Charles Siebert

One of acting's more reliable performers from the 1970s through the early 1990s, Charles Siebert alternated between the live theater and film/television as both an actor and director. Born the eldest of four children in 1938 in Wisconsin, he started his career following journalism school at Marquette University and a stint in the U.S. Army in the 60s. After marrying his college sweetheart, Catherine Kilzer, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. They eventually returned to the United States with their English-born son, Christopher, and resided in New York City where two more children, Charles Andrew and Gillian, were born. Following work in various regional theatre productions, Charles graduated to roles on the Broadway and off-Broadway stages. He made his Broadway debut in Galileo (1967) and appeared in such other New York plays as "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970) with Tony winner Maureen Stapleton, "Sticks and Bones" (1972), and the 1974 revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" starring Elizabeth Ashley in which he played the role of Gooper. He was also in the cast of the 1968 musical "Jimmy Shine" starring Dustin Hoffman. Simultaneously Charles was appearing in such New York-based daytime soaps as "Search for Tomorrow," "Another World" and "As the World Turns." Moving to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s, Charles was seen in many commercials and also joined the guest roster of episodics, appearing on most of the popular series of the time including "All in the Family," "Rhoda," "Barnaby Jones," "One Day at a Time," "Maude," "Kojak," and "The Rockford Files." Among his more distinguished TV work was his portrayal of Helen Keller's father in the mini-movie The Miracle Worker (1979) which starred Melissa Gilbert as Helen and Patty Duke, formerly the Oscar-winning Helen on film, inheriting the role of teacher Annie Sullivan. For seven seasons Charles co-starred as Dr. Stanley Riverside, the chief of emergency services, on Trapper John, M.D. (1979) with Pernell Roberts and Gregory Harrison. During that period he began taking an avid interest in directing and ended up helming several episodes of the series. Over the years Charles has performed with some the finest regional theatres in the United States, including the inaugural year of San Francisco's ACT; the Goodman Theatre in Chicago; The Theatre Company of Boston; Baltimore's Center Stage; The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey; Stratford Connecticut's American Shakespeare Festival, and some seven seasons at Williamstown, Massachusetts' Summer Theatre. In the 1990s he became predominantly known as a TV director of such shows as "Knots Landing", "Silk Stalkings", "The Pretender", "Hercules" and "Xena: Warrior Princess". Following the death of his first wife Catherine in 1981, Charles re-married in 1986 to Kristine Leroux, a former real-estate executive, who added three children of her own to the family mix. Of his own three children, both Christopher and Charlie, Jr. now have careers in jazz music as headliners in the well-known band Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers. Charles Sr. is now retired and living happily with his wife in the wine country of Northern California.