Jack Blessing
Jack Blessing (July 29, 1951 – November 14, 2017) was an American film and television actor. He was notable for his roles as MacGillicuddy on Moonlighting and as Jack Powers in the sitcom George Lopez. He also had a recurring role as Mr. Donner in the television series The Naked Truth.
Jack Blessing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 29, 1951 |
| Died | November 14, 2017 (aged 66) Chatsworth, California, U.S. |
| Education | Calvert Hall High School, Frostburg State University[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–2017 |
| Spouse | Lora Blessing |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Blessing was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Calvert Hall High School in 1969, and from Frostburg State University, before serving in the United States Army from 1972 to 1975.[1] At Frostburg, Blessing played the male lead in a fall 1969 college production of Romeo and Juliet.[2] In the Army, he was assigned to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and to Augsburg, Germany.[1] He later moved to Boston, Massachusetts to begin his acting career.[3] He began his professional career as a member of Boston's seminal improvisational company The Proposition.[4]
Career
In his last year at The Proposition, Blessing was discovered by a Paramount casting director. Afterwards, he had a role in the Emmy Award-winning television film The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978).[5]
Blessing would soon guest star in The X-Files, Judging Amy, NYPD Blue, Murder One, Home Improvement, and in Everybody Loves Raymond. Blessing had a role in the Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as Jarvis.
Blessing gained national prominence on the hit series Moonlighting in 1986. Later, he recurred as Jack Powers in George Lopez, playing the character in 25 episodes spanning from 2002 through the series' finale in 2007.[6]
In the years following George Lopez, Blessing appeared in smaller roles in Shrek the Third, Megamind, ParaNorman and in Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return.[7]
Death
Blessing died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Chatsworth, California on November 14, 2017, at the age of 66.[8] He is survived by two sons and his wife.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Heaven's Gate | Emigrant Boy | |
| 1981 | Galaxy of Terror | Cos | |
| 1986 | Hamburger: The Motion Picture | Nacio Herb Zipser | |
| 1986 | Children of a Lesser God | Announcer (voice) | |
| 1987 | Summer School | Student | |
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Additional Voices (voice) | |
| 1990 | The Spirit of '76 | Voice Talent (voice) | |
| 1991 | Samantha | Herman Hathaway | |
| 1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | Various (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1994 | The New Age | (voice) | |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Various (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Ground Zero | Sportscaster | |
| 2000 | Above Suspicion | Nick | |
| 2000 | Thirteen Days | John Scali | |
| 2006 | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Jarvis | |
| 2006 | Open Season | (voice) | |
| 2010 | Megamind | Newscaster (voice) | |
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Slob Guy/Civil War Ghost (voice) | |
| 2013 | Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return | Additional Voices (voice) | |
| 2017 | Shock and Awe | Man on Phone (voice) | |
| 2019 | Missing Link | McVitie/Conductor (voice) | (Posthumous Release) (final film role) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Defection of Simas Kudirka | Kabek | TV movie |
| 1979 | Women at West Point | Tom Fenton | TV movie |
| 1980 | Goodtime Girls | Uncredited | |
| 1981 | Miracle on Ice | Mark Pavelich | TV movie |
| 1981 | Quincy M.E. | Alex Grauman | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | M*A*S*H | Lt. Rollins | Episode: "Snappier Judgement" |
| 1983 | Small & Frye | Chip Frye | 6 episodes |
| 1983 | Remington Steele | George Plummer | Episodes: "Steele Away with Me", parts 1 and 2 |
| 1985 | Amos | Scott Lasher | TV movie |
| 1985 | Family Ties | Leonard | Episodes: "Cold Storage", "Oh, Donna" |
| 1985 | George Burns Comedy Week | Episode: "Disaster at Buzz Creek" | |
| 1987 | Stingray | Episode: "Playback" | |
| 1987 | Mr. President | Brian | Episodes: "The Magnetic Presidency", "Love Labor's Last" |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Jerry | Episode: "In the Lion's Den" |
| 1987 | Thirtysomething | Jeff Hagis | Episode: "We Gather Together" |
| 1988 | Amen | Lawrence Osborne | Episode: "Get 'Em Up, Scout" |
| 1988–1989 | Day by Day | Kevin Farrell | Episodes: "How to Succeed in Day Care", "Out for a Stretch" |
| 1989 | China Beach | Sgt. Masters | Episode: "Afterburner" |
