Known for movies
Head of the Class (1986-1990)
as Charlie Moore
About Schmidt (2002)
as Larry Hertzel
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
as Dr. Louis Faraday
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)
as Pete Lassard
Short Info
| Spouse | Caroline Ducrocq, Catherine Maison |
| Fact | Arrested for selling one ounce of marijuana in San Francisco in 1966. |
Who is Howard Hesseman?
Howard Hesseman was born on 27 February 1940, in Lebanon, Oregon, USA, and is an actor, probably best known for his role in the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” in which he played DJ Dr. Johnny Fever. Other notable roles he’s had include Charlie Moore in “Head of the Class”, and Sam Royer in “One Day at a Time”.
The Net Worth of Howard Hesseman
How rich is Howard Hesseman? As of late-2019, sources inform us of a net worth that is over $5 million, earned through a successful career in acting.
Howard Hesseman is a true gem… he should be working all the time… note to fellow directors… 🙂
Posted by The Official Fred Olen Ray Page on Monday, March 21, 2016
He’s been in the entertainment industry since 1968 and has also appeared in numerous films throughout his career. As he continues his endeavors, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Howard grew up in Lebanon, and was raised by his parents until he was five years old, when they divorced, and he was primarily raised by his mother alongside his stepfather, who was a police officer. He attended Silverton High School, and after matriculating in 1958, enrolled at the University of Oregon.
He decided to later forego his college education to fully commit to acting. He moved to San Francisco, and worked as a radio DJ under the alias Don Sturdy. He did so while pursuing acting projects, and he also became a founding member of the improvisational comedy group called The Committee, which is based in the area, creating the group alongside actor David Ogden Stiers. He began to take acting projects under the name Don Sturdy, appearing in an episode of “Dragnet” in which he played the role of a hippie, an editor of an underground newspaper.
Rise to Fame
During the two final episodes of the season of “The Andy Griffith Show”, Howard played a bit part as Harry who is a fisherman who becomes involved in supporting Emmett’s campaign. In the other episode, he played a counter boy who served hot dogs and root beers to Goober. His next project would be on “The Bob Newhart Show”, in which he appeared for several episodes as a member of the group therapy ensemble who was later revealed as gay. During the sixth season, his character became a playwright. In 1969, he worked on several sketches for “The Dick Cavett Show”, and on one occasion worked with soul singer Janis Joplin.
His fame increased significantly when he played Dr. Johnny Fever in the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”, a role which he held through the entirety of the show from 1978 to 1982. His experience working as a DJ contributed to his prowess in the role, and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award on two occasions. He then reprised his role in “The New WKRP in Cincinnati” many years later, and would even direct a few episodes. He was also a part of the Disney film entitled “Flight of the Navigator”.
Latter Career
In 1986, he played the role of the teacher Charlie Moore in ABC’s “Head of the Class”, and also married Bonnie Franklin’s character in “One Day at a Time”. By the 1990s, he had made two appearances on “Saturday Night Live”, paying a tribute to John Belushi. His next project would be a production of “Quills” at the Geffen Playhouse in California, playing the character Marquis de Sade. In 2001, he had a three-episode role in “That ‘70s Show” before working another three episodes in “Boston Legal”.
Afterwards, he had a guest role in “House”, before playing The Chemist in the HBO television miniseries “John from Cincinnati”. He was then an announcer on “Psych” before appearing during the 2007 season premiere of “ER” in which he played the role of a man who has been affected by magic mushrooms. He also starred in a production of “The Sunshine Boys”, which ran in 2010 at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas. The following year, he had a guest role in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. One of his latest projects was a series of promotional work done in 2018, mainly for classic television shows on the MeTV network.
Personal Life and Social Media
For his personal life, it is known that Hesseman has married three times – there are almost no details regarding his first marriage, which ended in divorce sometime in 1961. Four years after that, he married Catherine Maison and they stayed together for nine years before divorcing. His third wife is Carol Ducrocq who is known for her contributions to theatre in production and direction. They have been married since 1989. Aside from these three marriages, he also had a well-known friendship Janis Joplin during the late 1960s, which at times turned into romance.
