Richard Dysart

Richard Dysart Profile Photo

Characters played by Richard Dysart

Dr. Copper — The Thing (1982)

Medical doctor who attempts to treat Norris and suggests blood testing protocols.

Barbwire Salesman — Back to the Future Part III (1990)

A 1885 merchant selling fencing supplies.

Cromwell — Wall Street (1987)

Background legal or financial advisor assisting corporate clients.

Coy LaHood — Pale Rider (1985)

A wealthy mining baron waging a campaign of intimidation against independent prospectors and their families. He tries to bribe and threaten Preacher, offers the prospectors money to leave, and hires Stockburn to remove them. After his mining site is destroyed, Coy is shot dead by Hull Barret while targeting Preacher.

Henry Sears — Hard Rain (1998)

Henry Sears is an elderly homeowner who stays behind with Doreen Sears during the flood rather than abandon his property. He initially treats Tom and Karen as looters and helps hold them at gunpoint. After Tom persuades him, Henry lends Tom the couple's boat, enabling Tom to reach the submerged armored truck.

Abe — Mask (1985)

Abe is Rusty Dennis's father and one of Rocky Dennis's maternal grandparents. He belongs to the family that accepts Rocky and shares his interest in baseball-card collecting, although his relationship with Rusty is strained and reflects the conflict surrounding her unstable lifestyle.

Trevor Isley — Prophecy (1979)

Trevor Isley is the local paper mill director and an opponent of the Native American community. He blames them for the deaths, initially supports arresting them, later recognizes their innocence after seeing the mutant cub, and is killed while trying to reach a radio tower for help.

Dr. Nielsen — Warning Sign (1985)

Dr. Nielsen is found incapacitated with his team near an air lock, later reappearing inside the contaminated facility. He wants the incident's knowledge contained and refuses treatment when the antidote is offered. After realizing the failure of his efforts, he flees to the lab and commits suicide.

President Ulysses S. Grant — The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer (1977)

The Commander-in-Chief whose political and military directives likely precipitated the high-profile court-martial.

Claude Estee — The Day of the Locust (1975)

A successful art director who attends the party hosted by Faye Greener and Homer Simpson. Faye deliberately moves around the gathering trying to impress Claude and the other men, making him part of her ongoing effort to attract admiration and improve her social position.

Lehman — The Hindenburg (1975)

Lehman is the Hindenburg's other named captain and is among the crew members whom Ritter considers possible suspects. His role connects him to command of the airship as it approaches Lakehurst, but the investigation ultimately supplies no evidence that he helped arrange the bombing.

Louis B. Mayer — Malice in Wonderland (1985)

The formidable head of MGM studios. Richard Dysart portrays the powerful executive who heavily influences the gossip columnists careers, often aligning with Hedda to maintain studio control over Hollywood publicity.

Career Overview

Richard Dysart has 59 screen credits in a career dating back to 1963. Their work spans 5 cinematic universes — most prominently Back to the Future with 1 titles. Signature works include L.A. Law, The Thing, Back to the Future Part III. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.

Personal Facts

Known For
Acting
Gender
male
Known Credits
59
Birth Date
1929-03-30
Birth Place
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Known For

Associated Universes

Universe traveler — spans 5 universes

Frequent Collaborators

Credits

Content sources

Related entry on Wikidata (Q110628), public domain (CC0).