Dan Frazer

Daniel Thomas Frazer was born on November 20, 1921, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan, New York City. He died on December 16, 2011, of cardiac arrest at his home in Manhattan, having maintained a career in theater, film, and television spanning more than six decades.

During World War II, Frazer served in the Special Services division of the United States Army, an assignment that introduced him to theatrical writing and directing. That experience laid the groundwork for a stage career that brought him to Broadway, where he performed in productions spanning from 1946 to 1981. His Broadway credits include Christopher Blake, Night, Louie and the Elephant, the comedy Who Was That Lady I Saw You With?, and the comedy Goodbye, Charlie, among other productions.

Frazer's screen career began in 1950, and his first film role came in 1963 when he played Father Murphy in Lilies of the Field. He went on to appear in a wide range of films, including Take the Money and Run (1969), in which he played Julius Epstein, a psychiatrist, and Woody Allen's Bananas (1971), where he appeared as a priest. Other film credits include Lord Love a Duck (1966), Fuzz (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), The Super Cops (1974), and Deconstructing Harry (1997).

Frazer became most widely recognized for his role as Captain Frank McNeil, the former partner and supervisor of Telly Savalas's character Theo Kojak, in the 1970s television police drama Kojak. He appeared in 117 episodes of the series between 1973 and 1978 and reprised the role of Chief of Detectives Frank McNeil in the 1985 television movie Kojak: The Belarus File. His television work also included appearances on The Phil Silvers Show, Car 54 Where Are You?, The Untouchables, Route 66, Blue Light, The F.B.I., Barney Miller, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, The Waltons, and Law & Order. From 1986 to 1996, he played detective Dan McCloskey on the daytime drama As the World Turns. His final film role was as Sol Epstein in The Pack (2009).