Ray Walston

== 1980s ==
Walston made numerous film and television appearances throughout the 1980s. Perhaps his best known film role is that of uptight history teacher Mr. Hand in the cult 1982 teen comedy ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High''. Fellow TNG guest actors [[Vincent Schiavelli]] and [[Scott Thomson]] also starred in this film. Walston and Schiavelli were the only actors from the film to reprise their roles in the short-lived 1986 television spin-off, ''Fast Times'', which co-starred [[Wallace Langham]].

Walston's other film roles during the 1980s include Popeye's father, Poopdeck Pappy, in 1980's ''Popeye'' (co-starring [[Paul Dooley]] and [[Richard Libertini]]), and the blind (then deaf and later amnesiac) newspaper vendor in 1984's ''Johnny Dangerously'' (with [[Joe Piscopo]], Vincent Schiavelli, and Scott Thomson). He also played the role of Kore in the cult 1981 science fiction/horror B-movie ''Galaxy of Terror'', which starred [[Edward Laurence Albert]] and co-starred [[Jack Blessing]] and [[Sid Haig]]. In 1988 he appeared in another B-movie project, ''Saturday the 14th Strikes Back'', which also featured [[Joseph Ruskin]] and [[Michael Berryman]].

In addition, Walston guest-starred in such television series as ''Hart to Hart'' (with [[Dean Stockwell]]), ''Fantasy Island'' (starring [[Ricardo Montalban]]), ''Gimme a Break!'' (starring [[John Hoyt]]), ''Newhart'' (with [[Tony Papenfuss]]), ''Night Court'' (as Judge Martin A. Landis, a wordplay on "Martian has landed," again working with Vincent Schiavelli, as well as [[John Larroquette]] and [[Biff Yeager]]), ''St. Elsewhere'' (starring [[Ed Begley, Jr.]], [[Bruce Greenwood]], and [[Norman Lloyd]]), ''21 Jump Street'' (with [[Robert Hooks]] and [[Kurtwood Smith]]), and ''Murder, She Wrote'' (with [[Richard Beymer]], [[Lawrence Pressman]], and [[Jay Robinson]]). He also appeared in three episodes of ''Simon & Simon'', including one directed by [[Vincent McEveety]] and co-starring [[Logan Ramsey]]. 

In 1984, Walston made several appearances as Mr. Bottoms on the primetime soap opera ''Santa Barbara'', on which [[Judith Anderson]], [[Nicholas Coster]], and [[Louise Sorel]] were regulars. The following year, he was briefly a cast member on the comedy series ''Silver Spoons'', on which [[Franklyn Seales]] was a main cast member.

Walston may also be remembered for playing Matt in the 1986 TV special ''The Mouse and the Motorcycle'', based on the children's novels by Beverly Clearly. Walston reprised this role in two sequels, 1988's ''Runaway Ralph'' and 1991's ''Ralph S. Mouse''. The main character in these specials &ndash; a young boy who befriends a talking, motorcycle-riding mouse named Ralph &ndash; was played by fellow TNG guest actor [[Philip N. Waller]]. Walston's other television credits during the 1980s included the 1989 two-part mini-series ''I Know My First Name Is Steven'' (with [[Gregg Henry]], [[Barbara Tarbuck]], and [[John Vickery]]) and made-for-TV movies such as ''Amos'' (with [[James Sloyan]] and [[Don Keefer]]) and ''Crash Course'' (with [[Olivia d'Abo]]).