Sam Freed (born August 29, 1948) is an American actor who has performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and television and in movies. His first major regular role on television was as Bob Barsky in the last three seasons of ''

Kate & Allie ''Kate & Allie'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced women, both with children, who decide to live together in the same house. ...

''. In the short-lived series ''

Ferris Bueller ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Gre ...

'', he played Bill Bueller, the father of the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

. He also portrayed James C. Whiting III, the

executive editor Executive (Exe (disambiguation), exe., Exec (disambiguation), exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (exec ...

of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'', in the fifth and final season of ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

''. He was married to late actress

Barrie Youngfellow Barrie Youngfellow Freed (born Barrie Sarah Rivchun; October 22, 1946 – March 28, 2022) was an American actress. She was the wife of stage and screen actor Sam Freed. Career Youngfellow began her career in the early 1970s in a small role in a ...

, who co-starred in the 1980s ABC-TV/syndicated sitcom series ''

It's a Living ''It's a Living'' (renamed for season two as ''Making a Living'') is an American sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from October 30, 1980, until June 11, 1982. A ...

''.

Formative years

Sam Freed was the youngest of six children of a traveling salesman father and a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

mother. He graduated from

York Suburban Senior High School York Suburban High School is a Middle-States accredited, comprehensive four-year high school with an enrollment of 850 students located in Spring Garden Township in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. History York Suburban opened its doors in Septe ...

and began developing his acting skills at the

York Little Theatre The Belmont Theatre, formerly York Little Theatre, is a community theater in York, Pennsylvania, founded on February 5, 1933, as part of the Little Theatre Movement. Early years The theatre initially borrowed space from the local Women's Club, t ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

in 1970. His first production at the university was ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

''. While he apprenticed with Festival Theatre, he first met

, whom he would eventually marry.

Acting career

Freed was immediately hired after graduation by

Jon Jory Jon Jory is a theatrical director instrumental in the development of Actors Theatre of Louisville; he is also widely rumored to be the writer behind the pseudonym Jane Martin. Childhood Jory is a child of Hollywood character actors as his father ...

at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. After moving to New York City in January 1971, he performed in

dinner Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite, ...

and summer theatres and helped build

theatrical scenery Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a theatrical production. Scenery may be just about anything, from a single chair to an elaborately re-created street, no matter how large or how small, whether the item was custom-made or ...

. Later that year, he joined The Proposition, an

improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

revue which at the time also featured

Jane Curtin Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for ...

''Kate and Allie''

Freed played three different characters on ''

'', two of them as a

guest star In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

. In "Candidate," Season 2's fifth episode which originally aired on November 5, 1984, he was Jonathan Conti, a political contender who entered into a brief extramarital relationship with Allie Lowell (

). In "Late Bloomer," the Season 3 finale first shown on May 12, 1986, he was Keith, the ex-husband of Julia Peterson (

Lindsay Wagner Lindsay Jean Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American film and television actress, model, author, singer, and acting coach. Wagner is best known for her leading role in the American science-fiction television series '' The Bionic Woman'' (197 ...

). The episode, which also featured

Barbara Barrie Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress and author. Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film ''One Potato, Two Potato'', for which she won the Best Actress Awar ...

Roger Bowen Roger Wendell Bowen (May 25, 1932 – February 16, 1996) was an American comedic actor and novelist, best known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film ''M*A*S*H''. Bowen considered himself a writer who only moonlighted as an ...

and Mercedes Ruehl, was originally intended to be a spin-off for a new sitcom with the same name, but it was never realized. Freed's debut as Bob Barsky, a retired professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player working as a local television sportscaster, was in "Dates of Future Past," the twelfth installment of Season 4 from December 15, 1986. Barsky's first encounter with Allie in a

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

was the start of a

romantic relationship Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encycl ...

that culminated in their marriage early in the program's sixth and final season. By that time, Freed had become a series regular.

References

External links

*
Sam Freed at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (lortel.org)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freed, Sam 1948 births Living people American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Pennsylvania Penn State College of Arts and Architecture alumni People from York, Pennsylvania