Starred:
|
as Dr. Donald Westphall
(seasons 1-6,
recurring season 6)
|
as Dr. Mark Craig
(seasons 1-6)
|
as Dr. Daniel Auschlander
(seasons 1-6,
featured season 1)
|
|
|
as Dr. Ben Samuels
(season 1)
|
as Dr. John Gideon
(season 6)
|
||
|
|||
 as Dr. Hugh Beale (season 1) |
 as Ellen Craig (seasons 1-6, starring seasons 5-6) |
 as Dr. Victor Ehrlich (seasons 1-6) |
 as Nurse Shirley Daniels (seasons 1-3, featured season 1) |
 as Dr. Elliott Axelrod (seasons 2-6, featured season 2) |
 as Dr. Seth Griffin (seasons 5-6) |
 as Dr. Bobby Caldwell (seasons 2-4) |
 as Dr. Peter White (seasons 1-3) |
 as Luther Hawkins (seasons 1-6, featured season 1) |
 as Dr. Jacqueline Wade (seasons 1-6, starring season 6) |
 as Dr. Wayne Fiscus (seasons 1-6) |
 as Dr. Wendy Armstrong (seasons 1-2, featured season 1) |
 as Dr. Jack Morrison (seasons 1-6) |
 (seasons 5-6, starring season 6) |
 as Nurse Helen Rosenthal (seasons 1-6) |
 as Dr. Carol Novino (seasons 4-6, featured season 4) |
 as Dr. Vijay Kochar (seasons 1-6, recurring seasons 3-6) |
 as Nurse Lucy Papandrao (seasons 1-6, starring season 6) |
Cynthia Sikesas Dr. Annie Cavanero (seasons 1-3) |  as Joan Halloran (seasons 2-4, recurring seasons 3-4) |
 as Dr. Philip Chandler (seasons 1-6) |
|||
and featured: | |||
 as Dr. Cathy Martin (seasons 1-3) |
 as Dr. Roxanne Turner (seasons 4-6, recurring seasons 5-6) |
Recurring characters:
Hospital staff:
 | Paul Sand as Dr. Michael Ridley (season 2) |
| Byron Stewart as Warren Coolidge (seasons 3-6) Orderly. |
 | Philip Sterling as Dr. Simon Weiss (seasons 2-6) Psychiatrist. |
 | Frank Dent as Dr. Steven Kiley (seasons 1-6)
Resident surgeon. |
 | Jack Dodson as Judge Thornton Farnham (seasons 3-6) Hospital board member. |
 | Edward Herrman as Father Joseph McCabe (seasons 4-5) Founder and Chief of Services at St. Eligius. |
| Al Ruscio as Rawly Moreland (seasons 2-3) Head of maintenance. |
 | Reid Shelton as Dr. Isaac Barton (seasons 2-6) Urologist. |
 | Arthur Taxier as Dr. Morton Chegley (seasons 1-2, 6) Oncologist. |
Family & relationships:
| Dana Short as Lizzie Westphall (seasons 1-6) |
 | Chad Allen as Tommy Westphall (seasons 2-6) |
| Herb Edelman as Richard Clarendon (seasons 2-6) |
| Alan Oppenheimer as Ira Rosenthal (season 1) Helen's fourth husband. |
| Jeannie Elias as Marcy Eisenberg (seasons 2-6) |
| Ian Fried as Jeff Rosenthal (seasons 2-6) |
| Cady McClain as Erin Scheinfeld (seasons 2-3) (as Katie McClain) |
| Karen Petraszek as Julie Silverman (seasons 2-4) |
| Jonathan Chapin as Jimmy Silverman (seasons 2-4) |
| Karen Landry as Myra White (seasons 1-3) Peter's wife. |
| Candace Cameron as Megan White (seasons 1-3) Peter's daughter. |
| Deborah White as Nina Morrison (seasons 1-2) Jack's first wife. |
 | Jean Bruce Scott as Roberta Sloan (season 2) |
 | Helen Hunt as Clancy Williams (seasons 2-4) |
| Patricia Wettig as Joanne McFadden (seasons 5-6) |
| Jane Wyatt as Katherine Auschlander (seasons 2-6) |
| Geraldine Fitzgerald as Margaret Ryan (seasons 2, 5) Daniel's long lost love. |
| Tanya Berezin as Constance (seasons 4-6) |
| Betty White as Captain Gloria Neal (seasons 3-4) Donald's friend from med school. |
| Scott Paulin as Steven Craig (seasons 1-4) |
| Louis Nye as Dr. Milton Axelrod (seasons 5-6) |
| Bill Dana as Jonas Fiscus (seasons 5-6) |
| Lainie Kazan as Frieda Fiscus (season 6) |
| Steve Allen as Lech Oseransky (seasons 5-6) |
| Jayne Meadows as Olga Oseransky (seasons 5-6) |
 | Louise Lasser as Aunt Charise (season 2) |
Staff with story arcs:
| Karen Austin as Dr. Mary Woodley (season 3) |
| Jamie Rose as Dr. Susan Birch (season 5) |
| Melinda Culea as Nurse Julie McPhail (season 5) |
| Leah Ayres as Nurse Mona Polito (season 4) |
|
Vivian Bonnell as Nurse Skilling (season 1) Ward nurse. |
