Sydney Lassick

While his best remembered role is probably the manic depressive Charley Cheswick in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Sydney Lassick appeared in dozens of films throughout his career and guest-starred in numerous television series. Most of his early credits consisted of small, nameless parts during the late '50s and '60s, but he did play the Fairy Godfather in "Sinderella and the Golden Bra," a softcore porn/art film hybrid released in '64. A decade later, he had his breakthrough in the Oscar-winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next," although with his stocky build and particular-sounding voice, he frequently seemed best-suited playing men who were angsty or slightly off from the norm. For example, he was effectively unpleasant as English teacher Mr. Fromm in the '76 horror film "Carrie." Occasionally, inspired filmmakers would cast him in sinister roles, such as twisted hotel caretaker Ernest Keller in the 1980 horror film "The Unseen," but he also got plenty of work playing run-of-the-mill creeps and sycophants--for example, the character Gopher in the 1992 crime thriller "Deep Cover." His television roles included appearances on the sitcoms "Barney Miller" and "Archie Bunker's Place" during the late '70s and early '80s.