Heavy-set American character actor whose typical screen personae tended to be gruff westerners, irate cops and hard-boiled gangsters. A decorated Korean War veteran, Bieri appeared on stage from 1954, both on ('Death of a Salesman', 1975) and off-Broadway. He latterly acted with the ensemble of San Diego's Old Globe Theatre (notably, as the tough captain in 'Mr. Roberts', 1995). On screen from 1962 as a bit part player, he went on to have a prolific career as guest star of 1970's and 80's TV shows. Bieri also starred in his own, somewhat short-lived NBC sitcom, Joe's World (1979), as a Detroit house painter with five kids and assorted problems. In private life, he was said to have been a keen fisherman and sailor. Bieri died in May 2001 in Woodland Hills from cancer at the age of 71.
Movies
The Andromeda Strain
Major Manchek
Badlands
Cato
The Richest Cat in the World
Oscar Kohlmeyer
Crossfire
Captain McCardle
Sorcerer
Corlette
A Christmas Without Snow
Henry Quist
The Frisco Kid
Mr. Jones
Reds
Police Chief
Nicole
Malcolm
Outrage
Deputy Tottif
Brother John
Orly Ball
It's Good to Be Alive
Walter O'Malley
R.P.M.
Brown
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Babe Ruth
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
Chief Dewey
Lucas Tanner
Craig Willeman
The Gun
Walt Kelsy
The Honkers
Jack Ferguson
Juarez
Lt. C.P. Hardin
Grandview, U.S.A.
Mr. Pearson
Oceans of Fire
Chuck Horn
The Grasshopper
Roosevelt Dekker
The Sicilian
Quintana
Vibes
Eli Diamond
The Conversation
Man at Party (uncredited)
True Grit: A Further Adventure
Sheriff Ambrose
The Zoo Gang
Pa Donnely
Panic in Echo Park
When She Was Bad...
Dr. Gilbert
A Matter of Life and Death
Mr. Kutzreba
Carly's Web
The Final Days
Judge John J. Sirica
Ghosts of Mississippi
James Holley
Demon and the Mummy
The San Pedro Bums
Sgt. Yost
Hunter
Mishani
Shows
St. Elsewhere
L.A. Law
Vernon Weeks
Murder, She Wrote
Pat Phillips
Magnum, P.I.
CHiPs
Kung Fu
Simon & Simon
The Twilight Zone
Hawaii Five-O
Michael Briggs
Knight Rider
Al Farland
Quincy, M.E.
Route 66
Highway to Heaven
The Streets of San Francisco
Alias Smith and Jones
Room 222
Charlie's Angels
Yanos Barzak
How the West Was Won
Mannix
Medical Center
Gunsmoke
Forbes
Mission: Impossible
Colonel Rodriguez
Jake and the Fatman
Cannon
The Amazing Spider-Man
Hunter
Charlie Coster
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Captain Joe Baker
ER
Mr. Bartok
Crazy like a Fox
Harry O
Bret Maverick
Elijah Crow
Police Story
Daniel Boone
Hanker
Switch
Jack Gaynor
Lancer
Sarge
Barney Verick
Search
Matt Houston
Cracker
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
The Manhunter
Blacke's Magic
Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected
Joe's World
Joe Wabash
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Bronk
The Magician
Lt. Phil Corcoran
Love, Lies and Murder
Howard
Hogan's Heroes
Steiner
Nichols
Cutler
Gunsmoke
Jarvis
Gunsmoke
John Sontag
Gunsmoke
Doyle
Gunsmoke
Musgrove
Nero Wolfe
Leo Crown
Gunsmoke
Big Thicket
Profiler
Monte Drake
The Rhinemann Exchange
Daniel Meehan
Knight Rider
'Acid' John Byrock
Ironside
Frank Clausen
The Rockford Files
Sheriff Homer Prouty
Mannix
Peters
Murder, She Wrote
Capt. Frank Browning
Banacek
John Hargroves
The Fall Guy
Mayor John P. Littlefield
Charlie's Angels
Jake Garfield
McNaughton's Daughter
Randall Jardine
Mission: Impossible
Colonel Jaroslav Sardner
Barnaby Jones
Lt. Hager
Starsky & Hutch
Bo Rile
Murder, She Wrote
Nick Zavakis
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Commissioner Bergstrom
St. Elsewhere
Gene Galecki
Matt Houston
Insp. Cory McFadden
Bonanza
Jonas Holt
Mannix
Carl Meiss
Kate McShane
Ben
How the West Was Won
General Sheridan