Eugene Roche
(1928 - 2004)A familiar face in films of the 1970s and 80s was Eugene Roche and, although he was often cast in the role of sadistic killers and evil characters, I remember him best for his portrayal of good guys; sheriffs, clergymen, military men and the like. His was an interesting face, round and pudgy, framed by dark, receding straight hair with puzzled, introspective looking eyes. His look was perfect for character parts. Best known for roles as the 'Ajax' Man in television commercials, his role as a lawyer on "Soap", P.I. Luther Gillis on "Magnum, P.I." and newspaper Editor Harry Burns on "Perfect Strangers", he always created extremely memorable characters. He was born on September 22, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in Boston and as a young man he did character voices at local radio stations. His military service included a stint in the Army during World War II and the Korean War. He attended Emerson College and began his acting career on stage. With a solid stage background it was inevitable that he would move on to films and television. In the 1980s he was appearing in three television series plus TV movies and guest appearances on many series. His film career began in the late 1960s in “The Happening” (1967) as a Motorcycle Officer. His other films include: “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970) as Anderson; “They Might Be Giants” (1971) as Policeman; “The Slaughterhouse-Five” (1972) as Derby; "W" aka "I Want Her Dead" (1974) as Charles Jasper; “Newman’s Law” (1974) as Reardon; “Mr. Ricco” (1975) as George Cronyn; “The Late Show” (1977) as Ron Birdwell; “Foul Play” (1978) with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, as Archbishop Thorncrest/Archbishop’s Brother; “Corvette Summer” (1978) as Ed McGrath; “Oh God! You Devil” (1984) as Charlie Gray; “Eternity” (1989) as Governor/Riley; “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1994) as Walter; “ Executive Decision” (1996) as Admiral Lewis and “The Woman Chaser” (1999) as Used Car Dealer. He was a regular on the TV series: “The Corner Bar” (1972-73) as Frank Flynn; “Soap” (1978-81) as Attorney E. Ronald Mallu; “Good Time Harry” (1980) as Jimmy Hughes; “Webster” (1984-86) as Bill Parker; “Perfect Strangers” (1987-88) as Harry Burns; “Take Five” (1987) as Max Davis; “Lenny” (1990) as Pat; “Julie” (1992) as Wooley and “The Chimp Channel” (1999) as Voice of Murray Price. Some of the many TV movies in which he appeared were: “Crawlspace” (1971); “The Last Survivors” (1975); “The Ghost of Flight 401” (1978); “The Child Stealer” (1979); “Miracle on Ice” (1981); “The Juggler of Notre Dame”; “Airwolf” (1984); “A Case for Murder” (1993); “Roswell” (1994) and Dancing at the Harvest Moon" (2002). He guested on many TV series including: “Naked City”; “Maude”; “Kojak”; “Ellery Queen”; “All in the Family”; “Lou Grant”; “Taxi”; “Magnum, P.I.”; “Highway to Heaven”; “Murder, She Wrote”; “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Family Law.” He married Ann Toni C. Bratman and they have nine children including actor Eamonn Roche and Brogan Roche. Another son, Sean Roche, is a writer/producer and has won an Emmy award. He is sometimes credited as Gene Roche. He authored a book of stories based on interesting people he'd met during his lifetime. He died of a heart attack on July 28, 2004 in Encino, California at age 75.
From Great Character Actors, Page 8.
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