One of the reasons why there is very limited information about him is due to the lack of any strong online presence. He has an account on the website Twitter, which has over 200 followers but he has not been active on it, only posting a few times, with the last being in 2017. He was an icon during the 1960s, and in recent years, people have been wondering about his current endeavors. Others state that he is enjoying his retirement, with rumors stating that he retired sometime in 2016, but he still took acting projects past that year.
General Info
| Full Name | Howard Hesseman |
| Height | 1.82 m |
| Profession | Comedian, Actor, Radio personality |
| Education | University of Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
Family
| Spouse | Caroline Ducrocq, Catherine Maison |
| Parents | George Henry Hesseman, Edna Forster |
Accomplishments
| Nominations | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, TV Land Teacher of the Year Award, TV Land Broadcaster(s) of the Year Award |
| Movies | Flight of the Navigator, About Schmidt, Private Lessons, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, All About Steve, Gridlock’d, Doctor Detroit, This Is Spinal Tap, Halloween II, Wild Oats, Rubin and Ed, The Sunshine Boys, Billy Jack, Silent Movie, The Rocker, The Big Bus, Americathon, Teddy Bears’ P… |
| TV Shows | Head of the Class, One Day at a Time, WKRP in Cincinnati |
Social profile links
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | [on Head of the Class (1986)] We’re not doing the show that I was led to believe I’d do, and it’s difficult for me to get off that. I don’t want to air dirty laundry in public, but I do feel that the educational arena is one that offers a variety of story ideas as a means of investigating our lives -what we mean to one another and what’s important. We could do all that with considerable humor, not with jokes, but with genuine humor that comes out of character and situations. |
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | He quit the University of Oregon for San Francisco and the stage. There, under the assumed name Don Sturdy (it was kind of a joke); he joined The Committee, an improv group that also included Rob Reiner and ‘Penny Marshall’ )qv_. He appeared in credits as Don Sturdy in at least four productions: Dragnet 1967 (1967), The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Cisco Pike (1972) and Billy Jack (1971). |
| 2 | Was a close friend and sometime lover of Janis Joplin in the late 1960s. |
| 3 | Arrested for selling one ounce of marijuana in San Francisco in 1966. |
| 4 | As a member of The Committee he appeared weekly on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967) (1968-69). |
| 5 | During The Committee’s appearance on the July 18, 1969, The Dick Cavett Show (1968) Howard called one of his cast members “fellow baby.” Nearly a decade later on WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) he would make this phrase one of the most popular sayings of Dr. Johnny Fever, the role that he is most identified with. |
| 6 | Before he became an actor, he was a real radio D.J. Hence, the WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) role fit him perfectly. |
| 7 | Member of the improvisational group The Committee from 1965-75. |
| 8 | Attended the University of Oregon. |
Pictures
Movies
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Homeless Detective-1 | 2016 | TV Movie completed | Howard Oozman |
| Emmett in Peopleland | 2016 | Short | Howard Oozman |
| A Christmas in Vermont | 2016 | TV Movie | Nick Harper |
| Wild Oats | 2016 | Vespucci | |
| Dirty Politics | 2016 | Big Oil | |
| Chicago Med | 2016 | TV Series | Clyde Glickman |
| Silver Skies | 2016 | Billy | |
