Biography

G.W. Bailey

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George William Bailey was born on August 27, 1944 in Port Arthur, Texas. Although Bailey started college at Lamar University in Beaumont, he eventually transferred to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He did not complete his studies. He worked at local theater companies during the mid 1960s until his move to California, sometime in the 1970s. Here he began his work on such television series as Starsky and Hutch (1975), Charlie's Angels (1976) and CHiPs (1977). He eventually got a movie debut role in the Chuck Norris movie A Force of One (1979) before landing the role of Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H (1972). In 1993, he returned to Texas to study again, this time at Southwest Texas State University. In 1994, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree of Fine Arts, Theatre and, for the 1999-2000 school year, he was the Artist in Residence.

While in his 30s, Bailey went prematurely gray, leading to roles of characters much older than his actual age. Although he prefers dramatic acting, his most famous role will always be that of Captain Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy (1984). Since his goddaughter was diagnosed with leukemia, he has worked voluntarily for the Sunshine Kids Foundation, organizing trips for young cancer sufferers. In 2001, he was announced as the executive director of the foundation.
- IMDb mini biography by: Dredzfall

Attended Thomas Jefferson High School (in Port Arthur, Texas) with Janis Joplin.
Is the Executive Director and former Board Member of the Sunshine Kids Foundation, which provides trips and activities for hundreds of young cancer patients annually.
Longtime friends with fellow Texan (and occasional co-star over the years) Barry Corbin, whom Bailey credits with talking him out of studying law and into pursuing acting while the two were both students at Texas Tech University.
After the departure of Gary Burghoff and his character Walter "Radar" O'Reilly from M*A*S*H (1972), the producers planned to have Bailey's character Luther Rizzo take over as company clerk. However, Alan Alda was able to convince the producers to have Klinger (Jamie Farr) take the role instead.
The Closer (2005) is the second series in which he, Tony Denison and Michael Paul Chan have been cast members. The first was Under Cover (1991), a series in the early 1990s about the Central Intelligence Agency.

[on being remembered as Captain Thaddeus Harris in the Police Academy movies] So much for ten years of education, years of training in Shakespeare... being remembered for a dog peeing in your eye!
[on his role in The Closer (2005)] This is best job I've ever had. I think a lot of it has to do with this time in my life, you know. I've gotten older. I've squandered all the other money I've made. So it's nice at this point in my life to have a part like this, that's so well-written. And I love the cast. It's a joyful place to work, it really is. We have our moments, 'cause we're like a family. But overall, it's a great gig to have. And I love the character. I mean, there are other things I've done that I've really liked, but I think a lot of it has to do-it always has to do-with the character. It always has to do with the writing. You want to make a lot of money, but if the writing is bad, it doesn't matter, you know?
I don't belong to any country clubs. I don't have this big circle of friends. Where I make my friends is where I work.
Do I enjoy features? Yeah, I really do. Would I like to do some more features before I head to the barn? Yeah, probably. But I also love television. I love doing television because it's fast, and that I like a lot.
I'm from Port Arthur, Texas! Little guy! Little character guy from one of the saddest oil-refinery towns in America. And here I was driving over to Beverly Hills, to 20th Century Fox, to be on M*A*S*H (1972).

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