| Melody Anderson as Nurse Jill Roberts (season 1) |
| Jane Kaczmarek as Nurse Sandy Burns (season 1) |
| Stacey Dash as Penny (season 6) Video producer, and Luther's fiance. |
| Rosanne Katon as Amanda Taylor (season 2) (as Rosanne Katon Walden) |
| Dorothy Fielding as Dr. Nancy Paxton (season 1) Visiting doctor and former girlfriend of Dr. Samuels. |
| Caroline McWilliams as Dr. Christine Holtz (season 3) |
|
Christopher Guest as B.J. Cummings (season 1) Hospital administrator. |
Other recurring supporting staff:
| Christina Kokubo as Paramedic Faith Yee (seasons 3-6) |
| S. Pearl Sharp as Nurse Peggy Shotwell (seasons 3-6) (as Saundra Sharp) |
| Rae Dawn Chong as Billie Vaughan (seasons 2-3) |
| John Corey as Tony Clifton (season 3) |
| Rafael Campos as Ramon Lopez (season 1) Purchasing manager. |
 | Roxanne Reese as Nurse Louise (season 1) |
| Lance Guest as Sean Rooney (season 1) |
| Gretchen Wyler as Joanne Jesmer (season 2) |
| Tom Henschel as Kyle (seasons 4, 6) |
| Karl Lukas as Carl (seasons 4, 6) |
Recurring patients and featured characters:
| Florence Halop as Florence Hufnagel (season 3) |
| Todd Susman as Victor Bevine (seasons 4-6) |
| Oliver Clark as John Doe #6 (seasons 4-5) |
| Jeff Allin as Alex Corey (seasons 3-6) |
 | Robert Costanzo as Mr. Broadwater (seasons 1, 4, 6) |
Patients and companions with story arcs:
| Deborah May as Terri Valere (season 4) |
| George DelHoyo as Ken Valere (season 4) (as George Deloy) |
| Marian Mercer as Eve Leighton (season 2) |
| Stephen Elliott as Manny Schecter (season 3) |
| Ernie Hudson as Jerry Close (season 3) |
| John Hammond as Michael Duffy (season 3) |
| Richard Marcus as "Rockin'" Ralph Selover (season 1) |
| Laraine Newman as Jane Sondell a.k.a. Tweety (season 1) |
| Murray Rubin as Murray Robbin (season 3) |
| Kyle Secor as Brett Johnston (season 6) |
| John Scott Clough as Kevin O'Casey (seasons 4, 6) |
| Tim Robbins as Andrew Rhinehardt (season 1) |
| Jack Bannon as Stephen McAllister (seasons 1, 4) |
| Tom Hulce as John Doe #12, a.k.a. David Stewart (season 1) |
| Eric Stoltz as Eddie Carson (season 2) |
| Dan Hedaya as Joseph Keuhnelian (season 2) |
| Lycia Naff as Maddy (season 3) |
| Timothy Van Patten as Dean (season 3) |
| Ann Hearn as Andrea Fordham (season 3) |
| Piper Laurie as Fran Singleton (season 2) |
| Alan Arkin as Jerry Singleton (season 2) |
| John Schuck as Andy Wegener (season 3) |
| Brandy Gold as Alexis Wegener (season 3) |
| Mimi Kennedy as Lois Wegener (season 3) |
| Amanda Wyss as Pru Dowler (season 4) |
 | Dorothy McGuire as Augusta Endicott (season 4) |
| Charles Cioffi as Senator Gordon Endicott (season 4) |
| Kathy Bates as Polly (season 5) |
| David Wayne as Dr. George Wyler (season 3) |
| Larry B. Scott as Tshalla (season 3) |
| Michael Learned as Sister Millicent Domenica (season 3) |
| Beatrice Straight as Marjorie Andrews (season 6) |
| David Ackroyd as Col. Chuck Cochrane (season 4) |
| John Kellogg as Henry Spooner (season 6) |
| Neva Patterson as Marguerite Spooner (season 6) |
| Harold Gould as Melvin Millstein (season 3) |
| Bill Macy as Hershel Millstein (season 3) |
Other recurring supporting characters:
| Suzanne Lederer as Yvonne Galecki (seasons 3-5) |
| Ramon Bieri as Gene Galecki (season 4) |
| K Callan as Patty Galecki (season 4) |
 | Michael Richards as Bill Wolf (seasons 2-3) |
| Casey Siemaszko as Rick Messina (seasons 3-4) |
| John Dennis Johnston as Nick Moats (seasons 4-5) |
| Austin Pendleton as Mr. Entertainment (season 2) |
| Gerald Hiken as Robin Baskins (season 5) |
This list is by no means complete, nor does it reflect the frequency with which a character appeared, but rather represents the selection of actors/characters I remember most, cherrypicked from IMDB's "Full Cast and Crew" page for the show.