| The Homeless Detective | 2015 | TV Movie | Howard |
| How to Become an Outlaw | 2014 | Lawyer | |
| HitStreak | 2013 | TV Series short 2013 | |
| A Helping Hand | 2012 | Short | Howard |
| Bigfoot | 2012 | TV Movie | Mayor Tommy Gillis |
| Mike & Molly | 2012 | TV Series | Otis |
| Drop Dead Diva | 2011 | TV Series | Cole Lamburt |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 2011 | TV Series | Dr. Aden |
| Lie to Me | 2010 | TV Series | Sam Hendricks |
| All About Steve | 2009 | Mr. Horowitz | |
| Halloween II | 2009 | Uncle Meat | |
| The Rocker | 2008 | Gator | |
| Martian Child | 2007 | Dr. Berg | |
| ER | 2007 | TV Series | Dr. James Broderick |
| John from Cincinnati | 2007 | TV Series | Erlemeyer |
| Psych | 2007 | TV Series | Barry Saunder |
| Boston Legal | 2006-2007 | TV Series | Judge Robert Thompson |
| Domestic Import | 2006 | Lou Kimmelman | |
| House M.D. | 2006 | TV Series | Henry Errington |
| Man About Town | 2006 | Ben Giamoro | |
| Crazy for Christmas | 2005 | TV Movie | Fred Nickells |
| Oliver Beene | 2004 | TV Series | Dr. Fenniger |
| Boomtown | 2003 | TV Series | Mel Castle |
| It’s All Relative | 2003 | TV Series | Monty |
| About Schmidt | 2002 | Larry Hertzel | |
| Maybe It’s Me | 2002 | TV Series | Mr. Finn |
| Teddy Bears’ Picnic | 2002 | Ted Frye | |
| The Mesmerist | 2002 | Mr. Valdemar | |
| Crossing Jordan | 2001 | TV Series | Barney Reynolds |
| Thieves | 2001 | TV Series | Hal Bloomberg |
| That ’70s Show | 2001 | TV Series | Max |
| The Sky Is Falling | 2001 | Yogi Cook | |
| Three Sisters | 2001 | TV Series | Jerry Keats |
| Level 9 | 2001 | TV Series | General Richard Scheffer |
| Touched by an Angel | 2000 | TV Series | Flynn Hodge |
| The Pretender | 1999 | TV Series | Landlord |
| Family Law | 1999 | TV Series | Howard Thomas / Randall |
| Tracey Takes On… | 1999 | TV Series | Todd |
| The Practice | 1999 | TV Series | Judge C. Williams |
| Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | 1998 | TV Series | Mr. Bergen |
| The Way to Santiago | 1998 | Short | Johnson |
| On the 2nd Day of Christmas | 1997 | TV Movie | David |
| High Stakes | 1997 | TV Movie | Wayne Dreyer |
| The Outer Limits | 1997 | TV Series | Dr. Emory Taylor |
| Gridlock’d | 1997 | Blind Man | |
| Boys Night Out | 1996 | Short | Sheba / Mr. Cabot |
| Innocent Victims | 1996 | TV Movie | |
| Out-of-Sync | 1995 | Det. Caldwell | |
| Burke’s Law | 1995 | TV Series | |
| Munchie Strikes Back | 1994 | Munchie (voice) | |
| Little Miss Millions | 1993 | Nick Frost | |
| Lethal Exposure | 1993 | TV Movie | Taylor |
| The New WKRP in Cincinnati | 1991-1993 | TV Series | Dr. Johnny Fever Johnny Fever |
| Hot Chocolate | 1992 | TV Movie | Mr. Cassidy |
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | 1992 | TV Series | Bayes |
| Quiet Killer | 1992 | TV Movie | Calvin Phillips |
| Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story | 1991 | TV Movie | Paul Maggioto |
| Rubin and Ed | 1991 | Ed Tuttle | |
| Call Me Anna | 1990 | TV Movie | John Ross |
| Head of the Class | 1986-1990 | TV Series | Charlie Moore |
| The Diamond Trap | 1988 | TV Movie | Det. Rollings |
| Amazon Women on the Moon | 1987 | Rupert King (segment “Titan Man”) | |
| Six Against the Rock | 1987 | TV Movie | Joseph ‘Dutch’ Cretzer |
| Heat | 1986 | Pinchus Zion | |
| Inside Out | 1986 | Jack | |
| Faerie Tale Theatre | 1986 | TV Series | King |
| Flight of the Navigator | 1986 | Dr. Louis Faraday | |
| My Chauffeur | 1986 | McBride | |
| Clue | 1985 | The Chief (uncredited) | |
| George Burns Comedy Week | 1985 | TV Series | |
| Murder, She Wrote | 1985 | TV Series | Sheldon Greenberg |
| Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment | 1985 | Pete Lassard | |
