George William Bailey (born August 27, 1944) is an American actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. Th ...

'' (TV series 1979–1983); Lieutenant/Captain Thaddeus Harris in the ''

Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...

'' films (1984–1994), and Captain Felix Maxwell in ''

Mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. P ...

'' (1987). He played the role of Detective Lieutenant

Louie Provenza Detective Lieutenant II Louie Provenza is a fictional character from TNT's television crime drama franchise ''The Closer''/'' Major Crimes.'' He appeared on all seven seasons of ''The Closer'' and all six seasons of ''Major Crimes''. The charac ...

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

's television crime drama ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'', and its spinoff series '' Major Crimes'', from 2005 to 2018.

Biography

Bailey was born in Port Arthur, Texas. He went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur with Janis Joplin and Jimmy Johnson. He started college at

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2021, t ...

in nearby

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

and transferred to

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

. Bailey left college and spent the mid-1960s working at local theater companies before moving to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the mid-1970s. He broke into television with a small recurring role as a crime scene police officer on the short-lived detective show ''

Harry O ''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American Detective fiction, private detective series that aired for two seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was exec ...

''. He then landed one-shot episodic roles on

television programs A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...

of the day such as '' Starsky and Hutch'' and '' Charlie's Angels''. His film debut was in ''

A Force of One ''A Force of One'' is a 1979 American action martial arts film starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Ron O'Neal, Clu Gulager and Bill Wallace. The film was directed by Paul Aaron and written by Pat E. Johnson and Ernest Tidyman and released b ...

'' (1979), an early

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts champions ...

film. By the late 1970s, he got his breakout role as the conniving, cigar-chomping goldbricker Sgt. Luther Rizzo in ''

''. He also appeared as

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing Jake ...

's sidekick in ''

Rustler's Rhapsody ''Rustlers' Rhapsody'' is a 1985 American comedy–Western film. It is a parody of many Western conventions, most visibly of the singing cowboy films that were prominent in the 1930s and the 1940s. The film was written and directed by Hugh Wils ...

'' (1985). He returned to college in 1993, and graduated from

Southwest Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

, now Texas State, in San Marcos, Texas in May 1993, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts,

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. For the 1999–2000 school year, he was the Artist-in-Residence."G.W. Bailey Biography."
''IMDb''. Retrieved June 26, 2016 In the late 1990s, he starred in three of the seventeen television films and miniseries in the '' Bible Collection'' series produced for the

television network, '' Solomon'' (1997), ''

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

'' (1999), and ''Paul'' (2000). Since 2001, Bailey has served as the Executive Director of the

Sunshine Kids Foundation The Sunshine Kids Foundation is a non-profit organization established in Houston, Texas in 1982 that provides a variety of free programs and events for children who are receiving cancer treatments in hospitals across the United States and North Am ...

, which provides trips and activities for hundreds of young cancer patients annually. He first volunteered with the organization after his goddaughter was diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

Filmography (film and TV)

* '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976, S1 E10: "Consenting Adults") - Mumford * '' How The West Was Won'' (1977, S1 E2: "Erika") - Ivie * ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'' (1978, TV Series) - Drunk Driver * '' Starsky & Hutch'' (1976-1978) - Hotel Clerk / Slade * ''

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 ...

'' (1978, TV Series) - The Hobo * '' Laverne & Shirley'' (1979, S4 E23: "There's a Spy in My Beer") - Rocko * ''

'' (1979) - Erwin * ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...

'' (1979) - Water Man / Arlo Karp * ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...

'' (1979, S7 E9: "Joanie Busts Out") - Jack Whitman * ''

The French Atlantic Affair ''The French Atlantic Affair'' is a novel by Ernest Lehman which was published in 1977. A 3-part TV miniseries based on the book was produced and broadcast in 1979. Plot A luxury ocean liner, the SS ''Marseilles'' of the French Atlantic Line, is h ...

'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) - Jake (uncredited) * '' Angie'' (1979, S2 E11: "Mary, Mary Marries") * ''

Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom * Benson, Oxfordshire ...

'' (1979–1980) - Bartender / Gus * '' Palmerstown, U.S.A.'' (1980, S1 E5: "The Black Travelers: II") * '' Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story'' (1980, TV Series) - Holfeld * '' Flo'' (1980–1981) - Lonnie Castleberry / Bull * ''

Murder in Texas ''Murder in Texas'' is a 1981 television film starring Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, Farrah Fawcett, and Andy Griffith. The film was directed by William Hale, and was based on a true story; that was written for the TV screen by John McGreevey. ...

'' (1981, TV film) - Richard 'Racehorse' Haynes * '' Bitter Harvest'' (1981, TV film) - Lazlo * ''Fog'' (1981, TV film) - Mr. Carrion * ''Hardcase'' (1981, TV film) - Paul Morgan * '' The Capture of Grizzly Adams'' (1982, TV film) - Tom Quigley * ''

'' (1979–1983, TV Series) - Sergeant Luther Rizzo / The G.I. * '' St. Elsewhere'' (1982-1983, TV Series) - Dr. Hugh Beale * '' Murder, She Wrote'' (1984) - Lt. Thibodeau * ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'' (1984) - Police Chief Don Potter / Dr. Kyle Stepney - Surgery * ''

'' (1984) - Lt. Thaddeus Harris * ''Earthlings'' (1984, TV Series) - Bobo * '' Runaway'' (1984) - Chief * '' Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment'' (1985) - Wedding Guest (uncredited) * '' Rustlers' Rhapsody'' (1985) - Peter * ''

Warning Sign A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver. While warning traffi ...

