George William "G. W." Bailey (born August 27, 1944) is a stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy (1984–1994), Captain Felix Maxwell in Mannequin (1987) and Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H (TV-Series 1979 - 1983). He currently stars on the TNT series The Closer (he has ...
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George William "G. W." Bailey (born August 27, 1944) is a stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy (1984–1994), Captain Felix Maxwell in Mannequin (1987) and Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H (TV-Series 1979 - 1983). He currently stars on the TNT series The Closer (he has known Closer creator James Duff since 1972, when he was his high-school instructor in Lubbock, Texas and has also known co-star Tony Denison for several years).
Bailey was born in Port Arthur, Texas. He went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur with Janis Joplin and Jimmy Johnson. He started college at Lamar University in nearby Beaumont and transferred to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He left college and spent the mid-1960s working at local theater companies before moving to California in the mid-1970s, where he landed roles on...
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