Lawrence Pressman

Lawrence Pressman has been a busy guy since his first appearance on the daytime soap "The Edge of Night" in 1969, always able to bring a little class to a production no matter how big or small the role. In the 1970s he worked mostly in television, including small parts in popular crime dramas "Hawaii Five-O," "Barnaby Jones," and "The Streets of San Francisco." A versatile actor, he has also appeared in sitcoms "The Bob Newhart Show" and "M*A*S*H." He had a top role in the classic 1971 blaxploitation cop film "Shaft." His most notable film role during this period was entomologist Nils Hellstrom in the cult science fiction film "The Hellstrom Chronicle," a mix of fiction and documentary best remembered for its extraordinary cinematography. His other prominent television work was the seminal primetime miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man," as well as heading his own short-lived program, "Mulligan's Stew," about a high school football coach (Pressman) and his wife raising a household of seven children. Work over the next couple of decades did not let up for the actor, though his most familiar gig was arguably the 1980 sitcom "Ladies' Man" and his prominent role as Dr. Benjamin Canfield on the medical dramedy "Doogie Howser, M.D." starring a young Neil Patrick Harris. Pressman also had roles on the crime drama "Crossing Jordan," the drama "Judging Amy," and a recurring guest spot on the soap opera "General Hospital."