Ramon Bieri

Ramon Arens Bieri (June 16, 1929 – May 27, 2001) was an American actor born in St. Louis, Missouri, whose career spanned stage, film, and television. He appeared on Broadway between 1964 and 1975, with credits that included The Passion of Josef D. and Death of a Salesman.

Beyond the stage, Bieri built an extensive screen career across several decades. His film appearances included The Andromeda Strain, Badlands, Reds, The Grasshopper, Grandview U.S.A., and The Sicilian. On television, he took on a lead role in the NBC sitcom Joe's World, which ran from December 1979 to July 1980, playing Joe Wabash, a Detroit housepainter raising five children with his wife. In 1981, he joined the cast of Bret Maverick alongside James Garner, portraying banker Elijah Crow. From 1971 to 1972, he played Lieutenant Barney Verick in the NBC drama Sarge.

Bieri also held recurring roles in Room 222, where he appeared as the vice principal, and in St. Elsewhere. His guest appearances covered a wide range of series, among them Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O, Little House on the Prairie, Daniel Boone, The Rockford Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Mannix, Hogan's Heroes, The Partridge Family, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Dukes of Hazzard, Quincy M.E., and Knight Rider. He appeared in The Final Chapter, the opening episode of the 1977 NBC series Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected, as well as an episode of The Eddie Capra Mysteries in 1978. In 1993, he appeared in Season 7, Episode 5 of In the Heat of the Night as the character Cal Sims. His final screen credit was an episode of HBO's Arli$$ that aired in August 2001, more than two months after his death.

Bieri died of cancer on May 27, 2001, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 71.