A brief comment... one of the links to the names is wrong... David Birney has two links here... im sure by accident... the other is erroneously linked under Ronny Cox. Just thought you'd want to know. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynzee! Missed that one when I was copying the code. I appreciate your help! :)
DeleteDid the baby who was Barbara on the series grow up to become an actress?
ReplyDeleteI don't know who the baby was, so I can't answer that!
DeleteAlthough I can't find corroboration, the part of Pete Morrison is list on The Paley Center for Media as being played by Joseph and Christopher Michael:
Deletehttps://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=nbc&p=206&item=T:14451
It makes sense that twins shared the role
Jack Morrison's son PETE is not listed as one of the cast. Who was this little actor.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I haven't looked to see if he was ever credited.
DeleteJust watched the credits of "Last Dance at the Wrecker's Ball", which featured Pete Morrison prominently. The child actor was not listed in the credits.
DeleteJoseph and Christopher Michael are credited as playing Pete Morrison in the series finale, "The Last One."
DeleteThat was my husband, Joe Michael and his twin Chris Michael!
DeleteDr. Wendy Armstrong. Did the actress wish to leave the show? If not, then why did the creators write her character out?
ReplyDeleteNo, as far as I know (and I've never found any information about it) Kim Miyori didn't want to leave the show. St. Elsewhere was the first show to kill off main characters not because the producers had to, but because they wanted to.
DeleteI've never heard an explanation about Wendy specifically... In her case, I would guess that the writers were looking for a way to shock viewers (worked on me the first time I saw it). I would also guess they were also looking to trim down the size of the cast and/or to get rid of characters they weren't interested in developing.
As for Kim Miyori's departure I had heard at the time it was several factors that came together. Kim had been cast as Yoko Ono in the television film John and Yoko: A Love Story. The filming of the movie was going to conflict - not with the whole season of St. Elsewhere but a good chunk of it. At the same time the producers and writers wanted to create a story line that Jack may not be invited back for the next year of residency. They did not intend to drop the character but rather for the audience to think one of the "nicer" characters was being written out. The producers decided that they could not explain Armstrong's absense and thought it would be a way to solve how Pete stays with Wendy leaving. That's why her bulimia story line is a bit abrupt. From what I understand there were no hard feelings on anyone's part as they thought it was best and would make for a shocking twist. If any of these details are wrong I apologize. But I remember reading an article in TV Guide (?) about the shocking departures of many St. Elsewhere characters - Peter White, Wendy Armstrong, Bobby Caldwell and Mrs. Hufnagle were the examples.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the context! Really appreciate getting some background on that. I hadn't come across any explanation.
DeleteThe photo shows Mark Harmon and Rocky Carroll together. But you did not mention Rocky
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Rocky Carroll and Mark Harmon was actually from Chicago Hope, not St Elsewhere. I do not think Rocky Carroll was ever on St.Elsewhere
DeleteHe wasn't. Just Chicago Hope.
DeleteI loved St. Elsewhere. My favorite storyline involved Bobby Caldwell & his patient who suffered from Neuro Fibrometosis(Elephant Man's Disease). She had these grotesque facial tumors that Bobby successfully removes making her look normal. She falls for him and he gently rejects her. The ending of the final scene and of the episode was beautifully done in the elevator with her and the clown. So beautiful and touching!
ReplyDeleteI loved St. Elsewhere! My favorite story line involved Bobby Caldwell & his patient who was afflicted with Neuro Fibrometosis(Elephant Man's Disease). In her case the she had grotesque tumors on the side of her face that Bobby successfully removes making her look normal again. She falls in love with him and he gently rejects her. The last scene of the episode, in the elevator, with the clown, was so beautiful and touching. I've never forgotten it or the series. I wish the entire series was available on DVD or Blu-Ray.
