John Whitin Lasell Jr. (November 6, 1928 – October 4, 2024) was an American film and television actor.[3] He was known for playing parapsychologist Dr. Peter Guthrie in the American soap opera television series Dark Shadows.[4]

John Lasell
Lasell (left) with Ellen Weston, 1962
Born
John Whitin Lasell Jr.[1]

(1928-11-06)November 6, 1928
DiedOctober 4, 2024(2024-10-04) (aged 95)
OccupationActor
SpousePatricia Smith[2]

Life and career

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Lasell was born in Williamstown, Vermont, on November 6, 1928.[5][6] He began his television career in 1960 in the anthology television series Armstrong Circle Theatre. In the same year he appeared in Hong Kong and Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond. Lasell played John Wilkes Booth in the anthology television series The Twilight Zone in the episode "Back There".[7] He played the recurring roles of Dr. Robbins in Lassie and Benjamin Wedlock in the drama television series Dan August, and made three appearances in the legal drama television series Perry Mason.[8]

Lasell guest-starred in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke (S7E3 as outlaw Tucker Ferrin in the episode “Miss Kitty”), Wagon Train, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo, 12 O'Clock High, The Fugitive, Adam-12, Mannix, Ben Casey, The Streets of San Francisco and Shotgun Slade.[9] He appeared in five films.[10] His final television credit was from the soap opera television series Falcon Crest.[citation needed]

Lasell died on October 4, 2024, at the age of 95.[11]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 Topaz State Department Official #1 Uncredited
1970 Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came Dr. Hillery
1970 Helen Keller and Her Teacher Capt. Keller
1971 The Organization Zach Mills
1971 Honky Archer Divine
1972 Deathmaster Sgt. Kelly

References

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  1. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (October 13, 2024). "John Lasell Dies: 'Dark Shadows' And 'The Twilight Zone' Character Actor Was 95". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "Sidekick Not Easy To Excite". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. January 8, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "(untitled brief)". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. September 28, 1962. p. 21. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Browning, John Edgar; Picart, Caroline Joan (January 10, 2014). Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 9780786462018 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "John Lasell". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Ward, Jack (1993). Television Guest Stars: An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies. McFarland. p. 288. ISBN 9780899508078 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Parisi, Nicholas (October 24, 2018). Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination. University Press of Mississippi. p. 300. ISBN 9781496819451 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Hill, Ona (September 9, 2011). Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography. McFarland. ISBN 9780786491377 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Meyer, Janet (August 13, 2015). Sydney Pollack: A Critical Filmography. McFarland. p. 204. ISBN 9781476609799 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Berman, Marc (October 14, 2024). "John Lasell, 'Dark Shadows' Actor, Dies At 95". Forbes. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Phillips, Zoe G. (October 13, 2024). "John Lasell, 'Dark Shadows' and 'Twilight Zone' Actor, Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
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