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Tracey Walter (born 25 November 1947; age 76) is the actor who played Kayron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season episode "The Last Outpost" and Berik in the sixth season episode "Rascals". Footage from his first appearance was also used in the second season episode "Shades of Gray".

Film career[]

Walter made his acting and film debut in the 1971 comedy Ginger (with fellow Next Generation guest star Shelly Desai). This was followed by a role in Badge 373 (1973, with Henry Darrow and Robert Miano). That same year, Walter's next role was in Serpico (with F. Murray Abraham and Albert Henderson). Walter then appeared in Annie Hall (1977, with John Glover and Carol Kane). Walter followed the same year in his first telefilm role, Mad Bull (with Walker Edmiston). Walter joined Michael Berryman and Earl Boen in The Fifth Floor (1978). In 1978, Walter worked in a pair of films with Ed Begley, Jr. First was Blue Collar (with Cliff DeYoung), and next was Goin' South (with Christopher Lloyd).

Walter appeared in The Hunter (1980, with LeVar Burton and Nicolas Coster), The Octagon (with Brian Tochi) and High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (with Michael Pataki). In 1981, Walter acted in The Hand (with Bruce McGill). In 1982 Walter was in Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (with Ed Lauter). Next the same year was the film Honkytonk Man (co-starring Jerry Hardin). 1983 found Walter appearing in his first short film The Horse Dealer's Daughter (with Philip Anglim). Walter then worked in Repo Man (1984, with Angelique Pettyjohn and Biff Yeager). Also that year was Conan the Destroyer (with Jeff Corey).

In 1986, Walter appeared in At Close Range where Walter first worked with his fellow "The Last Outpost" guest star Jake Dengel, followed by the comedy Something Wild (with Charles Napier). In 1987, Walter first worked in Timestalkers (with James Avery and Tim Russ) and reappearing with Philip Anglim in Malone. In 1988, Walter appeared in Midnight Run (with Tom McCleister) and Married to the Mob (again with Charles Napier, as well as Dean Stockwell). He also appeared in Mortuary Academy (1988, with Anthony James, Paul Capp, and Doug Coleman). In 1989 Walter was in Under the Boardwalk (with Paul Carr, Wallace Langham, and Dick Miller) and finally Homer and Eddie (alongside Tony Epper, Whoopi Goldberg, Wayne Grace, Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr., Nancy Parsons, Vincent Schiavelli, and Jimmie F. Skaggs).

A personal friend of actor Jack Nicholson, Walter appeared – in his most memorable cinematic role – as "Bob the Goon", the henchman of Nicholson's villainous Joker in 1989's Batman. A year later, Nicholson cast him in his directorial debut The Two Jakes, which also featured Perry Lopez in the cast.

Walter began the 1990s with Young Guns II (1990, with fellow Next Generation guest stars Robert Knepper and Leon Rippy and film stars Alan Ruck and Christian Slater). Walter's other role reunited him with Jerry Hardin when Walter won a role in Pacific Heights (also starring Hal Landon, Jr.). Walter's next small-screen film was Not of This World (1991, with Timothy Davis-Reed and Cary-Hiroyuki). During that year, Walter and Napier reunited again in The Silence of the Lambs (co-starring Dan Butler). Walter's next 1991 film Delusion also featured Robert Costanzo, Angelina Fiordellisi, Jim Metzler, and Barbara Alyn Woods. Walter joined Costanzo in City Slickers (with David Paymer, Noble Willingham and Robert Costanzo).

His first work in 1993 was the crime-caper Public Enemy No. 2 (with Clint Howard and Tom Virtue). Next came Amos & Andrew (co-starring Brad Dourif and Jordan Lund), followed by the telefilm Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90s (with Kenneth Mars). Walter also joined Charles Napier for the fourth time on film in Philadelphia (1993).

1994 saw Walter working on Mona Must Die (with Dick Miller). In the straight-to-video The Companion, Walter reunited with Earl Boen in addition to working with Bruce Greenwood. Walter's last film that year was Junior (with Alexander Enberg, Stefan Gierasch, Frank Langella, and Lawrence Tierney).

Walter got 1995 started appearing in the telefilm, Kidnapped: In the Line of Duty (with Carole Davis). In the martial-arts drama Fist of the North Star Walter rejoined Clint Howard on film. Accompanying Howard and Walter were Susan French and Malcolm McDowell.

In 1996, Walter was among a major concentration of Trek alumni when he was cast as a NASA technician in Independence Day. In this film, Walter reunited with Next Generation star Brent Spiner. Other Trek actors in the film were Erick Avari, Anthony Crivello, Jana Marie Hupp, Tim Kelleher, Carlos LaCamara, Randy Oglesby, Leland Orser, Robert Pine, Raphael Sbarge, Bill Smitrovich, and Frank Welker. Walter was next seen in the comedy Larger Then Life (with Christopher Darga and Harve Presnell). Walter followed this with the period film Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (with Geoffrey Blake and Brian Keith). Walter rounded out the year with Amanda (with Alice Krige).

