Oliver Clark

Oliver Clark, born Richard Mardirosian on January 4, 1939, in Buffalo, New York, is an American character actor of Armenian heritage. He is the son of Afro (née Karahos) and Matthew Mardirosian, and his brother, Tom Mardirosian, is also an actor.

Clark began his professional career on the Broadway stage, appearing in productions between 1963 and 1966. His credits from that period include Ben Franklin in Paris, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and Don't Drink the Water.

His screen career gained momentum in the 1970s, with film appearances including the role of Mr. Farcus in The Landlord (1970), Mr. Small in They Might Be Giants (1971), and a part in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born. He later appeared as Joe Carruthers, the man who becomes Santa Claus, in the holiday comedy Ernest Saves Christmas, and reprised that Santa role in the 1996 animated film Christmas in Cartoontown.

On television, Clark became recognizable through two recurring characters: John Doe #6, a likeable and humorous psychiatric patient on the NBC drama St. Elsewhere, and Mr. Herd, a patient of psychologist Bob Hartley on the long-running CBS sitcom The Bob Newhart Show. He was also a regular on the 1975 situation comedy Karen and appeared in six episodes of Barney Miller. In 1977, he appeared in an episode of the ABC crime drama The Feather and Father Gang.

Clark appeared twice on M*A*S*H, first as Hawkeye's college friend, a Navy doctor stationed on an aircraft carrier off the Korean coast, and later as another Benjamin Pierce who arrived at the 4077th to collect mail that had been misdirected to Hawkeye. He played Roger Barton in an episode of The Golden Girls and, in 1995, guest-starred as high school principal Mr. Robolard in the eighth-season Full House episode "Up on the Roof." Clark also originated the role of Mr. Belding in the pilot of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a part that was subsequently recast with Dennis Haskins.