Lester Rawlins

Lester Rawlins (September 24, 1924 – March 22, 1988) was an American actor of stage, film and television.

Early life and education

Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania,

Career

Stage Rawlins appeared in off-Broadway productions of Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Winterset, In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, and Nightride, for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance.

His Broadway credits included A Man for All Seasons and Da, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. Rawlins also won Obie Awards for his performance in the 1964 off-Broadway production of the play The Old Glory by the poet Robert Lowell and for his performances in off-Broadway productions of Brendan Behan's The Quare Fellow and Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler.

Screen Rawlins' feature film appearances include Diary of a Mad Housewife and They Might Be Giants. On television, Rawlins had recurring roles on The Defenders, Kojak, The Secret Storm, and Ryan's Hope. He was a regular on the CBS soap opera, The Edge of Night for several years, where he played the role of wealthy Orin Hillyer. Rawlins' final screen role was on The Equalizer in the 1985 episode "Reign of Terror" portraying Doctor Timms, who is retiring from his practice, being too tired of local gang activity.

He also could be heard on television and radio commercials, and was most notably the voice-over for the Dunkin' Donuts television and radio advertising campaign created by the New York advertising agency Ally & Gargano.

Death Rawlins died of cardiac arrest in New York City in 1988.

Filmography

+ Lester Rawlins film and television credits Year Title Role Notes 1961–1965 The Defenders Dr. Herman Wohl / Dr. Robert Hartog / Dr. Seth Ettinger 6 episodes 1962 The Secret Storm Arthur Rysdale 1966–1973 The Edge of Night Orin Hillyer Recurring role 1970 Diary of a Mad Housewife Dr. Linstrom Film 1971 They Might Be Giants Blevins Film 1975 Starsky & Hutch C.J. Woodfield 1 episode 1975 Requiem for a Nun Nancy's lawyer TV movie 1976 God Told Me To Board Chairman Film 1976–1977 Kojak Assistant D.A. Angus Moore 4 episodes 1977 A Secret Space Kevin King Film 1981 Ryan's Hope Spencer Smith Recurring role 1983 Lovesick Silent Patient Film 1984 The Equalizer Doctor Timms Episode: "Reign of Terror"