George Gaynes, a character actor who was a mainstay in television and movies during the 1980s, has died. The star of Punky Brewster and the Police Academy franchise was 98 years old.
His daughter, Iya Gaynes Falcone, confirmed his death to The New York Times. Gaynes died at her home on Feb. 15 in North Bend, Washington.
Gaynes’ career started on television during the mid-1950s and switched between movies and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that he really started getting more important roles. In the early ‘80s, he starred in Carl Reiner’s Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman and Mel Brooks’ To Be Or Not To Be remake.
In 1984, the actor reached a new audience with the first Police Academy movie, playing Commandant Lassard. He played the role in the six Police Academy sequels and even starred in an episode of the 1998 Police Academy TV series.
For television audiences, he was Henry Warnimont on Punky Brewster, which ran from 1984 to 1988.
Gaynes was born in Helsinki and was raised in France, England and Switzerland, notes NBC News. He actually started in opera, but World War II put a hold on his plans and he served in the Royal Dutch Navy. He went to New York when the war ended and joined the New York City Opera. However, he was more interested in acting than singing.
Gaynes continued acting until the early 2000s, making an appearance in Ashton Kutcher’s Just Married in 2003. He is survived by his wife Allyn Ann McLerie, his daughter and granddaughter.