''[[Blind Ambition (miniseries)|Blind Ambition]]'', and also appeared in the 1983 mini-series ''[[The Winds of War (miniseries)|The Winds of War]]''.
Prolific on stage, Pressman won the [[Theatre World Award]] for his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in ''Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatreworldawards.org/past-recipients |website=www.theatreworldawards.org |publisher=Theatre World Awards |title=About 1 }}</ref> He starred in ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'', directed by [[Harold Pinter]], on both the [[West End theatre|West End]] and [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Man in the Glass Booth |url=https://www.playbill.com/productions/the-man-in-the-glass-boothbroadway-bernard-b-jacobs-theatre-1968 |website=www.playbill.com |publisher=Playbill Magazine}}</ref> He co-starred in the original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of [[Woody Allen]]'s [[Play It Again, Sam (play)|''Play it Again, Sam'']].<ref>{{cite web |title=Play It Again, Sam |url=https://www.playbill.com/production/play-it-again-sam-broadhurst-theatre-vault-0000002045 |website=www.playbill.com |publisher=Playbill Magazine}}</ref> Pressman played [[Berowne]] in [[Michael Kahn (theatre director)|Michael Kahn]]'s staging of ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'' at the [[American Shakespeare Festival]] in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/theater/la-et-cm-casa-valentina-20160316-html-htmlstory.html |website=www.thecrimson.com |publisher=The Harvard Crimson |access-date=12 June 2024 |title=See the actors of 'Casa Valentina' transform: 'When they become women, they open up like a flower' |date=17 March 2016 }}</ref> In 1987, Pressman starred in the world premier of [[Lee Blessing]]'s [[A Walk in the Woods (play)|''A Walk in the Woods'']] at [[La Jolla Playhouse]], directed by [[Des McAnuff]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-06-ca-22546-story.html |access-date=12 June 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 6, 1988 |title=Theater }}</ref> In 1998, Pressman starred as James Tyrone in [[Marshall W. Mason|Marshall Mason]]'s staging of [[Long Day's Journey into Night|''Long Day's Journey Into Night'']].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Kenneth |title=Marshall Mason's Long Day's Journey Into Night Begins at Arizona Rep Oct. 17 |url=https://playbill.com/article/marshall-masons-long-days-journey-into-night-begins-at-arizona-rep-oct-17-com-77833 |access-date=10 September 2024 |agency=Playbill Magazine |issue=Oct. 1998 |publisher=Playbill Magazine |date=October 13, 1998}}</ref> In 2005, Pressman starred in ''The Paris Letter'' at [[Center Theatre Group|Center Theater Group]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Ernio |date=December 6, 2004 |title=Neil Patrick Harris, Ron Rifkin Deliver The Paris Letter; World Premiere Baitz Begins in CA |url=https://playbill.com/article/neil-patrick-harris-ron-rifkin-deliver-the-paris-letter-world-premiere-baitz-begins-in-ca-com-122932 |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=www.playbill.com |publisher=Playbill Magazine}}</ref> In 2006, Pressman starred [[Off-Broadway]] in [[Paul Weitz (filmmaker)|Paul Weitz]]'s ''Show People'' at [[Second Stage Theater]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/theater/reviews/paul-weitzs-new-play-show-people-features-guessing-games-in.html |access-date=12 June 2024 |work=New York Times |date=April 7, 2006 |title=Paul Weitz's New Play, 'Show People,' Features Guessing Games in Montauk |last1=Brantley |first1=Ben }}</ref> In 2016, Pressman starred in ''[[Casa Valentina]]'' at [[Pasadena Playhouse]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/theater/la-et-cm-casa-valentina-20160316-html-htmlstory.html |access-date=12 June 2024 |agency=Los Angeles Times |date=March 17, 2016 |title=See the actors of 'Casa Valentina' transform: 'When they become women, they open up like a flower' }}</ref>
==Personal life== Pressman met actress [[Lanna Saunders]], daughter of actor [[Nicholas Saunders (actor)|Nicholas Saunders]] and granddaughter of actor [[Nicholas Soussanin]], while studying with [[Elia Kazan]]; they were married in 1973 and had one child together, son David, before her death in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Soap star came from a family of performers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118126692/lanna-saunders/ |access-date=February 7, 2023 |newspaper=[[Times Colonist]] |agency=Associated Press |date=March 16, 2007 |page=D 11|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
