Dana Elcar
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Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927–June 6, 2005) was an American television and movie character actor. Although he appeared in about 40 films, his most memorable role was on the 1980s television series MacGyver as Peter Thornton, an administrator working for the Phoenix Foundation. It should be noted that Elcar appeared In the pilot episode of MacGyver as Andy Colson (a completely different character). He was then cast as Pete Thorton and the Character made his first appearance In the 11th episode of the first season.
Born Ibson Dana Elcar in Ferndale, Michigan, Elcar was an alumnus of the University of Michigan where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Elcar was also a student of legendary acting coach Sanford Meisner. He brought this education to bear when in 1986, with fellow character actor William Lucking, he formed the Santa Paula Theater Center. Elcar sat as artistic director for six years.
Elcar had supporting roles in The Sting, 2010: Odyssey Two, All of Me, and The Learning Tree. He also had a recurring role in the popular 1970s television series Baa Baa Black Sheep. Another of his recurring roles was as Sheriff Patterson #1 on Dark Shadows. He was often mistaken for his MacGyver stunt/photography double [1], Don S. Davis, and vice-versa. He also appeared in the cult hit series Knight Rider in the 1983 episode Merchants of Death.
In 1991, Elcar began to develop glaucoma, a condition of the eyes that in advanced cases, especially if untreated, can cause blindness. This condition was written into the show, MacGyver, with Elcar's character developing the disease. After MacGyver ended, he guest starred on Law & Order, The Magic School Bus and ER. In each he played a blind character although The Magic School Bus was animated and it would have thus been unnecessary for the character to be blind.
Once blind, Elcar took on the challenge of playing Vladimir in Waiting for Godot complete with white cane. This was his theatrical swan song, and he retired in 1992. Elcar died on 6 June 2005 at the Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California due to complications from pneumonia. He was 78. He is survived by his son, Dane Elcar, his three daughters, a stepdaughter (former soap opera actress and current writer Emily Prager) , his sister, his half-sister, and his long-time partner, Thelma M. Garcia.
