Edward Paul Flanders (December 29, 1934 – February 22, 1995) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Donald Westphall in the medical drama series ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'' (1982–1988). Flanders was nominated for eight

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

and won three times in 1976, 1977, and 1983. He received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

and a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for his performance in the 1973 production of '' A Moon for the Misbegotten''.

Early life

Flanders was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota, the son of Bernice (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Brown) and Francis Michael Grey Flanders. His mother was killed in an automobile crash when he was 14. After graduating from Camden High School (Minneapolis) (where he played hockey) in 1952, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, where he served as an X-ray technician.

Early career

After his service with the United States Army ended, Flanders began his acting career on Broadway before moving on to guest parts in television series. From 1967 through 1975, Flanders appeared in more than a dozen American TV shows, including six appearances on '' Hawaii Five-O'' (as five different characters). During this time, he was also prolific in TV movies. He married actress Ellen Geer, with whom he had a son, Ian Geer Flanders (born 1966), before they divorced. In the late 1970s, Flanders moved away from small TV roles to take major credits in both TV and feature films, while continuing his stage career. In 1974, Flanders won a

for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Dramatic Presentation for '' A Moon for the Misbegotten'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

on Broadway. In 1975 Ed Flanders, played in an episode of “ The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as Fr. Terrance Brian . He also won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

award in 1976 for the

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

adaptation of ''A Moon for the Misbegotten''.

''St. Elsewhere''

In 1982, he began his role in ''

'' that earned him five

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Series, winning the award in 1983. After a stormy departure from the series in 1987, he returned for two more episodes in 1988, including the series finale. During a scene in which Westphall addressed the staff, Flanders began speaking extemporaneously about the quality of art, which had to be edited for broadcast. Although he later returned for guest appearances, his exit on ''St. Elsewhere'' as a regular cast member was titled " Moon for the Misbegotten" after the play that won him a

. The episode gained much publicity as Westphall left the hospital after "mooning" his new boss, Dr. John Gideon (played by Ronny Cox). Flanders continued his working relationship with executive producer Bruce Paltrow in the short-lived 1994 CBS series '' The Road Home''.

Notable roles

In addition to his six-year role as Dr. Donald Westphall, Flanders is noted as the actor who has played President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

more times, and in more separate productions, than any other. He portrayed Truman at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

in ''Truman at Potsdam'', ''Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking'', and ''MacArthur''. In ''MacArthur'', Flanders had second billing to

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

's lead as General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

. In feature films, Flanders performed major roles in two dark movies based on novels by

William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel ''The Exorcist (novel), The Exorcist'' and for his screenplay for The Exorcist, the 1973 film adaptat ...

. In the first, '' The Ninth Configuration'' (1980), he plays Col. Richard Fell, a self-effacing medic at a secret U.S. Army psychiatric facility who assists Marine psychiatrist Col. Vincent Kane (

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his ...

). The film was based on Blatty's 1978 novel of the same name, itself a reworking of his earlier, darkly satirical novel ''Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane'' (1966). In 1990, Flanders played Father Dyer alongside star George C. Scott in Blatty's '' The Exorcist III'' based on the novel '' Legion''. Flanders was in the ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'' first-season episode " Yankee Doodle Doctor", playing film director Lt. Duane William Bricker, who is making a documentary about M*A*S*H units and visits the 4077th. After Hawkeye and Trapper sabotage his effort, Bricker abandons the project and leaves. Flanders also played nationally known journalist

William Allen White William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for Middle America (United States), ...

in the 1977 made-for-TV movie '' Mary White''. This movie was based on the famous eulogy White wrote about his daughter following her death in 1922 in a horseback-riding accident. He also appeared in the 1979 made-for-TV-horror-miniseries '' Salem's Lot'' as Dr. Bill Norton, and played news anchor John Woodley in the 1983 made-for-TV suspense drama '' Special Bulletin'', about a group of environmentalists who threaten to detonate a nuclear weapon in Charleston, South Carolina.

Later life and death

After three divorces, chronic pain from a back injury sustained in an automobile crash in 1989, and a lifelong battle with depression, Flanders died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 22, 1995, in Denny, California, at the age of 60. No suicide note was found, and his remains were cremated.

Filmography

Television

*1967: ''

Cimarron Strip ''Cimarron Strip'' is an American Western television series starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown. The series was produced by the creators of ''Gunsmoke'' and aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Reruns of the original show w ...

'' (episode: "The Roarer") as Arliss Blynn *1969: ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

'' (episode: "The Traitor") as Lackland *1969: '' Hawaii Five-O'' (episode: "Up Tight") as Professor David Stone *1971: '' The Name of the Game'' (episode: "Beware of the Watchdog") as Lazlo Subich *1971: ''Travis Logan D.A.'' as Psychiatrist *1971: ''

Bearcats! ''Bearcats!'' is an American Western television series broadcast on the CBS television network during the fall 1971 television season. It starred Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole as troubleshooters in the period before the American entry into Wor ...

'' (episode: "The Hostage") as Ben Tillman *1971: '' Goodbye, Raggedy Ann'' (TV movie) as David Bevin *1971: ''

McMillan & Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976 to 1977) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, ...