'' (1985) - Tom Schmidt * ''

Short Circuit A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circui ...

'' (1986) - Captain Skroeder * ''

'' (1987) - Felix * ''

Burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murd ...

'' (1987) - Ray Kirschman * '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' (1987) - Capt. Thaddeus Harris * ''Hawaiian Dream'' (1987) - Captain Pierce * '' Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach'' (1988) - Capt. Thaddeus Harris * ''

War and Remembrance ''War and Remembrance'' is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in October 1978 as the sequel to Wouk's '' The Winds of War'' (1971). ''The Winds of War'' covers the period 1939 to 1941, and ''War and Remembrance'' continues the story of the extende ...

'' (1988, TV Series) - Cmdr. Jim Grigg * '' Police Academy 6: City Under Siege'' (1989) - Capt. Thaddeus Harris * '' The Gifted One'' (1989, TV film) - Dr. Winslow * ''Love and Lies'' (1990, TV film) - Sgt. Halsey * '' Q&A'' (1990) - Bartender (uncredited) * '' Doublecrossed'' (1991) - Camp * '' Under Cover'' (1991, TV Series) - Director Waugh * ''Write to Kill'' (1991) - Dean Sutton * ''A Mother's Justice'' (1991, TV film) - Joe Comminger * ''Before the Storm'' (1991, TV film) - Director Waugh * ''

Bed of Lies "Bed of Lies" is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj, taken from her third studio album, ''The Pinkprint'' (2014). The song was first premiered at the 2014 MTV EMAs in Glasgow, Scotland and was later released on November ...

'' (1992, TV film) - Zeke Zbranek * '' Dinosaurs'' (1992, S2 E20: "Nuts to War: Part 2") - Sarge
An American Story - The Battle of Athens
(1992, TV film) - Tom Cantrell * '' Dead Before Dawn'' (1993, TV film) - Masterson * ''No Child of Mine'' (1993, TV film) - Lamar Jenkins * '' Police Academy: Mission to Moscow'' (1994) - Capt. Thaddeus Harris * ''

The Siege at Ruby Ridge ''The Siege at Ruby Ridge'' is a 1996 drama television film directed by Roger Young and written by Lionel Chetwynd about the confrontation between the family of Randy Weaver and the US federal government at Ruby Ridge in 1992. It was based on t ...

'' (1996, TV film) - Ralph Coulter * ''Seduction in a Small Town'' (1997, TV film) - Pat Carter * ''

The Jeff Foxworthy Show ''The Jeff Foxworthy Show'' is an American sitcom television series created by Tom Anderson, starring comedian Jeff Foxworthy and based on Foxworthy's stand-up comedy routine. It originally aired from September 12, 1995 to May 5, 1997 on ABC (s ...

'' (1996–1997, Series) - Big Jim Foxworthy * '' Solomon'' (1997) - Azarel * ''

'' (1999) - Livio * ''Brothers. Dogs. And God.'' (2000) - Luther Graham * ''St. Paul'' (2000) -Barnabas * '' The. Thin. Blue. Lie. '' (2000) - K.C. * '' Scorcher'' (2002) - General Timothy Moore * ''

Home on the Range "Home on the Range" is a classic cowboy song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Home" in 1872 or 1873 ...

'' (2004) - Rusty, the Dog (voice) * ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

'' (2005) - Wesley Kringle * ''

'' (2005–2012, TV Series) - Lt. Louie Provenza * '' Cake: A Wedding Story'' (2007) - Howard Canter * ''Left Turn Yield'' (2007) - Man at Crosswalk with Dog * ''Johnny's Gone'' (2011) - Chet * ''

The Newest Pledge ''The Newest Pledge'' is a 2012 comedy film written and directed by Jason Michael Brescia. The film is about the hard-partying Omega fraternity and their struggles to raise a baby that they find on their doorstep. The film was released in North Ame ...

'' (2012) - Mr. Hodgkinson * ''

Cupcake Wars ''Cupcake Wars'' is an American reality competition series that premiered on December 27, 2009, on cable television network Food Network. The show, which is based on creating unique and professional-style cupcakes, was hosted by Justin Willman a ...

Guest Judge'' (2012) * ''I Am Death'' (2013) - The Killer * ''Highly Functional'' (2017) - Dan * '' Major Crimes'' (2012–2018, TV Series) - Lt. Louie Provenza * ''Til Life Do Us Part'' (2020, short film) - Barnaby Barnes * '' Stargirl'' (2022, 1 episode) - Mr. Dugan

References

External links

* *
The Sunshine Kids

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, G.W. 1944 births Male actors from Texas American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Living people People from Port Arthur, Texas Lamar University alumni Texas Tech University alumni Texas State University alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors