Up for auction "Hill Street Blues" Jon Cypher Hand Signed 3X5 Photo Card
ES-0099
Jon
Cypher (born January 13,
1932) is an American actor and singer. He is best known as playing Chief of
Police Fletcher Daniels in Hill Street Blues throughout the series' run. He is
also known for his work in Cinderella, As the World Turns, Major Dad, Probe, Law & Order, and Santa Barbara.
He has also performed several times on Broadway, particularly in musical theatre. Born in New York City, Cypher graduated from Erasmus Hall High School (1949)
and Brooklyn College (1953).
Cypher later received a master's degree in marriage and family counseling from
the University of Vermont. Cypher
made his television debut as the Prince in the original 1957 production
of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Julie Andrews in the title role. He is particularly
remembered as Chief of Police Fletcher Daniels in Hill Street Blues, a role he played throughout the run of
the series (1981–87). He played Commanding General Marcus Craig on Major Dad, alongside Gerald McRaney and Beverly Archer, and appeared as Howard Millhouse in the
short-lived television series Probe. He played Dr.
Alex Keith on As the World Turns (1977–79)
and Dr. Arthur Donnelly on Santa Barbara (1988–89).
Other television credits include the recurring roles of Belson in The F.B.I., Dirk
Maurier in Dynasty, Eric Brandon
in Marcus Welby, M.D.,
and Jeff Munson in Knots Landing. He also provided the
voice of comic villain Spellbinder in the
animated television series Batman Beyond. Cypher made his first film appearance as
the villain Frank Tanner in the 1971 Western Valdez Is Coming opposite Burt Lancaster and Susan Clark. He took on the role of the heroic Man-At-Arms in
the 1987 film Masters of the Universe.
He also starred in an episode of Barnaby Jones entitled "Dangerous Gambit"
which originally aired on February 26, 1976. Cypher has since appeared
periodically in films up through the late 1990s in mostly featured character
parts. Cypher had an active career on the stage in both musicals and plays. In 1956 he appeared at Denver's Elitch Theatre, as the leading man for the summer stock cast,
where productions included The Rainmaker, Noël Coward's Tonight at 8.30, and The Chalk Garden. He made his Broadway debut as
Wister LaSalle in the original 1959 production of Harvey Breit's The Disenchanted. He returned to Broadway in 1962 to
replace Patrick O'Neal as the
Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in the original production of Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana.
He portrayed the role of Dr. Carrasco in the original 1965 cast of Man of La Mancha, later taking over the role of Don Quixote. In 1967, he performed the role of Bert Jefferson
in the original musical Sherry! by James Lipton and Laurence Rosenthal. His
other Broadway credits include The Great White Hope, 1776, Coco, and Big: The Musical. Between 1990 and 1993 he appeared in 69
episodes in the CBS hit comedy TV show Major Dad, where he played Brigadier General Marcus C.
Craig In 1993, he sued a theater and a performance company in Pittsburgh
for $20,000 over a fall he suffered during a dress rehearsal on July 20, 1992.
Cypher broke his leg in two places and damaged cartilage and ligaments when he
fell down a darkened stairway at the Benedum Center, where he played Fagin in
the Civic Light Opera production
of Oliver! The incident left Cypher playing the
character while seated in a wheelchair.[4] In a 2013 interview, Cypher revealed he still
walked with a cane. In a 2014 interview, he
stated that poverty was the secret to his 47-year-long career.