Bruce Boxleitner
| Bruce Boxleitner | |
|---|---|
 Bruce Boxleitner, May 2011 | |
| Born |
Bruce William Boxleitner May 12, 1950 Elgin, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for |
Luke Macahan Alan Bradley/Tron Lee Stetson a.k.a. Scarecrow Captain John Sheridan |
| Spouse(s) |
|
Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor, and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King (with Kate Jackson and Beverly Garland), and Babylon 5 (as John Sheridan in seasons 2–5, 1994–1998). He is also known for his dual role as the characters Alan Bradley and Tron in the 1982 Walt Disney Pictures film Tron, a role which he reprised in the 2010 sequel, Tron: Legacy[1] and the animated series Tron: Uprising.
Early life
Boxleitner was born in Elgin, Illinois, the son of a certified public accountant.[2] He attended Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the Goodman Theater School of Drama of the Art Institute of Chicago (later renamed The Theatre School at DePaul University).
Career
Television
Boxleitner is best known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King (with Kate Jackson and Beverly Garland), and Babylon 5 (as John Sheridan in seasons 2–5, 1994–1998). He also starred in The Gambler TV film series (as Billy Montana, alongside Kenny Rogers: 1980, 1983 and 1987). In 2005, he co-starred as Captain Martin Duvall in Young Blades. He has also starred in several films within the Babylon 5 universe, including Babylon 5: In the Beginning (TV, 1998), Babylon 5: Thirdspace (TV, 1998), Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (TV, 1999) and the direct-to-DVD Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2007) and on CHAOS (Glory Days episode).
He has made appearances in many other TV shows, such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Gunsmoke, Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again, Tales from the Crypt, Touched by an Angel, The Outer Limits and She Spies, and in 1982, he played Chase Marshall in the TV film Bare Essence, with Genie Francis. He also was a member of the cast of Heroes for seasons three and four, playing New York Governor Robert Malden in three episodes. He also appears on the television series Chuck as the father of Devon Woodcomb.
He has also been in the made-for-television films The Secret, Hope Ranch, Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door, Pandemic, The Bone Eater, Sharpshooter and Aces 'n Eights and "Bare Essence"(TV mini-series 1982) .
Boxleitner was a guest-star on NCIS in the fall of 2010. He played Vice Admiral C. Clifford Chase, a high-ranking Navy official.[3] Boxleitner also lends his voice to the animated version of his iconic character Tron in the animated series Tron: Uprising. The series premiered on Disney XD on June 7, 2012. He also reprises the character Alan Bradley/Tron from the films Tron and Tron: Legacy. In 2012 he had a recurring role on the ABC series GCB as Burl Lourd, Gigi's, Annie Potts, love interest.
Film
He has also appeared in several films, including Tron (in which he played the title role) and The Baltimore Bullet (1980) with James Coburn. He reprised his role in the Tron sequel Tron: Legacy and in the video game Tron: Evolution which was released alongside the film Tron: Legacy, as he did for sequel video game named Tron 2.0, and Disney/Square Enix crossover video game Kingdom Hearts II. Boxleitner also voice as Col. John Konrad in video game Spec Ops: The Line. He also starred as Confederate General James Longstreet in the 2003 film Gods and Generals. He provides the voice of Colin Barrow in the animated science fiction horror film Dead Space: Downfall, based on the video game Dead Space. Other films he has been in include Kuffs, The Babe, Brilliant, Snakehead Terror, Legion of the Dead, King of the Lost World, Shadows in Paradise and Transmorphers: Fall of Man. In 2011 he officially announced that he will reprise his role as Alan Bradley/Tron in Tron 3.
Modeling
From 1986–1989, Boxleitner appeared in advertisements for Estee Lauder's "Lauder For Men".
Novels
Boxleitner has written two science fiction novels with a Western setting: Frontier Earth (1999)[4] and Searcher (2001).[5]
Audio books
Boxleitner played a major role in the audio dramatization of The Great Secret, part of the Golden Age of Fiction series by L. Ron Hubbard. He also played Captain Gavin Blaire in the unabridged version of World War Z.
