Jon Cypher

Jon Cypher is an American actor and singer born on January 13, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, graduating in 1949, and went on to earn a degree from Brooklyn College in 1953. He later pursued graduate studies at the University of Vermont, where he received a master's degree in marriage and family counseling.

Cypher's professional career began in the mid-1950s. In 1956, he worked as a leading man in summer stock at Denver's Elitch Theatre, appearing in productions that included The Rainmaker, Noël Coward's Tonight at 8.30, and The Chalk Garden. His television debut came in 1957, when he played the Prince opposite Julie Andrews in the original CBS broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. His Broadway career spanned from 1958 to 1996, encompassing both plays and musicals. He made his Broadway debut as Wister LaSalle in the 1959 original production of Harvey Breit's The Disenchanted. In 1962, he stepped into the role of the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana, replacing Patrick O'Neal in the original production. He originated the role of Dr. Carrasco in the 1965 premiere cast of Man of La Mancha and subsequently took over the role of Don Quixote. In 1967, he played Bert Jefferson in the original musical Sherry!, with music and lyrics by Laurence Rosenthal and book by James Lipton. His additional Broadway credits include The Great White Hope, 1776, Coco, 42nd Street, Evita, and Big: The Musical.

On July 20, 1992, while rehearsing the role of Fagin in a Pittsburgh production of Oliver!, Cypher fell down a darkened stairway during a dress rehearsal and broke his leg in two places. He continued performing the role while seated in a wheelchair and later filed a lawsuit against the theater and a performance company for $20,000. In a 2013 interview, he noted that he still walked with a cane as a result of the injury.

On television, Cypher is perhaps best recognized for portraying Chief of Police Fletcher Daniels on Hill Street Blues, a role he held throughout the series's entire run from 1981 to 1987. He played Dr. Alex Keith on the daytime drama As the World Turns from 1977 to 1979 and Dr. Arthur Donnelly on Santa Barbara from 1988 to 1989. Between 1990 and 1993, he appeared in 69 episodes of the CBS comedy Major Dad as Brigadier General Marcus Craig, alongside Gerald McRaney and Beverly Archer. He also played Howard Millhouse in the short-lived series Probe and held recurring roles in The F.B.I. as Belson, in Dynasty as Dirk Maurier, in Marcus Welby, M.D. as Eric Brandon, and in Knots Landing as Jeff Munson. He additionally provided the voice of the villain Spellbinder in the animated series Batman Beyond. He also appeared in an episode of Barnaby Jones titled "Dangerous Gambit," which aired on February 26, 1976.

Cypher's film work includes his debut as the villain Frank Tanner in the 1971 Western Valdez Is Coming, opposite Burt Lancaster and Susan Clark, and the role of the heroic Man-At-Arms in the 1987 fantasy film Masters of the Universe. He continued to appear in featured character parts in film through the late 1990s. In a 2014 interview, Cypher credited poverty as the driving force behind his 47-year career. He was married to Ruth Wagner from 1965 to 1975 and later married scientist Carol Rosin.