Robert Walden

Robert Walden (born Robert Wolkowitz; September 25, 1943) is an American television and motion picture actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Rossi on Lou Grant, which earned him three nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; for his role as Joe Waters on Brothers; and as Glenn Newman on Happily Divorced. Walden also had roles in the films Blue Sunshine, The Hospital, All the President's Men, Audrey Rose, and Capricorn One.

Life and career Walden was born in New York City, the son of Hilda and Max Wolkowitz. His nephew is director Howard Deutch, the son of his sister; and his grand-nieces are actresses Zoey Deutch and Madelyn Deutch. Walden first became interested in acting while attending City College of New York, and shortly thereafter became a member of the Actors Studio.

Walden's film career began in 1970, in Bloody Mama for Roger Corman. After that, and for the first several years of his career, he often played young doctors, such as in the television series The New Doctors (one of the rotating elements of NBC's The Bold Ones) as Dr. Cohen, after the departure of John Saxon prior to the final season; and notably in films Blue Sunshine and Paddy Chayefsky's The Hospital. His breakthrough role was in the television series Lou Grant, on which he played journalist Joe Rossi. MTM producers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns "discovered" Walden when he played the role of police officer Ernie Joyce on the Mary Tyler Moore spin-off show Rhoda in an episode that aired in January 1977. In a 2017 interview, Walden said that the MTM producers created the new Mary Tyler Moore spin-off Lou Grant with Walden in mind for the role of Rossi. He was a cast member on Lou Grant during its entire run (1977–1982), and received three Emmy Award nominations (in 1979, 1980 and 1981) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role. Walden has played several historical characters, including Donald Segretti in the 1976 film All the President's Men, and J. Robert Oppenheimer in the 1980 TV movie Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb. From 1984 until 1989, he starred in the groundbreaking Showtime sitcom Brothers as the middle of three brothers, the owner of a bar/restaurant who was a retired NFL placekicker.

Walden is a distinguished teacher of acting at The New School for Drama, division of the New York City university The New School. In August, 2006 he appeared in the Herbert Berghof Playwrights Foundation (HB Studio) production of Arthur Miller's The American Clock under the direction of Austin Pendleton. Walden also appeared in the movie Capricorn One (1978) as Elliot Whitter.

Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes 1970 Bloody Mama Fred Barker The Out-of-Towners Looter The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker Winslow Smith 1971 The Hospital Dr. Brubaker 1972 A Run for the Money Murdock Bobby Jo and the Big Apple Good Time Band Augie Unsold TV pilot Rage Dr. Tom Janeway Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex Sperm 1973 The Rookies Joey S2.E2 - "Margin for Error" Columbo Billy Fine Episode S3.E2 - "Any Old Port in a Storm" Maxie Finn Shirts/Skins Dick Dubin ABC Movie of the Week 1974 Larry Tom Corman The Great Ice Rip-Off Checker ABC Movie of the Week Our Time Frank 1974–75 Medical Center Dr. Frank Corelli 3 episodes 1975 The Kansas City Massacre Adam Richetti TV movie Kate McShane Vogel Episode S1.E2 - "Terror on Sycamore Street" 1976 Starsky & Hutch Marty Simon Episode S2.E3 - "Murder at Sea" All the President's Men Donald Segretti The Rockford Files Barry Silverstein Episode S3.E2 - "The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit" The Blue Knight Joey Episode S2.E10 - "Death Echo" Police Woman Spider Denton Episode S3.E5 - "Broken Angels" 1977 Audrey Rose Brice Mack Blue Sunshine David Blume Capricorn One Elliot Whitter Police Story Investigator Lou Bleyer Episode S4.E13 - "Spitfire" Rhoda Ernie Joyce Episode S3.E17 - "Somebody Has to Say They're Sorry" Hunter Bellheimer Episode S1.E13 - "U.F.M. 13" 1978 Centennial Dr. Richard Butler Episode S1.E1 - "Only the Rocks Live Forever" 1980 Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb Robert Oppenheimer TV movie 1983 Memorial Day Gibbs TV film 1985 Murder, She Wrote Lt. Antonelli Episode S2.E3 - "Murder in the Afternoon" 1987 Matlock Roger Bundy Episode S1.E17 - "The Convict" Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love Robert Lane TV Movie 1988 Hotel Tom Conners Episode S5.E17 - "Aftershocks" 1989 Father Dowling Mysteries Vincent Tillman Episode S1.E1 - "The Missing Body Mystery" 1992 Reasonable Doubts Joe McMann Episode S1.E20 - "Home to Roost" 1994 Radioland Murders Tommy 1997 In Dark Places Diller Pacific Blue Carl Regis Episode S3.E6 - "Sandman" 1998 Heist Police Detective Kiss of a Stranger Stephen Block 1999 Desert Thunder Gen. Tom Brockton 2000 Judging Amy Ian Tyson Episode S1.E15 - "Culture Clash" 2001 The Fluffer Herman Lasky The West Wing Senator Rossiter Episode S2.E21 - "18th and Potomac" 2002 Time of Fear Sheriff Joe Calabro 2005 Whiskey School Alex Cavanaugh Law & Order: Special Victims Unit William Dorsey Episode S7.E1 - "Demons" 2007 Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe Dr. Kubelkoff 2010 Trooper VA Doctor 2020 Surviving in L.A. Walter 2023 Love & Death Dr. Irving Stone 2 episodes

Television series Year Title Role Notes 1972–73 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Dr. Martin Cohen 15 episodes 1977–82 Lou Grant Joe Rossi 114 episodes 1984–89 Brothers Joe Waters 115 episodes 2011–13 Happily Divorced Glen Newman 34 episodes