Conrad John Schuck Jr. is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best known for his roles as Sgt. Charles Enright, in the 1970s crime dramaMcMillan & Wife, and as Herman Munster, in the 1980s sitcom The Munsters Today, in which he reprised the role originated by Fred Gwynne. Schuck is also known for his work on Star Trek movies and television series, often playing a Klingon character, as well as his recurring roles as Draal on Babylon 5 and as Chief of Detectives Muldrew of the New York City Police Department in the Law & Order programs, especially .
Life and career
Conrad John Schuck Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Mary and Conrad John Schuck, a professor at SUNY Buffalo. He is of English and German descent. He made his first theatrical appearances at Denison University, and after graduating continued his career at the Cleveland Play House, Baltimore's Center Stage, and finally the American Conservatory Theater, where he was discovered by Robert Altman. His first film appearance was the role of Capt. Walter Kosciuszko "Painless Pole" Waldowski in M*A*S*H. As Painless, Schuck holds a place in Hollywood history as the first person to utter the word "fuck" in a major studio film. He went on to appear in several more Altman films: Brewster McCloud, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Thieves Like Us. In 1970 he appeared as Frank Carelli in Episode 5 of the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "Keep Your Guard Up." From 1971 to 1977, Schuck appeared as San Francisco Police Detective Sergeant Charles Enright in the television series McMillan & Wife and also starred as an overseer in the miniseries Roots. In 1976, he played Gregory "Yoyo" Yoyonovich in the short-lived series Holmes & Yoyo; both it and McMillan & Wife had been created, and were produced, by Leonard B. Stern for what is now NBCUniversal Television. He starred in ABC's 1979 TV holiday specialThe Halloween That Almost Wasn't, a.k.a. The Night Dracula Saved the World, as the Frankenstein Monster. In 1979 John starred in a short-lived TV series version of Turnabout, in which he and Sharon Gless played a couple named Sam and Penny, who swap bodies. Some installments from that comedy series were reedited into the made-for-TV film Magic Statue, named for the artifact which caused the two to exchange bodies. He was also a regular "guest celebrity" on game shows in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing as a guest on such programs as Pyramid, Hollywood Squares, Password Plus and Super Password, and The Cross-Wits. In the summer of 1979, during this period as a game-show guest celebrity, he made his Broadway debut playing Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks as a replacement in the role of the original Broadway musical comedy, Annie at the Alvin Theatre, for a special three-week engagement. In 1980, Schuck began appearing as a "regular replacement" for a year and a half, along with Allison Smith as Annie and Alice Ghostley as Miss Hannigan.
Later work
In 1986, Schuck took the role of Klingon ambassador Kamarag in . He reprised the role in 1991 in , becoming one of only five guest roles to appear in more than one Star Trek motion picture. Also in the 1980s, Schuck starred as Herman Munster in the syndicated situation comedyThe Munsters Today, which co-starred Lee Meriwether as Lily Munster. In character as Herman, a role Fred Gwynne had originated in the 1960s, Schuck was made up as the Frankenstein Monster, according to the makeup format whose copyright NBCUniversal still owns, for the second time in his career; the first was in The Halloween That Almost Wasn't a.k.a. The Night Dracula Saved the World. He guest starred in ' as Legate Parn, ' as Chorus #3, ' as Antaak, and Babylon 5 as Draal in "The Long, Twilight Struggle". In 1994, he appeared as Ralgha nar Hhallas in . He then guest-starred in several episodes of ' as the NYPD Chief of Detectives Muldrew. Under his full name of "Conrad John Schuck," he opened in the role of Daddy Warbucks in the Broadway revival of Annie in December 2006, and toured nationally in the role. He later appeared in the films Holy Matrimony and String of the Kite. In 2013, he appeared as Senator Max Evergreen in Nice Work If You Can Get It. Most recently, Schuck joined the cast of writer/director Chris Blake's indie horror film, All Light Will End.
Personal life
Schuck married actress Susan Bay, with whom he had a son, Aaron Bay-Schuck. The couple divorced in 1983. He married his current wife, painter Harrison Houlé, in 1990.
