John Lawlor was a character actor best known for his sitcom roles in “Phyllis” and “The Facts of Life.”
- Died: February 13, 2025 (Who else died on February 13?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospice facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 83.
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John Lawlor’s legacy
Lawlor’s acting career began in the mid-1970s, after he had served in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War. He had early guest roles on such shows as “The Rockford Files” and “Ellery Queen,” then in 1976, he was cast on “Phyllis,” starring alongside Cloris Leachman (1926–2021). Lawlor was part of a second-season retooling of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” spin-off that gave Leachman’s lead character a new job and brought in new friends for her, including Lawlor as politician Leonard Marsh. He remained with the show until its cancellation at the end of the second season.
When “The Facts of Life” began casting for its debut in 1979, Lawlor had been up for the starring spot in the sitcom “Hello, Larry.” But when that role went to McLean Stevenson (1927–1996), Lawlor auditioned for “The Facts of Life” and won the part of Headmaster Steven Bradley. He and housemother Edna Garrett, portrayed by Charlotte Rae (1926–2018), played off of each other well, but the show’s producers had other ideas in mind. It, too, was retooled after its first season, and several characters were dropped, including Lawlor’s.
In the 1980s, after his departure from “The Facts of Life,” Lawlor became a frequently seen TV face. He had a four-episode arc on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and made guest appearances on such shows as “Newhart,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Highway to Heaven,” and “Mr. Belvedere.” He also starred in a memorable commercial for Malt-O-Meal, playing a dad who delivered the line, “Good stuff, Maynard,” which became a catchphrase of the decade.
Later, Lawlor appeared on TV shows like “Knots Landing,” “L.A. Law,” “Cold Case,” and “Scoundrels.” He also had roles in such movies as “Billy Jack Goes to Washington” and “Wyatt Earp.”
Lawlor on “The Facts of Life”
“I remember in the second or third show I blew up on somebody, saying, ‘You know, this is our third show, and I have yet to see anybody with a book!’ And then all of a sudden, bang, everybody’s got a book, which is good, and as it should’ve been in a show about a school. But it wasn’t really about the school.” — from a 2015 interview for Entertainment Weekly
Tributes to John Lawlor
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