Personal life
Boxleitner's first marriage (1977–1987) was to American actress Kathryn Holcomb, who had previously co-starred with him on How The West Was Won. They had two sons together: Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). Holcomb went on to marry English actor Ian Ogilvy. Ogilvy also guest-starred on Boxleitner's series Babylon 5.
Boxleitner's second marriage (1995-2011) was to American actress Melissa Gilbert. They had one son together: Michael (born 1995). Gilbert also guest-starred as Boxleitner's on-screen wife, Anna Sheridan, during Season 3 of Babylon 5.
In 2003, Boxleitner was appointed to the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a nonprofit, educational space advocacy organization founded by Dr. Wernher von Braun.
On March 1, 2011, Melissa Gilbert announced that she and Bruce had separated after 16 years of marriage.[6] On August 25 of the same year the Associated Press reported that, based on court records, Gilbert had filed for divorce.[7]
He was also best friends with Beverly Garland, for nearly 30 years. He met her on an episode of How The West Was Won, and later co-starred alongside her on Scarecrow & Mrs. King, though he had very few scenes with her. Then, in 1986, Boxleitner presented Garland the Golden Boot Award, for which she won that honor. After the cancellation of Scarecrow, Boxleitner remained close to Garland, contacting her consistently, until her death, on December 5, 2008. He said in an interview, "I used to keep up with Beverly Garland until she passed. There was actually a hotel named after her. She was such a trip. She was a great lady."[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Chadwick Family | Danny | TV movie | |
| 1975 | A Cry for Help | Richie Danko | TV movie | |
| 1975 | Sixpack Annie | Bobby Joe | ||
| 1976 | The Macahans | Luke Macahan | TV movie | |
| 1976 | Kiss Me, Kill Me | Douglas Lane | TV movie | |
| 1977 | Murder at the World Series | Cisco | TV movie | |
| 1978 | Happily Ever After | Jack | TV movie | |
| 1979 | The Last Convertible | George Virdon | TV movie | |
| 1980 | The Baltimore Bullet | Billie Joe Robbins | ||
| 1980 | Kenny Rogers as the Gambler | Billy Montana | TV movie | |
| 1981 | Fly Away Home | Uncredited | ||
| 1982 | Tron | Tron/Alan Bradley | ||
| 1983 | I Married Wyatt Earp | Wyatt Earp | ||
| 1983 | Kenny Rogers as the Gambler: The Adventure Continues | Billy Montana | TV movie | |
| 1987 | Kenny Rogers as the Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues | Billy Montana | TV movie | |
| 1987 | Passion Flower | Larry Janson | ||
| 1987 | Angel in Green | Captain William Wicker | ||
| 1988 | Red River | Matthew Garth | ||
| 1990 | Breakaway | Joey | ||
| 1991 | Murderous Vision | Detective Kyle Robeshaw | ||
| 1991 | Diplomatic Immunity | Cole Hickel | ||
| 1992 | Kuffs | Brad Kuffs | ||
| 1992 | The Babe | Jumpin' Joe Dugan | ||
| 1992 | The Secret | Patrick Dunmore | ||
| 1992 | Perfect Family | Allan Bodine | ||
| 1994 | The Maharaja's Daughter | Patrick O'Riley | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Gambler V: Playing for Keeps | Billy Montana | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Babylon 5: In the Beginning | Capt. John J. Sheridan | ||
| 1998 | Babylon 5: Thirdspace | Capt. John J. Sheridan | ||
| 1999 | Babylon 5: A Call to Arms | President John J. Sheridan | ||
| 1999 | Free Fall | Mark Ettinger | ||
| 2002 | Contagion | President Howard | ||
| 2002 | Hope Ranch | J.T. Hope | TV movie | |
| 2002 | Perilous | Judd | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | James Longstreet | ||
| 2004 | Brilliant | Dr. Dietrich | ||
| 2004 | Snakehead Terror | Sheriff Patrick James | ||
| 2006 | Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery | Clint Lawson | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Babylon 5: The Lost Tales | President John J. Sheridan | ||
