Edward Wass (born October 27, 1952) is an American television director and former actor. He is best known for his roles as Danny Dallas on the series ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' (1977–1981) and as Nick Russo on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

sitcom ''

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

'' (1991–1995). After ''Blossom'' ended its run in 1995, Wass retired from acting and focused only on directing episodic television series, such as ''

Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor's ...

'', ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', ''

Less than Perfect ''Less than Perfect'' is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 20, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television netw ...

'' and ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cumm ...

''. Wass returned to acting when he reunited with

Mayim Bialik Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...

and played her father again on Bialik's ''

Call Me Kat ''Call Me Kat'' is an American television sitcom largely based on the British sitcom '' Miranda'' by Miranda Hart. The series is written by Darlene Hunt and stars Mayim Bialik in the title role, with Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, Julian Gant, L ...

'' in 2022.

Early life and education

Wass was born in

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Greater Clevelan ...

(just west of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

). He was raised in

Glen Ellyn, Illinois Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...

, bout__west_of_Chicago.html" ;"title="Chicago.html" ;"title="bout west of Chicago">bout west of Chicago">Chicago.html" ;"title="bout west of Chicago">bout west of Chicagoand graduated from Glenbard West High School there in 1970. He attended The Theatre School at DePaul University, Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University). Wass trained as an opera singer and was also involved in rock and roll as a lead singer and guitarist.

Career

Acting

In 1976, Wass made his

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 ...

debut in the original Broadway production of '' Grease'', playing Danny Zuko. He made his television debut as Danny Dallas on ''

'' opposite stage veteran

Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as ...

from 1977 to 1981, filming 101 episodes. He appeared on Broadway with his ''Soap'' co-star

Diana Canova Diana Canova (born June 1, 1953) is an American actress, director, and professor. She is best known for her role as Corinne Tate on ''Soap'' (1977-1980). Early life Canova was born Diane Canova Rivero in West Palm Beach, Florida, to actress an ...

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's ''

They're Playing Our Song ''They're Playing Our Song'' is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch. In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat ...

''. Wass starred in ''

Curse of the Pink Panther ''Curse of the Pink Panther'' is a 1983 comedy film and a continuation of ''The Pink Panther'' series of films created by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s. The film was one of two produced concurrently following the death of the series' star Pet ...

'' (1983), one of the post-

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

films in the franchise, as Detective Sergeant Clifton Sleigh, engaged by Police Chief Dreyfus to track down

Inspector Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical ''The Pink Panther'' series. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in the ...

. He played struggling musician Bobby Shelton (who trades his soul — and his family — to become an ill-fated rock star "Billy Wayne") in the black comedy film ''

Oh, God! You Devil ''Oh, God! You Devil'' is a 1984 American comedy film starring George Burns, Ted Wass, Ron Silver and Roxanne Hart. Directed by Paul Bogart and produced by Robert M. Sherman, the screenplay is by Andrew Bergman. ''Oh, God! You Devil'' is the third ...

'' (1984). He played a sports journalist caught up in a murder in female-

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

film '' Sheena'' (1984), which received five nominations in the

Razzie Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

. In 1986, he starred in the TV movie ''Triplecross'', directed by David Greene, in which he,

Markie Post Marky or Markie may refer to: Nickname * Marky Cielo (1988–2008), Filipino actor and dancer * Marky Delgado (born 1995), American soccer player * Markie Mark (born 1974), BBC Radio director * Marky Markowitz (1923–1986), American jazz trumpete ...

, and

Gary Swanson Gary Swanson (born September 1, 1948) is an American film and television actor. Early life Born in Queens, New York, Swanson graduated from Long Island University (then C.W. Post College), in Long Island, New York, with a bachelor's degree in E ...

are cops who receive a huge sum of money from a kidnap victim and become private detectives, competing against each other to solve cases. This was intended as a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

but the series was never picked up. His last acting role was among his most prominent, playing the title character's father in ''

'' (1991–1995), a sitcom about a teenage girl with two brothers being brought up by their single father.

Directing

Wass began directing while acting on the TV sitcom ''Blossom''. He has directed episodes of over 40 TV series along with many TV movies.

Personal life

Wass' first wife was actress

Janet Margolin Janet Natalie Margolin (July 25, 1943 – December 17, 1993) was an American theater, television and film actress. Early life Margolin was born in New York City, the daughter of Benjamin and Annette (née Lief) Margolin. Her father was a Russi ...

, who died in December 1993 at age 50 from

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

. Their two children are Julian (a composer) and Matilda. He has two grandchildren from Julian's marriage to director Jenee Lamarque. His second wife is producer Nina Wass, whom he married in 1996. Together they have a daughter named Stella.

Actor filmography

Director filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wass, Ted 1952 births Living people 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Illinois Male actors from Ohio American male film actors American male television actors American television directors DePaul University alumni People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois People from Lakewood, Ohio American people of Hungarian descent