ReplyDeleteIt’s on Hulu! I remember this ep from when I was a kid. Been looking for it for years!
DeleteYes, me too. I watched with my Mum religiously on Monday nights.
DeleteRemember when Howie Mandel's character glued down EVERYTHING on ?'s desk? I can't remember who's it was, his supirior, of course but, DAMN funny!!
DeleteDid Norman Lloyd play a duel role in the episode in titled “haunted“? I’m thinking he might have played the guy at the dock who gave the keys and sold the fish to Mark Harmon’s character.
ReplyDeleteJust finished all 6 seasons of SE and am bummed it's over! I loved it back in the 80's and enjoyed it again this time. Thanks for your website!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you watch all 6 seasons? Are they available to watch online or for sale?
DeleteIt’s streaming on Hulu. I was too little to have enjoyed it when it was first broadcast, but as an adult I started watching it on a whim (mainly since the theme song stuck in my head as a child), and I really like it. Almost done with season 5, and sad I’m getting to the last season.
DeleteI worked nights in a hospital, and missed more of this than I saw. Now, I'm catching up on Hulu. Probably the greatest cast on any series.
DeleteI just loved the ones with Edward Herrmann.
We are binge watching St. Elsewhere and we were wondering who played little Pete Morrison. If you find out, let us know.
ReplyDeleteFriday, April 23, 2021--3:10 pm CST
ReplyDeleteWilliam Daniels just celebrated his 94th birthday on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Bill and Bonnie Daniels will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Bonnie Bartlett will turn 92 on Sunday, June 20, 2021. I hope Bonnie will have a blessed "happy birthday" on June 20, and I also hope Bill and Bonnie will also have a blessed "Happy Anniversary on June 30.
Terry Marvin (Dallas, Texas)
Can anyone confirm that Tom Cruise made an uncredited cameo at the very beginning of season 4 episode Remembrance of Things Past right as the opening credits are rolling? He moves a patient on a gurney into an elevator over the course of about 18 seconds.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the scene on Hulu, and it's not him. Similar hair, though.
DeleteNo, never!
DeleteI liked Bonnie Bartlett in Little House on the Prairie too!
DeleteWednesday, April 28, 2021--5:22 am CST
ReplyDeleteI watch "St. Elsewhere" on IMDb, I wish another company will buy the show, such as the Peacock Channel or Pluto.
Terry Marvin (Dallas, Texas)
It's now on Hulu
DeleteWe need that for Chicago Hope too. I heard you can't stream it anywhere. 🥺
DeleteReally appreciate this blog. I watched St. Elsewhere when it was originally on as a middle school & high school kid - & loved it. I'm re-watching on HULU now - a few episodes into season 2 - & I'm SO GLAD to see how well it holds up. Still edgy & funny, in 2021! Thank you for this site.
ReplyDeleteSo why did Cynthia Sikes leave the show? And what happened to her character Annie? She appears up to the end of season 3. There is no exit for her. Then season 4 starts and her absence isn't even acknowledged. Unless I missed something in one of the episodes...Also, I felt like Annie was intended to be a lesbian but that idea was not fully developed. Instead they have Annie accused of being a lesbian and denying it repeatedly. Yet, we never see her with any men after the short arc with Dr. Holtz (Caroline McWilliams). The first regular lesbian character on a medical drama did not occur until 'Heartbeat' on ABC in 1988.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteCynthia Sikes was dropped from the show precisely because of that storyline, and you're right--Sikes objected to playing a lesbian (and literally cried to a network exec, to which Bruce Paltrow countered that pretending to cry was just her actor's trick to manipulate him), so they re-wrote the character in that storyline to reflect her attitude.
ReplyDeleteThere was a basic principle on St. Elsewhere behind the scenes: if an actor challenged the producers on what they wanted to do with their character, they'd find themselves out of a job. That's why Mark Harmon turns heel in season four and then is shown the door--he told the writers to "get excited about his character." In the People magazine feature about him leaving the show (I have an old post linking to that), the article's author even writes something like, "You can almost imagine the writers thinking, heh heh, Harmon, is this what you were asking for?"
There's a visual gag they did with Sikes in particular to comment on the situation: in her last episode, she plays a scene that duplicates a scene from the last episode of David Birney as Dr. Ben Samuels towards the end of season 1--she's walking by the nurses' station, she has a cold, she sneezes into her sleeve, and tells someone that it spreads fewer germs to cover your sneeze that way--i.e. not using your hands. And that was the end of Samuels and Cavanero.
The show has a lot of inside jokes like that. In my episode recaps, I was hoping to catalogue all those, but unfortunately, I have so much work to do on other projects that I can't make time for those anytime soon.
