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John Pleshette

Cousin of actress Suzanne Pleshette, John Pleshette began acting in the 1960s in character roles on television series such as "The Patty Duke Show" and "Coronet Blue." He spent the majority of his acting career in the 1970s as a bit player on TV shows and films. He made appearances in "Kojak" and the film "Rocky II" before earning his first starring role in the made-for-TV movie "The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald"; what helped Pleshette land the role of Oswald was his striking resemblance to President Kennedy's assassin. Piggybacking the successful run of roles in the late 1970s, he then landed a part as an original cast member on the long-running drama series "Knots Landing" in 1979. He played Richard Avery from 1979 to 1987, while making appearances in more made-for-TV movies like "Welcome Home, Bobby," "Stormin' Home," and "Malice in Wonderland." Pleshette continued to act into the 1990s although his most notable role was that of Avery. He returned to more character parts on television series such as "Civil Wars," "Murder One," and "ER," before being called upon by director Peter Weir to play one of the network executives involved in "The Truman Show"; it was perhaps the largest, most critically acclaimed film that Pleshette would be a part of. Similar character roles followed in the 2000s as he earned bit parts in more made-for-TV movies like "James Dean" and "Helter Skelter" along with guest starring in series such as "The Nine" and "Eli Stone."