That Girl (1966-1971) and Other Roles
Bessell's best-known TV role was as Donald Hollinger, Marlo Thomas's boyfriend on the hit series That Girl, which ran for five seasons from 1966 to 1971. (In the first pilot, he was Donald Blue Sky, who had a trace of Native American ancestry. In addition to being the boyfriend, he was also her agent.) When that series ended its run, Bessell tried his hand at another sitcom, Me and the Chimp, created by Garry K. Marshall, which had a short, unsuccessful run in 1972.
It was not until 1976 that he would appear in another sitcom, in the character of Joe Warner, the boyfriend of Mary Richards for two episodes on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
In the 1980s, Bessell appeared in several TV movies, including Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and The Acorn People. He also played regular roles on a pair of unusual sitcoms, Good Time Harry and, in his last major role, Hail to the Chief, as the husband of Patty Duke's character, the first female President of the United States. Neither of these series was successful.
Read more about this topic: Ted Bessell
Famous quotes containing the word roles:
“There is a striking dichotomy between the behavior of many women in their lives at work and in their lives as mothers. Many of the same women who are battling stereotypes on the job, who are up against unspoken assumptions about the roles of men and women, seem to accept—and in their acceptance seem to reinforce—these roles at home with both their sons and their daughters.”
—Ellen Lewis (20th century)