Peter Lawrence Strauss is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is an Emmy winner and five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee.
Early life
Strauss was born in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, the son of Warren B. Strauss, a German-born wine importer. His family is Jewish.
Career
He won an Emmy Award for his role on the 1979 made-for-television movie The Jericho Mile, and he starred in a television remake of the classic 1946 film Angel on My Shoulder in 1980. In 1985, he played Abel Roznovski in the miniseries Kane & Abel based on Jeffrey Archer's book. His other noted television miniseries credits include starring roles in Rich Man, Poor Man, its sequel Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, and Masada. Strauss played Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. in the 1977 TV movie Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy. In 1973, he portrayed Stephen Linder, Mary Richards' suave younger boyfriend in The Mary Tyler Moore Show fourth-season episode, "Angels in the Snow."
Strauss starred in the films Soldier Blue (1970) and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), and has appeared in several others. He portrayed Justin, the Rats of NIMH's captain of the guard, in 1982's The Secret of NIMH. Strauss starred as an abused husband in the television movie Men Don't Tell, alongside Judith Light. In 2005, he played the U.S. President in the thriller XXX: State of the Union alongside Ice Cube, Samuel L. Jackson, Scott Speedman and Willem Dafoe. He was the voice of Moses in the animated series K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments. He starred in the short-lived series Body & Soul as Dr. Isaac Braun in 2002. He provided the voice for Stoker Van Rotten in both the 1990s and 2006 versions of Biker Mice from Mars.
Personal life
Strauss married Beverly Baker Paulding in Croton-On-Hudson, New York, on January 21, 1973. and is on the advisory board of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. He sold a ranch property to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The ranch has since been acquired by the National Park Service as the Peter Strauss Ranch.
Filmography
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1970
|The Young Lawyers
|Stuart
|Episode: "The Two Dollar Thing"
|-
|1971–1975
|Medical Center
|Lloyd Halloran, Tom Desmond
|2 episodes
|-
|1972–1975
|The Streets of San Francisco
|Bobby Jepsen, Lou Kovic, Martin Novac
|3 episodes
|-
|1972
|Young Dr. Kildare
|Reverend Teller
|Episode: "By This Sign"
|-
|1973
|The Mary Tyler Moore Show
|Stephen
|Episode: "Angels in the Snow"
|-
|1973
|The Man Without a Country
|Arthur Danforth
|Television film
|-
|1974
|Barnaby Jones
|Clay Wakefield
|Episode: "The Last Contract"
|-
|1974
|Cannon
|Dave Nordorff, Reverend Will
|2 episodes
|-
|1974
|Judgement: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya – General Yamashita
|Lawyer
|Television film
|-
|1974
|Hawaii Five-O
|Tom Morgan
|Episode: "Death with Father"
|-
|1975
|Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan
|Ben Jacobs
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1976
|Rich Man, Poor Man
|Rudy Jordache
|Miniseries; 13 episodes
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
|-
|1976–1977
|Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
|Rudy Jordache
|26 episodes
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
|-
|1977
|Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy
|Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.
|Television film
|-
|1979
|The Jericho Mile
|Larry 'Rain' Murphy
|Television film
Won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
|-
|1980
|Angel on My Shoulder
|Eddie Kagel
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1981
|Masada
|Eleazar Ben Yair
|Miniseries; 4 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
|-
| rowspan="1" |1981
|A Whale for the Killing
|Charles Landon
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1983
|Heart of Steel
|Emory
|Television film
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1985
|Kane & Abel
|Abel Rosnovski
|Miniseries
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1985
|Tender Is the Night
|Dick Diver
|Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="1" |1986
|Penalty Phase
|Judge Kenneth Hoffman
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1986
|Under Siege
|John Garry
|Television film
|-
|1987
|Proud Men
|Charley MacLeod, Jr.
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1989
|Peter Gunn
|Peter Gunn
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1989
|Brotherhood of the Rose
|Saul Grisman
|Miniseries
|-
|1990
|83 Hours 'Til Dawn
|Wayne Stracton
|Television film
|-
|1991
|Flight of Black Angel
|Col. Matt Ryan, Callsign Ringleader
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1992
|Trial: The Price of Passion
|Warren Blackburn
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1992
|Fugitive Among Us
|Max Cole
|Television film
|-
|1993
|Men Don't Tell
|Ed MacAffrey
|Television film
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1994
|Reunion
|Sam Yates
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1994
|Batman: The Animated Series
|Steven Carlyle (voice)
|Episode: "House and Garden"
|-
| rowspan="1" |1994
|The Yearling
|Ezra 'Penny' Baxter
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1994
|Thicker Than Blood: The Larry McLinden Story
|Larry McLinden
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1995
|Texas Justice
|T. Cullen Davis
|Television film
|-
|1995
|Santo Bugito
|Greenbeard McMelville (voice)
|Episode: "My Name Is Revenge"
|}
References
- Demetria Fulton; preview of Peter Strauss in Barnaby Jones; episode “The Last Contract” (12/31/1974).