| 1986–1989 | Moonlighting | MacGillicudy | 17 episodes |
| 1989 | Mancuso, FBI | Sweson | Episode: "Conflict of Interest" |
| 1989 | Living Dolls | Gibson | Episode: "The Not So Sweet Smell of Success" |
| 1990 | Empty Nest | Evan Phillips | Episode: "Complainin' in the Rain" |
| 1990 | Babes | Crellin | Episode: "Marlene's Problem" |
| 1991 | The Golden Girls | Father Monroe | Episode: "There Goes the Bride pt. 2" |
| 1991 | Roseanne | Cyrano/Phil | Episode: "Communicable Theater" |
| 1992 | The Last of His Tribe | Tom Waterman | |
| 1992 | Civil Wars | Mark Hayes | Episode: "Till Debt Do Us Part" |
| 1992 | Dream On | Dr. Raines | Episode: "For Richard or for Poorer" |
| 1994 | SeaQuest 2032 | Gaye | Episode: "The Stinger" |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Dennis Markle | Episode: "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show" |
| 1994 | Diagnosis Murder | Special Agt. Matthew Dickerson | Episode: "The Last Laugh Pt. 2" |
| 1995 | Cybill | Stan | Episode: "How Can I Call You My Ex-Husbands If You Won't Go Away?" |
| 1995 | Northern Exposure | Professor Aaron Martin | Episode: "The Graduate" |
| 1995 | Life with Louie | Episode: "A Fish Called Pepper" | |
| 1995–1996 | The Naked Truth | Mr. Donner | 20 episodes |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Dulmur | Episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations" |
| 1996 | Dangerous Minds | Mr. Overton | Episodes: "Family Ties", "Evolution" |
| 1997 | Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer | Detective Seybolt | 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Dr. Hammond | Episode: "Debra's Sick" |
| 1997 | ER | Roger Drummond | Episode: "Post Modem" |
| 1996–1997 | Murder One | Detective Seybolt | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Home Improvement | Dr. Breen | Episode: "Room at the Top" |
| 1997 | Cracker: Mind Over Murder | Detective Bobby Leary | Episode: "'Tis Pity She's a Whore" |
| 1997 | C-16: FBI | Episode: "Orange Kid" | |
| 1997 | Smart Guy | Mr. Delk | Episode: "Book Smart" |
| 1997 | The Practice | D.A. Horowitz | Episode: "Hide and Seek" |
| 1997 | Profiler | Burton | Episodes: "It Cuts Both Ways", "Old Acquaintance" |
| 1997–1998 | Brooklyn South | Officer Anthony Fiano | Episodes: "Love Hurts", "Gay Avec" |
| 1998 | Maximum Bob | Agent Neff | Episode: "Bay of Big's" |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | Dr. Swan | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Howard Heller | Episode: "My Brother's Keeper" |
| 1999 | It's Like, You Know... | Mr. Lynch | 2 episodes |
| 2000–2001 | Any Day Now | Mr. Schillings | 2 episodes |
| 2000–2002 | Judging Amy | Russell Lynchburg | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Deputy Chief Shaw | Episode: "SWAT's Happening" |
| 2001 | That's Life | Leo Kelley | Episode: "Bad Chemistry" |
| 2002 | The X-Files | Dr. Jack Preijers | Episode: "Audrey Pauley" |
| 2002–2007 | George Lopez | Jack Powers | 20 episodes |
| 2009 | The Closer | Dr. Dennis Blair | Episode: "Walking Back the Cat" |
| 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Officer Danny Finn | Episode: "Coupe de Grace" |
| 2012 | Mike & Molly | Pilot | Episode: "The Honeymoon Is Over" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Shrek the Third | Additional Voices (voice) | Uncredited |
References
- Kelly, Jacques (January 3, 2018). "Jack Blessing, Baltimore-born actor, dies". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- Hazen, George Alfred (October 24, 1969). "Frostburg Show Offers Shakespeare". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. p. 12. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
Jack Blessing improved his performance during the course of the play and was particularly effective in the scene in which he kills Tybalt and in the closing scenes.
- Herbert, Geoff (December 27, 2017). "'Mad About You' revival; 'Roseanne' return; 'Moonlighting' actor dies; more: Buzz". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Quarrinton, Norman (December 27, 2017). "Actor Jack Blessing of 'Moonlighting' and 'George Lopez' Fame Dies at 66". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 26, 2017). "Jack Blessing Dies: The 'Moonlighting', 'The Naked Truth' Actor Was 66". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Maheshwari, Preeti (December 27, 2017). "Jack Blessing Dies at 66". International Business Times. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Quarrinton, Norman (December 27, 2017). "Actor Jack Blessing, of 'Moonlighting' Fame, Dies at 66". WSB-TV. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- DeSantis, Rachel (December 27, 2017). "Jack Blessing, 'Moonlights' and 'George Lopez' Actor, Dead at 66". The New York Daily News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.