'' (episode: "Husbands, Wives and Killers") as Tom Benton *1971: '' Mission Impossible'' (episode: "Blues") as Joe Belker *1972: ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' (episode: "A Walk in the Shadows") as Tom Farnom *1972: '' Nichols'' a.k.a. ''James Garner as Nichols'' (episode: "Fight of the Century") *1972: '' Cade's County'' (episode: "The Fake") as Ben Crawford *1972: '' Ironside'' (episode: "Five days in the Death of Sgt. Brown: Part 1") as Phil McIver *1972: '' The Bold Ones: The New Doctors'' a.k.a. '' The New Doctors'' (episode: "Five Days in the Death of Sgt Brown: Part II") as Phil McIver *1972: ''

'' (episode: " Yankee Doodle Doctor") as Lt Dwayne Bricker *1972: '' Banyon'' (episode: "Just Once") as Sergeant Randall *1973: ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

'' (episode: "The Salamander") as Alonzo Davis *1973: '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'' a.k.a. '' Robert Young, Family Doctor'' (episode: "The Comeback") as Magruder *1974: ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'' (episode: "Death on Deposit") as "Doc" Fred Tucker *1969–1975: '' Hawaii Five-O'' (6 episodes): **1969 "Up Tight" as David Stone **1970 "Three Dead Cows at Makapuu" (2-part episode) as Dr Alexander Kline **1970 "The Guarnerius Caper" as Dmitri Rostov **1972 "While You're at It, Bring in the Moon" as Byers **1974 "One Born Every Minute" as Joe Connors **1975 "And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon" as Bernie Ross *1975: ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'' (episode: "Mary's Father") as Father Terrance Brian *1975: '' The Legend of Lizzie Borden'' as Hosea Knowlton *1975: '' Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan'' as Justice Department attorney Ralph Paine *1976: ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' (episode: "Truman at Potsdam") as President

Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

*1979: '' Backstairs at the White House'' (episodes 1.1, 1.2 and 1.4) as President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

*1979: '' Blind Ambition'' (TV mini-series) as Charles Shaffer *1979: '' Salem's Lot'' a.k.a. ''Blood Thirst'' as Dr Bill Norton *1982–1988: ''

'' - 120 episodes as Dr. Donald Westphall *1993: '' Jack's Place'' (episode: "Who Knew?") as Marcus Toback *1994: '' The Road Home'' (pilot episode) as William Babineaux

Films

*1970: '' The Grasshopper'' or '' Passions'' or ''The Passing of Evil'' as Jack Benton *1972: '' The Trial of the Catonsville Nine'' as Father

Daniel Berrigan Daniel Joseph Berrigan (May 9, 1921 – April 30, 2016) was an American Jesuit priest, anti-war activist, Christian pacifist, playwright, poet, and author. Berrigan's protests against the Vietnam War earned him both scorn and admiratio ...

*1972: '' The Snoop Sisters'' or ''The Female Instinct'' (TV Movie) as Milo Perkins *1973: ''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'' (TV Movie) as Dr Miles *1974: ''Indict and Convict'' (TV Movie) as Timothy Fitzgerald *1974: ''Things in Their Season'' (TV Movie) as Carl Gerlach *1975: '' The Legend of Lizzie Borden'' (TV Movie) as Hosea Knowlton *1975: '' Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan'' (TV Movie) as Ralph Paine *1975: '' A Moon for the Misbegotten'' (TV Movie) as Phil Hogan *1976: '' Eleanor and Franklin'' (TV Movie) as Louis Howe *1976: '' The Sad and Lonely Sundays'' (TV Movie) as Dr Frankman *1976: ''Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking'' (TV Movie) as President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

*1977: '' The Amazing Howard Hughes'' (TV Movie) as Noah Dietrich *1977: '' MacArthur'' as President Harry S. Truman *1977: '' Mary White'' (TV Movie) as William Allen White *1979: '' Salem's Lot'' as Dr. Bill Norton *1980: '' The Ninth Configuration'' or ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane'' as Col. Richard Fell *1981: '' Inchon'' as President Harry S. Truman (voice, uncredited) *1981: '' True Confessions'' as Dan T. Campion *1981: '' The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'' or ''Pursuit'' as Brigadier *1981: '' Skokie'' or ''Once They Marched Through a Thousand Towns'' (UK title) (TV Movie) as Mayor Albert J. Smith *1982: '' Tomorrow's Child'' (TV Movie) as Anders Stenslund *1983: '' Special Bulletin'' (TV Movie) as John Woodley *1989: '' The Final Days'' (TV Movie) as Leonard Garment *1990: '' The Exorcist III'' as Father Joseph Dyer *1991: '' The Perfect Tribute'' (TV Movie) as Warren *1992: '' Citizen Cohn'' (TV Movie) as Joseph N. Welch *1993: '' Message from Nam'' as Ed Wilson *1995: '' Bye Bye Love'' as Walter Sims (final film role)

Awards and nominations

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* (from where list of film and TV appearances are accessible) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flanders, Ed 1934 births 1995 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Tony Award winners Suicides by firearm in California 20th-century American male actors 1995 suicides United States Army soldiers Camden High School (Minnesota) alumni