| 2007 | Bone Eater | Sheriff Steve Evans | TV movie | |
| 2008 | Transmorphers: Fall of Man | Hadley Ryan | ||
| 2010 | Tron: Legacy | Tron/Rinzler/Alan Bradley | ||
| 2011 | Love's Everlasting Courage | Lloyd Davis | TV movie | |
| 2011 | 51 | Col. Martin | ||
| 2011 | Tron: The Next Day | Alan Bradley | Short film | |
| 2013 | Silver Bells | Bruce Dalton | TV movie | |
| 2015 | So You Said Yes | Nick | TV movie | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Mary Tyler Moore Show | Rick | Episode: "I Gave At the Office" |
| 1974 | Hawaii Five-O | Cam Farraday | Episode: "We Hang Our Own" |
| 1975 | Gunsmoke | Toby Hogue | Episode: "The Sharecroppers" |
| 1975 | Hawaii Five-O | Kevin Caulder | Episode: "And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon" |
| 1975 | Police Woman | Ed Krohl | Episode: "Paradise Mall" |
| 1976 | Baretta | Tom | Episode: "The Left Hand of the Devil" |
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-O | Paul Colburn | Episode: "The Capsule Kidnapping" |
| 1977-1979 | How the West Was Won | Luke Macahan | 15 episodes |
| 1980 | Wild Times | Vern Tyree | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | East of Eden | Charles Trask | 3 episodes |
| 1982–1983 | Bring 'Em Back Alive | Frank Buck | 17 episodes |
| 1983–1987 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Lee Stetson | 89 episodes |
| 1989 | Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again | Jock Hampton | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Winton Robbins | Episode: "Top Billing" |
| 1994–1998 | Babylon 5 | Captain John J. Sheridan | 88 episodes Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | Scott Tanner | Episode: "The Peacemaker" |
| 2003 | She Spies | The Chairman | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | Commander in Chief | Tucker Bayes | Episode: "First Choice" |
| 2005 | Young Blades | Captain Martin Duvall | 13 episodes |
| 2006 | American Dad! | Himself | Episode: "Tears of a Clooney" |
| 2008–2009 | Chuck | Dr. Woody Woodcomb | 2 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | Heroes | Robert Malden | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | NCIS | Vice Admiral C. Clifford Chase | Episode: "Broken Arrow" |
| 2011 | CHAOS | Ray Bishop | Episode: "Glory Days" |
| 2012 | GCB | Burl Lourd | 4 episodes |
| 2012-2013 | Tron: Uprising | Tron | 17 episodes |
| 2013 | Cedar Cove | Bob | recurring |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | Tron | |
| 2012 | Spec Ops: The Line | Colonel John Konrad | |
References
- ↑ "Tron Legacy Star Bruce Boxleitner on the Rivalry Between Star Trek and Babylon 5". Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ↑ "Bruce Boxleitner Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ↑ "Exclusive: NCIS Enlists Scarecrow and Mrs. King's Bruce Boxleitner". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
- ↑ Boxleitner, Bruce (1999). Frontier earth hc. Ace Hardcover. ISBN 978-0-441-00589-5.
- ↑ Boxleitner, Bruce (2001). Frontier Earth: searcher. New York: Ace Books. ISBN 978-0-441-00799-8.
- ↑ Eng, Joyce. "Melissa Gilbert and Bruce Boxleitner Split". TVGuide.
- ↑ "Actress Melissa Gilbert Files for Divorce in LA". New York Times. August 25, 2011.
- ↑ http://lanterncitytv.com/forum/entry.php/16-Interview-with-Tron%E2%80%99s-Bruce-Boxleitner
Bruce also appeared on stage in a play in Chicago in the 1970s called "Status Quo Vadis" in theater in the round.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Boxleitner. |
- Bruce Boxleitner on Twitter
- Bruce Boxleitner at the Internet Movie Database
- Bruce Boxleitner at AllMovie
- Bruce Boxleitner at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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