| The Princess Who Had Never Laughed | 1984 | TV Movie | King |
| Silence of the Heart | 1984 | TV Movie | Carl Lewis |
| One Day at a Time | 1982-1984 | TV Series | Sam Royer |
| Best Kept Secrets | 1984 | TV Movie | Jim Osborne |
| Mister Roberts | 1984 | TV Movie | Doc |
| This Is Spinal Tap | 1984 | Terry Ladd | |
| Focus on Fishko | 1983 | Short | Sy |
| Love, Sidney | 1983 | TV Series | |
| Doctor Detroit | 1983 | Smooth Walker | |
| Likely Stories, Vol. 4 | 1983 | TV Movie | Seymour Z. Fishko |
| Nine to Five | 1982 | TV Series | |
| One Shoe Makes It Murder | 1982 | TV Movie | Joe Hervey |
| WKRP in Cincinnati | 1978-1982 | TV Series | Dr. Johnny Fever |
| Victims | 1982 | TV Movie | Charles Galloway |
| Honky Tonk Freeway | 1981 | Snapper | |
| Private Lessons | 1981 | Lester | |
| Women Who Rate a 10 | 1981 | TV Movie | Host |
| Skyward | 1980 | TV Movie | Koup Trenton |
| Gridlock | 1980 | TV Movie | Senor Smooth (voice) |
| Americathon | 1979 | Kip Margolis | |
| You Can’t Take It with You | 1979 | TV Movie | Wilbur C. Henderson |
| Outside Chance | 1978 | TV Movie | David |
| More Than Friends | 1978 | TV Movie | Avery Salminella |
| Coming Attractions | 1978 | Ernie Piles, War Correspondent | |
| The Comedy Company | 1978 | TV Movie | Roger Dustleman |
| Soap | 1978 | TV Series | Mr. Franklin |
| Husbands, Wives & Lovers | 1978 | TV Series | Dave |
| The Rockford Files | 1978 | TV Series | Al Steever |
| The Ghost of Flight 401 | 1978 | TV Movie | Bert Stockwell |
| The Bob Newhart Show | 1974-1978 | TV Series | Craig Plager / Augie |
| Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo | 1977 | TV Movie | Fred |
| Quincy M.E. | 1977 | TV Series | D.A. Jerry Douglas |
| Blansky’s Beauties | 1977 | TV Series | Dr. Berg |
| The Other Side of Midnight | 1977 | O’Brien | |
| Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | 1976-1977 | TV Series | Dr. Robert Williams |
| The Amazing Howard Hughes | 1977 | TV Movie | Jenks |
| Westside Medical | 1977 | TV Series | Buz Canfield |
| Tail Gunner Joe | 1977 | TV Movie | Lt. Cantwell |
| Delvecchio | 1977 | TV Series | Goldie |
| Laverne & Shirley | 1976 | TV Series | Dr. Grayson |
| Baretta | 1976 | TV Series | Walker |
| Switch | 1976 | TV Series | M.W. |
| The Big Bus | 1976 | Jack | |
| Silent Movie | 1976 | Executive | |
| Jackson County Jail | 1976 | David | |
| Family | 1976 | TV Series | Store Manager |
| Tunnel Vision | 1976 | Senator McMannus | |
| Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur | 1976 | TV Movie | AP Man |
| The TVTV Show | 1976 | TV Movie | Ralph Buckler |
| The Sunshine Boys | 1975/I | Mr. Walsh, Commerical Director | |
| Harry O | 1975 | TV Series | Senator Lawler |
| Whiffs | 1975 | Dr. Gopian | |
| Prisoners | 1975 | ||
| The Blue Knight | 1975 | TV Series | Resident |
| Sanford and Son | 1975 | TV Series | Professor Stoneham |
| Hustling | 1975 | TV Movie | Detective |
| Shampoo | 1975 | Red Dog | |
| Mannix | 1975 | TV Series | Ray Bennett |
| Rhoda | 1974 | TV Series | Kirk Stevens |
| Another April | 1974 | TV Movie | Dennis Webber |
| Firehouse | 1974 | TV Series | Hanley |
| The Blue Knight | 1973 | TV Movie | |
| Kid Blue | 1973 | Confectionary Man (as Howard Hessman) | |
| Jory | 1973 | Santa Rosa Bartender (uncredited) | |
| Steelyard Blues | 1973 | Frank Veldini | |
| Cisco Pike | 1972 | Recording Engineer (as Don Sturdy) | |
| The Christian Licorice Store | 1971 | Last Party Guest | |
| Billy Jack | 1971 | Drama Teacher (as Don Sturdy) | |
| The Feminist and the Fuzz | 1971 | TV Movie | Hippie |
| Some Kind of a Nut | 1969 | Bartender (uncredited) | |
| Dragnet 1967 | 1968 | TV Series | Jesse Chaplin |
| Petulia | 1968 | Hippie (uncredited) | |
