Stefan Gierasch

Stefan Gierasch (February 5, 1926 – September 6, 2014) was an American actor born in New York City whose career spanned stage, film, and television across more than six decades. A product of The Actors Studio, Gierasch built a reputation as a versatile character performer with credits ranging from Broadway productions to more than 100 screen appearances.

Gierasch's stage career extended from 1944 to 1986, during which he appeared in a number of notable Broadway productions. He starred in You Never Can Tell and took part in productions of Tartuffe, Of Mice and Men, and The Iceman Cometh, among others. In the mid-1960s, he also performed with the Trinity Square Players in Providence, Rhode Island.

His screen work began in 1951 and encompassed a wide range of film and television roles. On film, Gierasch appeared in The Hustler (1961), The Traveling Executioner (1970), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), What's Up Doc? (1972), High Plains Drifter (1973), Carrie (1976), Silver Streak (1976), Victory at Entebbe (1976), Blue Sunshine (1977), The Champ (1979), Blood Beach (1980), and Perfect (1985). Later film credits included Junior (1994), in which he played Edward Sawyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, and Murder in the First (1995), where he portrayed Warden James Humson.

Television audiences encountered Gierasch across numerous series, including Kung Fu, M*A*S*H, Starsky & Hutch, Gunsmoke, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Barney Miller, and ER.

In his personal life, Gierasch was married to actress Hedy Sontag for 33 years at the time of his death. The couple had three children: Amanda, Elisa, and Matthew. Gierasch died at home from a stroke on September 6, 2014, at the age of 88.