Sydney Lassick(1922-2003)

Chubby, antsy, and distinctive character actor Sydney Lassick was born on July 23, 1922 to Jewish Russian immigrant parents in Chicago, Illinois. Lassick first began acting in both films and TV shows in the late 50s. Portly and bespectacled, with a high-pitched voice and a nervous disposition, Sydney was usually cast as peevish neurotics, obsequious toadies, and fretful everyman types. Best known for his outstanding portrayal of the whiny and infantile manic depressive mental patient Charlie Cheswick in the acclaimed "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Lassick's other most memorable roles include a fey Fairy Godfather in the lowbrow nudie cutie musical "Sinderella and the Golden Bra," mean sarcastic English teacher Mr. Fromm in "Carrie;" genuinely creepy as perverse and abusive innkeeper Ernest Keller in the potently unnerving slasher horror sleeper "The Unseen;" at his oily best as the slimy Charlie P. in the supremely twisted cult oddity "Sonny Boy," effeminate lackey Gopher in "Deep Cover," and jolly trailer park manager Woody Wilson in "Freeway." Among the TV series Sydney made guest appearances on are "Family," "Eight is Enough," "Baretta," "Hawaii Five-O," "Barney Miller," "Matt Houston," "Moonlighting," "Knots Landing," "Dream On," and "The X-Files." Lassick died at age 80 from complications from diabetes on April 12, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. He was survived by an older sister.