| The Andy Griffith Show | 1968 | TV Series | Harry / Counterboy |
Director
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| WKRP in Cincinnati | 1982 | TV Series 1 episode |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| WKRP in Cincinnati | 1981 | TV Series written by – 1 episode |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Portrait of Grief | 2009 | Short executive producer |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| How To Become An Outlaw 1 | 2015 | Documentary completed | Lawyer |
| Thank You, Del: The Story of the Del Close Marathon | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
| The 8th Annual TV Land Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself – Glee Club |
| Out of Order: Character Judges | 2007 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
| TV Land’s Top Ten | 2005-2006 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards | 2005 | TV Special | Himself |
| CBS at 75 | 2003 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
| Biography | 2003 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Power Vision – Pop Galerie | 2000 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Television: The First Fifty Years | 1999 | Video documentary | Himself / Interviewee |
| The Life and Times of the Red Dog Saloon | 1996 | Documentary | Narrator |
| 1993 Environmental Media Awards | 1993 | TV Special | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary | 1989 | TV Special | Himself – Audience Member (uncredited) |
| The 14th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 1988 | TV Special documentary | Himself – Co-Presenter: Favourite Talk Show Host |
| 19th Annual NAACP Image Awards | 1987 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
| Super Night of Rock ‘n’ Roll | 1984 | TV Movie | Himself – Host |
| Looking for Jango Edwards | 1984 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | 1983 | TV Movie documentary | Johnny Caravella (Doctor Johnny Fever) |
| Saturday Night Live | 1979-1983 | TV Series | Himself – Host / Various / Himself |
| Tom Cottle: Up Close | 1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 33rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1981 | TV Special | Himself – Nominee: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series & Co-Presenter: Outstanding Hairstyling |
| The 7th Annual People’s Choice Awards | 1981 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter: Favourite Television Dramatic Program |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1980 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Fantastic Funnies | 1980 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body | 1980 | TV Movie | Himself / The Rock Doctor |
| 30 Years of TV Comedy’s Greatest Hits: To Laughter with Love | 1980 | TV Movie | Himself – Presenter |
| Battle of the Network Stars VII | 1979 | TV Special | Himself – CBS Team |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1979 | TV Series | Himself – Actor |
| All-Star Family Feud Special | 1979 | TV Series | Himself – Celebrity Contestant |
| Family Feud | 1979 | TV Series | Himself / Himself – Contestant |
| A Session with the Committee | 1969 | Documentary as Don Sturdy |
Awards
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | Broadcaster of the Year | WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) |
| 2006 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | Teacher of the Year | Head of the Class (1986) |
| 2003 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | Classic TV Teacher of the Year | Head of the Class (1986) |
| 1981 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) |
| 1980 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) |
