Eugene Harrison Roche (September 22, 1928 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor and the original " Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials.

Personal life

Roche was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Mary M. (née Finnegan) and Robert F. Roche, who was at the time serving in the U.S. Navy. He served in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. He married Marjory Perkins in 1953. The couple had nine children, including actor Eamonn Roche and

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 ...

-winning writer/producer Sean Roche. They divorced in 1981. Eugene Roche remarried in 1982 and remained married to his second wife, Anntoni C. Roche (née Bratman), until his death in 2004.

Career

After playing theater on various stages since 1953, Roche made his Broadway debut in 1961 as a bit player in the play ''Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole'' with

Darren McGavin Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson; May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006) was an American actor. McGavin began his career working as a set painter for Columbia Pictures. In 1954, he originated roles in Broadway productions of '' My Three ...

and went on to appear in ''

Mother Courage Mother Courage (German ''Mutter Courage'') is a character from a Grimmelshausen novel ''Lebensbeschreibung der Ertzbetrügerin und Landstörtzerin Courasche'' (''The Runagate Courage'') dating from around 1670. The character had played a cameo r ...

'' with

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...

in 1963, and in ''The White House'' with

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

in 1964. Television comedy became his forte with recurring roles on ''

Soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

'', as Christine Sullivan's father on ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of List of Night Court episodes, 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan ...

'', '' Webster'', and Larry Appleton's abusive boss on '' Perfect Strangers''. Roche appeared as Pinky Peterson, one of

Archie Bunker Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom ''All in the Family'' and its spin-off '' Archie Bunker's Place'', played by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker, a main character of the series, is a World War II ...

's buddies, on several episodes of ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'', in mostly comedic episodes. After a memorable performance as a prisoner of war who meets a shocking and sudden end in the film ''

Slaughterhouse Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his t ...

'' (1972), he had supporting parts in such feature films as '' The Late Show'' (1977), '' Foul Play'' (1978), and '' Corvette Summer'' (1978). Roche played dramatic supporting roles as well, often playing deceptively ordinary men who are shown to be capable of ruthlessness, menacing violence or disturbing perversity. In ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', he played a bad cop who attempts to kill Jessica Fletcher, and as a criminal mastermind posing as a Catholic bishop in the film '' Foul Play''. He appeared in two episodes of ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

''. In 1977, he appeared in "Never Con a Killer" (the pilot episode for '' The Feather and Father Gang''). He played alien Jor Brel in an episode of '' Star Trek: Voyager'' titled "Remember". He made two appearances on ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

'' (once as Senator William Dietz in the pilot episode "Shadow of the Hawke", and again as Eddie in the episode "Firestorm" in season 2). Roche appeared in five episodes of '' Magnum, P.I.'' as Luther Gillis, an old style private eye. He is remembered for his recurring role as the Ajax Dishwasher in a series of television commercials and print advertisements. He also made a guest appearance in the '' Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show'' as Grandpa Murdock in the first episode, in which he

swallowed Swallowing, also called deglutition or inglutition in scientific and medical contexts, is a physical process of an animal's digestive tract (e.g. that of a human body) that allows for an ingested substance (typically food) to pass from the mou ...

everyone by accident.

Death

Roche died on July 28, 2004, aged 75, at a hospital in Encino, California, from a heart attack.

Selected filmography

* '' Splendor in the Grass'' (1961) .... Private Detective (uncredited) * '' The Happening'' (1967) .... First Motorcycle Officer * ''

Cotton Comes to Harlem ''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' is a 1970 American neo-noir action comedy film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis and starring Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, and Redd Foxx. The film, later cited as an early example of the blaxploita ...

'' (1970) .... Lt. Anderson * ''

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

'' (1971) .... Policeman * '' Crawlspace'' (1972, TV Movie) .... Sheriff Emil Birge * '' Ironside'' (1972, TV Series) .... Marty, law school janitor * ''

Slaughterhouse-Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...

'' (1972) .... Edgar Derby * ''Egan'' (1973) ... Detective Eddie Egan * '' Newman's Law'' (1974) .... Reardon * '' W'' (1974) .... Charles Jasper * '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1975, TV Series) .... Ed Hudson * '' Mr. Ricco'' (1975) .... Detective George Cronyn * ''

'' (1975, TV series) .... Patrolman Lyle 'Sandy' Beach / Seymore Haywood * ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ow ...

'' (1976, TV Series) .... Charlie Springer * ''

'' (1976–1978, TV Series) .... Pinky Petersen * '' The Late Show'' (1977) .... Ronnie Birdwell * ''

Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected ''Quinn Martins Tales of the Unexpected'' is an American Horror film, horror and Science fiction film, science fiction Anthology series#Television, anthology television series produced by Quinn Martin, and hosted and narrated by William Conrad. ...

'' (1977, TV Series) .... Major Jim Langston * ''

'' (1977–1981, TV Series) .... E. Ronald Mallu, Esq. * '' The Ghost of Flight 401'' (1978, TV Movie) .... Andrews * '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) .... Ed McGrath * '' Foul Play'' (1978) .... Archbishop Thorncrest * '' The New Maverick'' (1978, TV Movie) .... Judge Austin Crupper, President 1st National Bank of Deming Texas * '' Good Time Harry'' (1980, TV Series) .... Jimmy Hughes * '' Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case'' (1980, TV Movie) .... Gary Gortmaker * ''

Miracle on Ice The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey t ...

'' (1981, TV Movie) .... Don Craig * ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (1982, TV Series) .... Jack * '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1983–1988, TV Series) .... Luther Gillis * '' Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks)'' (1984, TV Movie) .... Chief Frank Brockmeyer * '' Webster'' (1984–1986, TV Series) .... Bill Parker * ''

'' (1984, TV Series) .... Eddie Donahough / Senator William Dietz * '' Oh, God! You Devil'' (1984) .... Charlie Gray * ''

'' (1984–1988, TV Series) .... Jack Sullivan * '' Hardcastle and McCormick'' (1985, TV Series) .... Joseph Allen Murphy * ''Stranded'' (1986, TV Movie) .... Sullivan * '' Highway To Heaven'' (1986, TV Series) .... Clancy * ''

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by Paul Desmond in 5 beat per measure, the melody relying on the blues scale, with harmony E-flat minor. It was first recorded in 1959 and is the third track on ''Time Out'' by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. ...

'' (1987, TV Series) .... Max Davis * '' Perfect Strangers'' (1987–1988, TV Series) .... Harry Burns * ''

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

'' (1990) .... Ridley / Governor * '' Lenny'' (1990, TV Series) .... Pat * '' The Last Halloween'' (1991, TV Short) .... Grandpa * '' Julie'' (1992, TV Series) .... I.F. 'Wooley' Woolstein * '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1993, TV Series) .... Arnold Stromwell * '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994) .... Walter * '' Roswell'' (1994, TV Movie) ....

James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet (government), cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-cla ...

* ''

A Friend to Die For ''A Friend to Die For'' (also known as ''Death of a Cheerleader'' in the UK and during subsequent Lifetime television airings) is a 1994 American psychological thriller television film directed by William A. Graham. Written by Dan Bronson, ...

'' (1994, TV Movie) .... Priest * ''

Executive Decision ''Executive Decision'' is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Stuart Baird (in his directorial debut) and written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas, who also produced the film with Joel Silver. It stars Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, ...

'' (1996) .... Admiral Lewis * ''

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, an ...

'' (1997, TV Series) .... Grandpa Matthew Murdock * '' The Woman Chaser'' (1999) .... Used Car Dealer * '' Dancing at the Harvest Moon'' (2002, TV Movie) .... Gil Finnigan

References

External links