Peter Jurasik

Peter Jurasik (pronounced JOOR-ə-sik; born April 25, 1950) is an American actor and writer who began his career on Broadway and went on to build an extensive record in television and film. A native of Queens, New York, he is the third of four children. He studied at the University of New Hampshire, where he participated in multiple stage productions before pursuing professional work.

Jurasik made his Broadway debut in 1972 in Godspell. His stage background preceded a television career that would span several decades and encompass recurring roles, guest appearances, and a lead credit in a landmark science fiction series. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Londo Mollari on the 1990s series Babylon 5, a role that brought him sustained visibility among genre audiences. Earlier in his career, he developed a recurring presence on Hill Street Blues as Sid the Snitch, a role that grew to semi-regular status during the show's final two seasons. When Hill Street Blues concluded, his character and that of co-star Dennis Franz were carried into the spinoff Beverly Hills Buntz, which had a brief run.

Among his other television credits, Jurasik starred as Mitch Kline in the 1983 CBS series Bay City Blues and played Dr. Simon Ward in the 1989 Columbo episode "Sex and the Married Detective." He appeared in two episodes of M*A*S*H as CID investigator Captain Triplett, in one episode of NYPD Blue as suspect Dave Lorinz, and in one episode of MacGyver as an ornithologist. He also portrayed Dr. Oberon Geiger across three episodes of Sliders. In 2000, he appeared in the Doctor Who audio adventure Winter for the Adept.

His film work includes the role of Crom in the 1982 Disney film Tron, which also featured future Babylon 5 co-star Bruce Boxleitner, and the role of Roy in Problem Child (1990). In 1985, he co-starred with Michael Keaton and Clint Howard in the Keaton-produced short film "But I'm Happy," which aired on NBC during David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival.

In 1998, Jurasik co-authored the science fiction novel Diplomatic Act with William H. Keith Jr. (ISBN 0-671-87788-7), in which an actor on a science fiction program is abducted by aliens who believe he is the character he portrays. Beyond his performing and writing work, Jurasik teaches acting for the camera in both the Theatre Department and the Film Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he lives with his wife and son.