Interesting info. I didn't realize the sneeze scene was her last one. I thought maybe that was a little public service announcement to encourage viewers not to spread germs. There does not seem to be any mention of Annie at the beginning of Season 4. It's like she never existed!
ReplyDeleteI suppose if Sikes had not objected to the storyline, we would have seen more of Caroline McWilliams' character as the lover. It's a shame they didn't try to do the storyline properly later on with another actress/character.
Re: Harmon, I just barely started Season 4 on Hulu. But I was reading the episode synopses here on your website and was surprised that Bobby turns into a heel. I think he lost a bit of steam in Season 3 without Joan Halloran on the show full-time. He really needed a romantic life. He becomes rather one-note just in medical scenes all the time.
I had wondered if their goal was to make Bobby Caldwell bisexual. I think Harmon would have objected to that just as strongly as Sikes, if true.
I'm 56 years old and remember watching St. Elsewhere when it was still a prime time drama back in the 1980's. However, my mother who's almost 80 years old, had never seen the show until we streamed it on Hulu. We've been binge watching it for the past week or so, and she loves it. I'm enjoying it as well, and I'm constantly amazed to see all the great actors who guest starred on the show. Unfortunately, most of them are no longer with us, but I recognize so many of the faces and names from other TV Shows and movies.
ReplyDeleteWednesday, August 4, 2021--7:10 am
ReplyDeleteI never watched "St. Elsewhere" when it was a Prime Time TV series in 19882-1988. I always watched something else. About a year ago or so "St. Elsehere" was on IMDb, and I watched it a lot. IMDb removed the show from their Watchlist last year. Now, if I want to watch it, I have to watch it Online. I hope IMDb will bring "St Elsewhere" back on their Watchlist someday, or another streaming channel will buy it.
I don't have HULU, so I can't watch "St. Elsewhere" now.
Terry Marvin (Dallas, Texas)
P,S. I started really admiring William Daniels when I bought "Knight Rider" on Blu-ray. Which was about a year or so ago, then I bought "Boy Meets World" on DVD. I have all seven seasons of "Boy Meets World" on DVD and "all 4 seasons of "Knight Rider" on Blu-ray. Then I started buying movies and TV shows that William Daniels was in.
Starring? Where is Howie Mandel? Terence Knox? Cynthia Sikes? Kim Myori?
ReplyDeleteIn Season 5, Episode 7, the Indigent female patient with Tourette us looks like Kathy Bates. Correct? Spotting folks who later became famous is one of my favorite games while watching this series.
ReplyDeleteYes, that was her! 🙂
DeleteYes, there were a lot of actors who passed through the halls of St. Eligius including Denzel Washington, Angela Basset, Mark Harmon, Doris Roberts and Helen Hunt. This was a landmark and brilliant show! How I wish it had stayed on the air longer.
ReplyDeleteSaturday, January 1, 2022--3:18 pm CST
ReplyDelete"St. Elsewhere" was on IMDb for a long time, and I watched it. I wish IMDb would bring it back on. I also wish that seasons 2-6 would be on DVD or Blu-ray someday.
Terry Marvin (Dallas, Texas)
I never even knew you could watch it on www.imdb.com. I watched all 6 seasons on www.slingtv.com. LOVED watching it again. So many future stars made their way through the halls of St. Eligius. There will never be another show like St. Elsewhere. It had such heart & soul that can never be duplicated.
ReplyDeleteI recall a throwback episode with a young Dr. Craig and his mentor. Was that Herbert Anderson? He also played Henry Mitchell on Dennis the Menace in 1959 on.
ReplyDeleteDr. Craig's mentor, Dr. David Domedion, was played by Jackie Cooper in the flashback episode, "Time Heals." There was also an episode with an elderly Dr. Domedion where we was played by Dean Jagger.
DeleteIt was Jackie Cooper who played Dr. Domedian in this 1986 episode.
DeleteDean Jagger played him in 1985.
Saturday, June 25, 2022--9:24 am
ReplyDeleteI can't watch "St Elsewhere" because I don't have hulu. If I want to watch it, I have to watch it Online.
Terry Marvin (Dallas, Texas, USA)
Hello
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteAny information on whatever happened to Dana Short? I'm guessing she quit acting in the late 80s since there are only a couple IMDB credits for her after St Elsewhere. She doesn't have a Wikipedia page so information is practically nonexistent.
ReplyDeleteI started watching it on Hulu from the beginning. I had not seen it since it aired the first time. I forgot how hilarious it was and my wife and I are really enjoying it.
ReplyDelete