Don Chastain

Don Chastain (September 2, 1935 – August 9, 2002) was an American actor, singer, lyricist, and screenwriter born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His career spanned stage, television, and film across New York and Los Angeles, and he also toured the United States and Canada. He served in the United States Army and worked as a jazz singer.

Chastain's Broadway career extended from 1962 to 1998 and included productions such as No Strings, It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman (1965), Dance a Little Closer, Applause, 42nd Street (1980), and Parade (1998).

On television, Chastain held recurring roles in two sitcoms: he portrayed Jim Thompson in The Debbie Reynolds Show from 1969 to 1970, and Scott Thomas in Hello, Larry from 1979 to 1981. His guest appearances spanned several decades and included series such as Colt .45, The Real McCoys, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, The Rockford Files, Maude, Rhoda, All My Children, The West Wing, and Scrubs. In 2001, he appeared in six episodes of the television reality competition Murder in Small Town X as the character Hayden DeBeck. His film work included the role of Lizard in the 1970 feature C.C. and Company.

As a writer, Chastain penned the screenplay for the 1978 film The Mafu Cage and contributed scripts to the daytime drama As the World Turns between 1992 and 1995.

Chastain died on August 9, 2002, of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 66. He was survived by his wife, Jill, and their son, Colin.