Peter Abraham Haskell (October 15, 1934 – April 12, 2010) was an American actor who worked primarily in television.

Early years

Haskell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Rose (née Golden) and geophysicist Norman Haskell. He attended Browne & Nichols and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Harvard University following a two-year stint in the United States Army where he rose to the rank of Private First Class.

Career

Haskell's plan to study at Columbia Law School was derailed when he was cast in the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

play ''The Love Nest'', with James Earl Jones and Sally Kirkland. The play closed after only 13 performances but led to his being cast in an episode of '' Death Valley Days''. Guest appearances followed on ''

The Outer Limits ''The Outer Limits'' or ''Outer Limits'' may refer to: Television * ''The Outer Limits'' (1963 TV series), a black-and-white science fiction series that aired from 1963 to 1965 * ''The Outer Limits'' (1995 TV series), a revival of the older series ...

'', '' Twelve O'Clock High'', '' Dr. Kildare'', '' Combat!'', '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', '' Ben Casey'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The F.B.I.'' '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour e ...

'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'', ''

Medical Center Medical center or medical centre may refer to: Medical care * A collection of medical services on the same site, such as the services of a general practitioner, pharmacist, pathology, radiology, dentist etc. * Clinic * Hospital * Academic medic ...

'', '' The Streets of San Francisco'', '' Barnaby Jones'', '' Cannon'', '' Vega$'', '' B. J. and the Bear'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'', '' The A-Team'', ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'', '' Matlock'', and '' Booker''. He was a regular on the soap operas '' Search for Tomorrow'' and ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...

'', and the primetime series ''

Bracken's World ''Bracken's World'' is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19, 1969, to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley. The Lettermen performed the second-season theme song "Worlds". ...

''. He had recurring roles in '' Garrison's Gorillas'' and '' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'', and was featured in TV movies, such as ''The Eyes of Charles Sand'' (1972), ''

The Phantom of Hollywood ''The Phantom of Hollywood'' is a 1974 American made-for-television horror thriller film and starring Skye Aubrey, Jack Cassidy, Jackie Coogan, Broderick Crawford, Peter Haskell John Ireland and Peter Lawford. It is notable for being one of the ...

'' (1974), '' The Night They Took Miss Beautiful'' (1977), '' Superdome'' (1978), ''Mandrake'' (1979) and '' The Cracker Factory'' (1979). His film appearances include the title role in '' The Legend of Earl Durand'' (1974), '' Riding the Edge'' (1989) and '' Robot Wars'' (1993), though he is best known for playing Mr. Sullivan, the CEO of Playpals Toys, in David Kirschner's '' Child's Play 2'' (1990) and '' Child's Play 3'' (1991). Other TV roles in the 1990s included '' Matlock'', '' Frasier'', '' Columbo: Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health'', '' JAG'', '' The Closer'', '' MacGyver'', '' Murder She Wrote'', and '' Cold Case''.

Personal life

Haskell was married to Annie Compton from 1960 until their 1974 divorce. In 1974, he married Dianne Tolmich. Haskell was an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

and a lifelong liberal Democrat.''An Interview With Peter Haskell'', Skip E. Lowe, 1991 His daughter Audra announced his death the day it occurred, but did not specify the cause. Upon his death, he was cremated.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haskell, Peter 1934 births 2010 deaths American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Harvard University alumni Male actors from Boston 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Buckingham Browne & Nichols School alumni California Democrats Massachusetts Democrats 20th-century American Episcopalians 21st-century American Episcopalians