John Lasell

John Whitin Lasell Jr. (November 6, 1928 – October 4, 2024) was an American actor whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television. Born in Williamstown, Vermont, Lasell worked across multiple decades in the entertainment industry before his death at the age of 95.

Lasell launched his professional career in 1960, a year that saw him active across both stage and screen. On Broadway, he appeared in the comedy Roman Candle that same year. His television work in 1960 included the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre, the adventure series Hong Kong, and Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.

Among his most recognized television roles, Lasell portrayed parapsychologist Dr. Peter Guthrie in the soap opera Dark Shadows. He also took on the recurring role of Dr. Robbins in Lassie and Benjamin Wedlock in the drama series Dan August. He made three separate appearances in the legal drama Perry Mason. One of his more distinctive credits came in The Twilight Zone, where he played John Wilkes Booth in the episode "Back There."

Lasell accumulated an extensive list of guest appearances across a wide range of television programs, including Gunsmoke, in which he appeared in Season 7, Episode 3 as outlaw Tucker Ferrin in the episode "Miss Kitty," as well as Wagon Train, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo, 12 O'Clock High, The Fugitive, Adam-12, Mannix, Ben Casey, The Streets of San Francisco, and Shotgun Slade. He appeared in five films over the course of his career. His final television credit was on the soap opera Falcon Crest.