==Filmography== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''The Hellstrom Chronicle (film)'' (1971) as Dr Hellstrom * ''[[Making It (film)|Making It]]'' (1971) as Mallory * ''Cannon (premier)'' (TV - 1971) as Herb Mayer * ''[[Shaft (1971 film)|Shaft]]'' (1971) as Tom Hannon * ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' (TV - 1973) as Calvin Cutler * ''[[6 Rms Riv Vu]]'' (TV - 1974) as Richard Miller * ''[[Winter Kills (film)|Winter Kills]]'' (TV - 1974) as Peter Lockhard * ''[[The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder]]'' (1974) as Passki * ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' (1975) as Charlie Cohn * ''The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant'' (TV - 1975) as Dr. Konrad Zane * ''Everybody Rides the Carousel'' (1975) Stage 7 Voice * ''[[The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1977 film)|The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald]]'' (TV - 1977) as Paul Ewbank * ''[[The Gathering (1977 film)|The Gathering]]'' (TV - 1977) as Tom * ''[[Like Mom, Like Me]]'' (TV - 1978) as Michael Gruen * ''[[Walk Proud]]'' (1979) as Henry Lassiter * ''The Gathering, Part II'' (TV - 1979) as Tom * ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]'' (1980) as Dick * ''[[Cry for the Strangers (film)|Cry for the Strangers]]'' (TV - 1982) as Glen Palmer * ''[[Rehearsal for Murder]]'' (TV - 1982) as Lloyd Andrews * ''[[The Red-Light Sting]]'' (TV - 1982) as Larry Barton * ''[[The Three Wishes of Billy Grier]]'' (TV - 1984) as Frank * ''[[Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story]]'' (TV - 1984) as Dr. Stein * ''For Love or Money'' (TV - 1984) as Herb * ''[[The Deliberate Stranger]]'' (TV - 1986) as Ken Wolverton * ''[[The Hanoi Hilton]]'' (1987) as Col. Catheart * ''[[Little Girl Lost (TV movie)|Little Girl Lost]]'' (1988) as Lester * ''[[Honor Bound (1988 film)|Honor Bound]]'' (1988) as Maxwell * ''She Knows Too Much'' (TV - 1989) as Robert Hughes * ''[[Breaking Point (1989 film)|Breaking Point]]'' (TV - 1989) as Gen. Smith * ''[[Fire and Rain (film)|Fire and Rain]]'' (TV - 1989) as Mr. Hamilton * ''[[White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd]]'' (TV - 1991) as Roland West * ''To My Daughter with Love'' (TV - 1994) as Arthur Monroe * ''[[The Enemy Within (1994 film)|The Enemy Within]]'' (TV - 1994) as Atty. General Arthur Daniels * ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' – episodes "[[Second Skin (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Second Skin]]" (1994), "[[Ties of Blood and Water]]" (1997) as Legate Tekeny Ghemor * ''The Rockford Files: I Still Love L. A.'' (TV - 1994) as Kornblum * ''[[Angus (film)|Angus]]'' (1995) as Principal Metcalf * ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' – episode "[[The Adversary (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|The Adversary]]" (1995) as Krajensky / Changeling * ''[[Whose Daughter Is She?]]'' (TV - 1995) as Dr. Joe Steiner * ''A Case for Life'' (TV - 1996) as Cardiac * ''[[The Late Shift (film)|The Late Shift]]'' (TV - 1996) as Bob Wright * ''[[Sunchaser|The Sunchaser]]'' (1996) as FBI Agent-In-Charge Collier * ''[[She Cried No]]'' (1996) as Edward Connell * ''[[The Uninvited (1996 film)|The Uninvited]]'' (TV - 1996) as Winston * ''[[Trial and Error (1997 film)|Trial and Error]]'' (1997) as Whitfield * ''[[The Maker (film)|The Maker]]'' (1997) as Father Minnell * ''[[My Giant]]'' (1998) as Doctor * ''[[Very Bad Things]]'' (1998) as Mr. Fisher * ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1998 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1998) as Dr. Baker * ''[[American Pie (film)|American Pie]]'' (1999) as Coach Marshall * ''[[The West Wing]]'' (2000) as Ken Cochran * ''[[Sex and a Girl]]'' aka ''Alex in Wonder'' (2001) as School Counselor * ''[[Dr. Dolittle 2]]'' (2001) as Governor of California * ''[[American Wedding]]'' (2003) as Head Coach * ''[[DC 9/11: Time of Crisis]]'' (TV - 2003) as Vice President Dick Cheney * ''Murder Without Conviction'' (TV - 2004) as Dr. G. K. Sanderson * ''[[Nine Lives (2005 film)|Nine Lives]]'' (2005) as Roman * ''Fathers and Sons'' (TV - 2005) as Max's Father * ''[[American Dreamz]]'' (2006) as White House Butler * ''[[Mentor (film)|Mentor]]'' (2006) as Jonathan Kendall * ''[[The Far Side of Jericho]]'' (2006) as Van Damm * ''[[Tickling Leo]]'' (2009) as Warren Pikler * ''[[Mother and Child (2009 film)|Mother and Child]]'' (2009) as Dr. Morgan * ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' (2009) as Judge Boyd Schuller * ''Beyond the Heavens'' (2013) as Pastor Jim * ''[[Totem (film)|Totem]]'' (2017) as Bernard * ''[[9-1-1 (TV series)|9-1-1]]'' (TV - 2018) as Mitchell * ''[[Reboot (2022 TV series)|Reboot]]'' (TV - 2022) as Jerry * [[Magnum, P.I.]] (2023) as Gus Urima * [[Carol & the End of the World]] (2023) as Bernard * [[No Good Deed (TV series)|No Good Deed]] (2024) as Victor Friedberg * [[High Potential]] (2025) as George Donovan {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}} * {{IBDB name}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressman, Lawrence}} [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:21st-century American male actors]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American male soap opera actors]] [[Category:American male stage actors]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:American male voice actors]] [[Category:Jewish American male actors]] [[Category:Male actors from Kentucky]] [[Category:Northwestern University alumni]] [[Category:People from Cynthiana, Kentucky]]