''Penalty Phase'' is a 1986 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

thriller

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film ''Tom Jones''. Early ...

and starring

Peter Strauss Peter Lawrence Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Early life Strauss was born in C ...

Plot

Supreme court judge, Kenneth Hoffman (Peter Strauss) oversees a high-profile murder trial which appears to be an open-and-shut case. The murderer has confessed and Prosecutor Susan Jansen (Jonelle Allen) is direct and hard hitting, and the jury has delivered a guilty verdict. However, Judge Hoffman discovers that the evidence was not legally obtained, and for him to reject it and the trial outcome may have consequences for his career.

Cast

as Judge Kenneth Hoffman *

Jonelle Allen Jonelle Allen (born July 18, 1944) is an American actress, singer, and dancer from Harlem, New York, United States. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s, Allen has co-starred in films, Broadway productions, and television. In 19 ...

as Susan Jansen * Karen Austin as Julie *

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1963) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous co ...

as Leah Furman *

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actor, who in his six decades of television is known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

as Judge Donald Faulkner *

Jane Badler Jane Badler (born December 31, 1953) is an American-Australian actress and singer. She is known for her role as Diana, the main antagonist in NBC's science fiction series '' V'' between 1983 and 1985. Badler also appeared in ABC's version of '' ...

as Katie Pinter * John Harkins as Mr. Hunter *

Millie Perkins Millie Perkins (born May 12, 1938) is an American film and television actress known for her debut film role as Anne Frank in ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959), and for her supporting actress roles in two 1966 Westerns, '' The Shooting'' and '' ...

as Nancy Faulkner * Richard Bright as Judge Von Karman *

Richard Chaves __NOTOC__ Richard John Chaves is an American character actor. Biography Career Chaves helped write the critically acclaimed stage drama ''Tracers''. In the early 1980s, he began work as an actor taking on various soap opera roles until he gai ...

as Nolan Esherman *

Rossie Harris Richard R. Harris (born March 13, 1969), better known by his nickname, Ross Harris, is an American actor, artist, and musician. Biography Acting career Born in Ventura, California, Harris began acting at age six. He appeared in over 100 comm ...

as Zach Hoffman *

Art LaFleur Art LaFleur (September 9, 1943 – November 17, 2021) was an American character actor and acting coach. Life and career LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charl ...

as Pete Pavlovich

References

External links

* 1986 television films 1986 films American thriller films CBS network films Films directed by Tony Richardson New World Pictures films 1986 thriller films American thriller television films American drama television films 1980s American films {{US-tv-thriller-film-stub