In 1997 Walter worked again with Bruce Greenwood in another telefilm, Tell Me No Secrets (with Irene Tsu). Another telefilm followed, The Inheritance (with Brigid Brannagh and Cari Shayne). Walter was then cast in the road movie Drive (with Christopher Michael and John Pyper-Ferguson). Next Walter appeared in the hit film Kiss the Girls, based upon the James Patterson novel and costarring Brian Brophy, Larry Cedar, and the film's primary female lead Ashley Judd. Finally that year was the crime film Playing God (with Pasha Lychnikoff and Keone Young).

In 1998, Walter was seen in Desperate Measures (with Dennis Cockrum, Richard Riehle, and Michael Shamus Wiles), Beloved (with Jude Ciccolella, Albert Hall, and Charles Napier), and Mighty Joe Young (with Geoffrey Blake, Richard Riehle, Lily Mariye, Richard McGonagle, Scarlett Pomers, and Lawrence Pressman). The only film work Walter received in 1999 was the biopic Man on the Moon about the life of actor Andy Kaufman. The film contained Kaufman's Taxi costar Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane as well as past costar Vincent Schiavelli.

His first film in 2000 was Erin Brockovich with Scarlett Pomers, Michael Harney, Randy Lowell, William Lucking, and Wade Andrew Williams. Next that year was Blast (again with Ed Lauter).

In 2001, Walter reunited with Carole Davis and Cari Shayne in the comedy Jack the Dog. Following this comedy, Walter switched to drama appearing in The Man From Elysian Fields (with Next Generation co-star Rosalind Chao and Sherman Howard). That year Walter rejoined Chao in the sci-fi drama Impostor (along with Golden Brooks, Brian Brophy, Maury Sterling, and Clarence Williams III). Walter concluded the year in How High (with Lark Voorhies).

Beginning in 2002, Walter found himself working once again with Michael Dorn in Face Value. Walter's next project with Vincent Schiavelli was the comedy Death to Smoochy which also had in the cast Louis Giambalvo. Walter's last film that year was the biopic Ted Bundy (with Michael Reilly Burke and Julianna McCarthy).

Early in 2003, Walter rejoined Carole Davis in the drama Manhood. Another reunion took place when Walter worked with Louis Giambalvo again in Duplex, with Jenette Goldstein, Michelle Krusiec, and Wallace Shawn. Walter rejoined Richard Riehle that year in the telefilm Monster Makers. In 2004 Walter appeared in The Manchurian Candidate (co-starring Jude Ciccolella, Charles Napier, Dean Stockwell, and Miguel Ferrer). Walter went from that drama to the telefilm comedy Family Plan (with Kate Vernon). Next Walter lent his voice to the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof (2005, with Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.). The only work in 2006 connecting Walter to another Trek actor was The Year Without a Santa Claus (with Michael McKean). 2007 was more connected starting with Man in the Chair (opposite Ellen Geer, George Murdock, and Christopher Plummer), Noble Son (with Kirk Baily), The Death & Life of Bobby Z (with Keith Carradine), and finally that year Walter rejoined Richard Riehle in Wasting Away (with Colby French). 2008 saw Walter in Just Add Water (with Tracy Middendorf), and Dark Reel (with Tony Todd). Walter concluded the decade reuniting with Bruce McGill in The Perfect Game (2009, with fellow Next Generation guest actor John Cothran, Jr.

Walter's work in the 2010s included rejoining Larry Ceder twice, first in Midnight Son and Alyce (with Megan Gallagher) for 2011.

Television guest work[]

Walter's first work on a television series was Starsky & Hutch (starring David Soul) (1978, with René Auberjonois), then on WKRP in Cincinnati (with Vincent Schiavelli). A year later, Walter was on Vegas (with David Huddleston). He was on the sitcom Taxi starring Christopher Lloyd as a panhandler in "A Grand Gesture" (1983) with Schiavelli as well. Walter was next on Hunter (1984, with James Whitmore, Jr.), then on Amazing Stories in "The Wedding Ring" (1985). Next for Walter was Airwolf (1986, alongside Lance LeGault, Ken Olandt, and Gregory Sierra).

Walter appeared on Alien Nation (starring Ron Fassler, Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, and Michele Scarabelli) (1989, with Charley Lang and Gwynyth Walsh). That same year he had a guest role on the short-lived Nasty Boys (starring Jim Beaver) in "Desert Run" (with Michael J. Pollard), followed by the sitcom Get a Life in "Terror on the Hell Loop 2000" (with Michael G. Hagerty and Graham Jarvis). In 1991, Walter was first seen on Monsters (starring Dennis Christopher) in "Hostile Takeover", She-Wolf of London in "Bride of the Wolfman" (with Tony Amendola and Dan Gilvezan), and Pacific Station (starring John Hancock and Richard Libertini). 1992 had Walter rejoining Tom McLeister on Wings (starring Steven Weber). In 1993, Walter was in The Mommies and then Melrose Place (joining Michael Ensign, Brian George, and Biff Yeager). 1994 was less active as Walter was only on L.A. Law (starring Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake). With Walter were Dion Anderson, Joanna Cassidy, past costar Jordan Lund, Carolyn Seymour, and Kate Vernon. Walter did not work this way until 1998 when was seen on Brimstone (starring John Glover and Lori Petty) with Geoffrey Blake, Albert Hall, and Scott Lawrence) and L.A. Doctors (with Jeff Allin).

In 2002, Walter appeared on The Division (starring James Avery) with Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Boomtown (starring Neal McDonough) (with April Grace and Tommy Hinkley). On Reno 911, Walter guested in "Department Investigation" (2004, with Lisa LoCicero). Much later in 2007 Walter had a guest role on Raines (starring Linda Park). Walter then rejoined Geoffrey Blake on Monk (2008). Walter repeated the once a year work on Cold Case (co-produced by Roxann Dawson) (2009) and Medium (2010, executive produced by Kelsey Grammer).

Recurring and lead roles[]

Walter's first lead role was as Frog Rothchild, Jr. on the short-lived western series Best of the West, which only ran a single season from 1981 to 1982. Christopher Lloyd was in the series premiere, "The Calico Kid Returns" (1981) as the title role and "The Calico Kid Goes to School" (1982), "They're Hanging Parker Tillman" (1981, with Jonathan Banks), "Frog's First Gunfight" (with Barbara Babcock), and "The Pretty Prisoner" (1982, with Ted Gehring).

Following the cancellation, Walter guested on Filthy Rich as Alvin Esary starring Walter's Honkytonk Man costar Jerry Hardin in "Take This Job & Love It" (1982) and "The Country Club" (1983). Then Walter played Sammy Laporter on Hill Street Blues (starring Barbara Bosson and James B. Sikking) in "The Shooter" (1982, with George Murdock, Ben Slack, and Morgan Woodward) and "Here's Adventure, Here's Romance" (1983, with Lawrence Pressman, Howard Shangraw, George D. Wallace, and Keone Young). Walter's next recurring role was as Wishonsky on The Bronx Zoo. His episodes "Truancy Blues" (directed by Paul Lynch and featuring Stan Ivar, Vincent Schiavelli, and Kenneth Tigar), "Ties That Bind" (with Pamela Adlon), and "The Gospel Truth" (with Frank Collison and Benito Martinez) all aired in 1988. Walter then ended the '80s and began the '90s as Eugene Moss on Freddy's Nightmares (starring Mary Crosby), first in "Lucky Stiff" (with fellow Ferengi performer David L. Lander), and then with Crosby alone in "Easy Come, Easy Go" (1989 and 1990, respectively).

In the '90s outright, Walter won a role as Blinky Watts in the mini-series On the Air (1992, with Miguel Ferrer, Mel Johnson, Jr., David Lander, and Richard Riehle). In 1993, Walter worked with Mary Crosby's niece Denise Crosby on the comedy-western The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. as the man with the rhyming first and last names Phil Swill in "No Man's Land" (with Judson Scott) and "Mail Order Brides" (with Jeremy Roberts).

Nash Bridges[]

Starting in 1996, Walter played his most recognized television role, that of Peter Spellman (primarily known as Angel) on the San Francisco-set crime-comedy series Nash Bridges. Angel acted as such on the behalf of the title character played by Don Johnson. Walter began this role in the show's second season episode "Hit Parade" (with Robin Sachs) and "25 Hours of Christmas" (with Cristine Rose, in addition to Mary Mara, who was a lead on the show at the time). The fourth season in 1998 saw Walter appearing in "Firestorm" (with Daniel Roebuck and Sean Whalen). Walter appeared in 2000's fifth season finale "Jackpot" (with Stephen Lee and Tzi Ma). In the sixth and final season, Cress Williams joined the lead cast. With Williams, Walter appeared in "Land Pirates" (also in 2000, with Michael Bailey Smith) and in 2001, "Blood Bots" (with Caroline Lagerfelt and Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.) and "Quack Fever" (with Williams alone).

Walter's signature episode was the fourth season "Angel of Mercy" (1999, appearing with Edward Laurence Albert), as the episode covered his character's back-story and discovery of a long-lost brother.

External links[]

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