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American actors: 1970s to 1990s

2,398 articles

Patrick Duffy

Patrick Duffy (born 1949, Townsend, Montana) is the American actor who played Bobby Ewing on Dallas (1978-1991), Mark Harris on Man from Atlantis, and Frank Lambert on Step by Step; also known for the 1986 dream-scene return and directing Dallas episodes.

Patrick Kilpatrick

Patrick Kilpatrick (born 1949 in Orange, Virginia) is an American character actor, producer, and director known for playing villains opposite action stars in films like Death Warrant and Minority Report.

Patrick Labyorteaux

Patrick Labyorteaux (born 1965, Los Angeles) is an American actor, writer, and producer, sometimes credited Patrick Laborteaux, known for Andy Garvey on Little House on the Prairie and Bud Roberts on JAG, and co-founder of the Youth Rescue Fund.

Patrick Muldoon

Patrick Muldoon (William Patrick Muldoon III, 1968–2026), American actor and producer known as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives, Richard Hart on Melrose Place, and Zander Barcalow in Starship Troopers; died of a heart attack April 19, 2026.

Patrick Renna

Patrick Renna (born 1979, Boston) is an American actor famous as Hamilton "Ham" Porter in The Sandlot (1993), source of "You're killin' me, Smalls." Also known for Son in Law, The Big Green, Netflix's GLOW, and the Sandlot cast-reunion series Dugout Dads.

Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze (1952-2009), American actor and trained ballet dancer from Houston, starred in Dirty Dancing (1987), Ghost (1990), and Point Break (1991); died of pancreatic cancer at 57.

Patrick Warburton

Patrick Warburton (born 1964, Paterson, New Jersey) is an American actor known for David Puddy on Seinfeld, Jeff Bingham on Rules of Engagement, The Tick, and voice roles as Kronk, Joe Swanson, Brock Samson, Buzz Lightyear, and Lemony Snicket.

Patti D'Arbanville

Patti D'Arbanville, born Patricia D'Arbanville in 1951 in New York, is an American actress discovered by Andy Warhol, debut in Flesh (1968), French film star in Bilitis, later TV roles in New York Undercover, Third Watch, and The Sopranos, and subject of Cat Stevens' Lady D'Arbanville.

Patti Davis

Patti Davis (Patricia Ann Reagan, born 1952) is an American actress and author, daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan; known for anti-nuclear activism, The Way I See It, and later reconciliation.

Patti Deutsch

Patti Deutsch (1943-2017), American comedian and voice actress born in Pittsburgh; Match Game panelist 1973-79, Tattletales with husband Donald Ross, and voice roles in The Smurfs, Tarzan, and Monsters, Inc.

Patti Hansen

Patti Hansen (Patty Hansen), American model and actress born 1956, 1970s Vogue and Glamour icon, Calvin Klein Jeans face, wife of Keith Richards since 1983, bladder cancer survivor.

Paul Benedict

Paul Benedict (1938-2008), American character actor born in Silver City, New Mexico; played Harry Bentley on The Jeffersons and the Mad Painter on Sesame Street; also a stage director.

Paul Dooley

Paul Dooley (born Paul Lee Brown, 1928, Parkersburg, West Virginia) is an American character actor of seven decades, known as the dad in Breaking Away and Sixteen Candles, Wimpy in Altman's Popeye, co-creator of The Electric Company, and the voice of Sarge in Pixar's Cars.

Paul Gleason

Paul Xavier Gleason (1939-2006), American character actor of Trading Places, The Breakfast Club, and Die Hard; trained with Strasberg, died of mesothelioma; distinct from Jackie Gleason and Paul Gleeson.

Paul Le Mat

Paul Le Mat, American actor (born Rahway, New Jersey; year disputed, 1945/1946 or 1952), played John Milner in American Graffiti (1973) and Melvin Dummar in Melvin and Howard (1980); two Golden Globe Awards.

Paul Michael Glaser

Paul Michael Glaser (born 1943) is an American actor and director, Detective Dave Starsky on Starsky & Hutch (1975–79), later director of The Running Man and Kazaam, and chairman of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Paul Reiser

Paul Reiser, American comedian, actor, and author born in New York (sources differ, 1956 or 1957), co-creator and star of Mad About You, Burke in Aliens, 11 Emmy nominations, later roles in Stranger Things and The Kominsky Method.

Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld, 1952-2023) was an American actor and comedian who created Pee-wee Herman with the Groundlings, starred in Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Pee-wee's Playhouse, and came out as gay in the 2025 documentary Pee-wee as Himself.

Paul Rodriguez (actor)

Paul Rodriguez is a Mexican American comedian, actor, and director. He is known for his 1984 sitcom a.k.a. Pablo and his over four decades of bilingual work.

Paul Schrier

Paul Schrier (Paul L. Schrier II, born 1970, Las Vegas) is an American actor, director, and comic artist best known as Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier in Power Rangers, 1993–1999 and 2011, and as HyperForce Yellow.

Paul Shenar

Paul Shenar (Albert Paul Shenar, 1936-1989), American character actor and ACT co-founder; played Alejandro Sosa in Scarface, voiced Jenner in The Secret of NIMH, and portrayed Orson Welles and Flo Ziegfeld on television.

Paul Sorvino

Paul Sorvino (Paul Anthony Sorvino, 1939-2022) was an American character actor known for Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas, Sgt. Cerretta on Law & Order, a 1973 Tony nomination, and an operatic tenor side career.

Paul Walker

Paul Walker (1973–2013), American actor, played undercover cop Brian O'Conner in The Fast and the Furious franchise; known for Varsity Blues, Running Scared, Hours, Reach Out Worldwide, and death in a 2013 Porsche crash.

Paul Winfield

Paul Winfield (1941-2004), American actor, Oscar-nominated for Sounder (1972) as sharecropper Nathan Lee Morgan, played MLK in King (1978), won a 1995 Emmy for Picket Fences.

Paul Zaloom

Paul Zaloom (born 1951, Brooklyn) is an American puppeteer, political satirist, and performance artist, best known as Beakman on Beakman's World (1992–1997) and as a pioneer of object theater.

Paula Jai Parker

Paula Jai Parker (Paula Jai Parker-Martin), American actress and comedian from Cleveland, Ohio, known for Friday, Phone Booth, Hustle & Flow, the CableACE-winning Cosmic Slop, and voicing Trudy Proud in Disney's The Proud Family and its revival.

Paula Kelly (actress)

Paula Kelly (Paula Alma Kelly, 1942–2020), American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer; Juilliard-trained, danced with Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey, starred as Helene in Sweet Charity on stage and film, Emmy-nominated for Night Court and The Women of Brewster Place.

Paula Marshall

Paula Marshall (born 1964, Rockville, Maryland) is an American actress known for Cupid, Gary Unmarried, Californication, Euphoria, and 9-1-1; distinct from the 1926–1956 British actress Paula Marshall and novelist Paule Marshall.

Paula Sheppard

Paula E. Sheppard (born 1957, West Orange, New Jersey) is an American former actress known only for two cult films: Alice Spages in Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) and Adrian in Liquid Sky (1982).

Peggy Lipton

Peggy Lipton (Margaret Ann Lipton, 1946–2019), American actress, model, and singer; played undercover cop Julie Barnes on The Mod Squad and Norma Jennings on Twin Peaks; Golden Globe winner, four Emmy nominations, mother of Rashida and Kidada Jones.