Philip Sterling

Philip Sterling was an American actor who had a long, low-key career that was mostly spent on television. He was originally a jazz pianist before becoming an actor, and got his start in one of TV's earliest anthology shows, "Hands of Mystery," in 1949. After several small TV parts he became a regular on the popular soap "Guiding Light," playing the role of George Hayes from 1963 until 1968. He was a frequent presence on soaps throughout his long TV career and also appeared on "Another World" in a recurring role in the early '70s. He had a supporting role in the feature "Me, Natalie" in 1969, a Golden Globe-winning film that featured Martin Balsam and Patty Duke, and appeared in the comedy "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight." For the most part, however, he stuck to the small screen. In the 1970s, he appeared in several made-for-TV movies, playing an Israeli colonel in "Victory at Entebbe" and a doctor in "The Lazarus Syndrome." He had another soap opera role on "As the World Turns" as Reverend George Booth and made a half-dozen appearances on the popular sitcom "Barney Miller." His later career included a role as Dr. Simon Weiss on the medical show "St. Elsewhere" and two different recurring roles as judges--on the '90s drama "Sisters" and Steven Bochco's courtroom show, "L.A. Law."