Charles Cyphers

• Name — Charles Cyphers • Years Active — 1972–2021 • Born — 28 July 1939 • Birthplace — Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. • Died — 4 August 2024 • Place of death — Tucson, Arizona, U.S. • Occupation — Actor

Cyphers's first feature film was the 1974 movie Truck Turner, and he first worked with Carpenter in the 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13, in which he played Starker, one of the ill-fated police officers gunned down by gang members. He later appeared as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween. Cyphers worked with Carpenter two years later, playing Dan O'Bannon in The Fog, a 1980 horror film which also starred Tom Atkins, Cyphers's fellow Halloween cast member Jamie Lee Curtis, his Assault on Precinct 13 co-star Darwin Joston, and Nancy Kyes, who worked with Cyphers in both Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. He then played the Secretary of State in Carpenter's popular 1981 film Escape from New York, in which he appeared with Atkins and Halloween actress Nancy Stephens. He reprised the role of Sheriff Brackett in Halloween II. In 2005, he appeared in the movie Dead Calling, and in 2007 he was set to appear in Ethan Dettenmaier's unreleased film, Sin-Jin Smyth, and in the film Methodic in a role which paid homage to his character in Halloween. Cyphers later returned to the Halloween franchise, reprising the role of Brackett in the 2021 film Halloween Kills. Cyphers appeared in numerous television productions. During the 1970s, he had a recurring role, as Hugo Muncy, in The Betty White Show, and he guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville in 1976. In addition, he had guest roles in popular television series such as Barnaby Jones, Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard, and he played Drake in the 1977 mini series Roots. More recently, Cyphers appeared in Sliders, ER, Seinfeld, JAG, and Any Day Now. From 1996 to 1998, Cyphers played Al Yaroker in the 1990s series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He also acted in various made-for-television movies.

Cyphers' roles on the stage, both on- and off-Broadway, include 12 Angry Men, in which he portrayed "Juror #3" to Julie Cobb's "#2" (her father portrayed "#3" in the 1957 movie). Cyphers appeared on The Dating Game in 1967 to compete for a date with Yvonne Craig ("Batgirl" from the 1960s Batman TV series).

Cyphers died after a brief illness in Tucson, Arizona, on August 4, 2024, at the age of 85.

Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1972 — Cool Breeze — Backstage Police Officer — Uncredited • 1973 — The Slams — Nicol • 1974 — Truck Turner — Drunk • 1976 — Vigilante Force — Perry Beal • Assault on Precinct 13 — Officer Starker • 1977 — MacArthur — Brigadier General Forest Harding • 1978 — Coming Home — Pee Wee • Gray Lady Down — Larson • Halloween — Sheriff Leigh Brackett • 1979 — A Force of One — Dr. Eppis • The Onion Field — Chaplain • 1980 — The Fog — Dan O'Bannon • Borderline — Ski • 1981 — Escape from New York — Secretary of State • Halloween II — Sheriff Leigh Brackett • 1982 — Death Wish II — Donald Kay • Honkytonk Man — Stubbs • Grizzly II: Revenge — Steve • 1986 — Hunter's Blood — Woody • 1987 — Big Bad Mama II — Stark • 1989 — Major League — Charlie Donovan • Gleaming the Cube — Harvey McGill • 1993 — Loaded Weapon 1 — Interrogator • 1995 — Murder in the First — Bailiff — Uncredited • 2001 — Mach 2 — Harry Olson • Critical Mass — Henderson • 2006 — Dead Calling — Chuck Walker • 2007 — Methodic — Chief Sperranza • 2021 — Halloween Kills — Leigh Brackett — Final film role Television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1972–1973 — Cannon — Janniver's Accomplice/Corky Hill — 2 episodes • 1973–1975, 1977 — Barnaby Jones — Various — 4 episodes • 1973 — The F.B.I. — Charlie Wicker — Episode: "Break-In" • 1974 — The Manhunter — Emmett Crowley — Episode: "Death on the Run" • The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One — Arthur 'Doc' Barker — TV film • The Missiles of October — Press Photographer • 1975 — The Secrets of Isis — Sam Niles — Episode: "Fool's Dare" • 1976 — The Six Million Dollar Man — Faler — Seasons 3–4 (guest role, 3 episodes) • The Bionic Woman — Faler — Episode: "The Return of Bigfoot Part 2" • Phyllis — Coach Joe Cook — Episode: "Out of the Closet" • 1976, 1978–1979 — Starsky & Hutch — Various — 3 episodes • 1976 — Gibbsville — Wingfield — Episode: "Trapped" • 1977 — Charlie's Angels — Haller — Episode: "Angels on a String" • Roots — Fred Drake — Miniseries (episode 8) • Wonder Woman — Kurt — Episode: "Wonder Woman in Hollywood" • The Tony Randall Show — Eddie Foxworth — Episode: "Case: The People Speak" • Dog and Cat — Loomis — Episode: "Dead Skunk" • Our Town — Sam Craig — TV film • 1977–1978 — The Betty White Show — Hugo Muncy — Season 1 (recurring role, 14 episodes) • 1977 — The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald — Michael Brandon — TV film • 1978 — Alice — Allen Wolf — Episode: "Close Encounters of the Worst Kind" • Someone's Watching Me! — Gary Hunt — TV film • 1979 — Elvis — Sam Phillips • 1979, 1984 — The Dukes of Hazzard — Bumper/Phil — 2 episodes • 1979 — Friendly Fire — Tom Loomis — TV film • Lou Grant — Jerry Baldwin — Episode: "Charlatan" • 1981 — Hart to Hart — Lester — Episode: "Hart-Shaped Murder" • 1982 — The Quest — Peters — Episode: "Escape from a Velvet Box" • Benson — Scotty — Episode: "Benson's Army Reunion" • 1983 — Memorial Day — Jack Ruskin — TV film • Little House on the Prairie: Look Back to Yesterday — Zack Taylor • 1984 — Rituals — Dutch — Unknown episode(s) • Airwolf — Joe Ganns — Episode: "HX-1" • 1985, 1987 — Hill Street Blues — Capt. Leder/Commander #1 — 3 episodes • 1986 — Matlock — Tom Coyle — Episode: "The Cop" • 1987 — Dallas — Bertram Pogue — 2 episodes • Our House — Fred Houston — Episode: "Past Tense, Future Tense Part 2" • Santa Barbara — Sheriff — Episode 724 • Simon & Simon — Sergeant Lester — Episode: "New Cop in Town" • 1988 — Night Court — Leo — Episode: "Dan, the Walking Time Bomb" • China Beach — The General — Episode: "Home" • Aaron's Way — Episode: "Invisible People" • 21 Jump Street — Team Doctor — Episode: "Coach of the Year" • 1989 — Freddy's Nightmares — Ben Ostroff — Episode: "Dream Come True" • Jake and the Fatman — Benny Kraus — Episode: Dancing in the Dark" • Dragnet — Coach Simons — Episode: "The Connection" • Mancuso, F.B.I. — Episode: "Weapons-Grade" • 1990 — The Outsiders — Episode: "Union Blues" • 1991–1992 — Roc — Mr. Samuels — 2 episodes • 1991 — Murder, She Wrote — Lt. Timothy Chance — Episode: "Lines of Excellence" • 1993 — FBI: The Untold Stories — Sillous Huddleston — Episode: "Yablonski" • Renegade — Zachary Quinn — Episode: "Honor Bound" • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman — Thaddeus Roarke — Episode: "Honeymoon in Metropolis" • 1994 — California Dreams — Coach Cotler — Episode: "Can't Buy Me Love" • seaQuest DSV — Calvin Shelley — Episode: "Higher Power" • Hardball — Chuck — Pilot • The George Carlin Show — Officer Bill Koski — 3 episodes • 1995 — Sliders — Coach Almquist — Episode: "Eggheads" • Deadly Games — General Barnicke — Episode: "The Camp Counsellor Part 2" • Seinfeld — Gardner — Episode: "The Hot Tub" • E.R. — Injured Civil-War Reenactor — Episode: "The Secret Sharer" • JAG — Jesse — Episode: "Brig Break" • The George Wendt Show — Mr. Blake — Episode: "My Brother, the Albatross" • 1996 — Murder One — Patrick McQueen — 4 episodes • 1996–1998 — Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher — Al Yaroker — Season 1–2 • 1998 — Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Coach Carl Marin — Episode: "Go Fish" • Pensacola: Wings of Gold — General Stabler — Episode: "Raid on Osirak" • Hyperion Bay — Episode: "The Rope" • 1999 — Any Day Now — 2 episodes • 2001 — Cousin Skeeter — Episode: "Little Mr. Big Man on Campus"