Charles Cyphers (born July 28, 1939) is an American actor who portrayed Coach Carl Marin on Buffy the Vampire Slayer has starred in many films and on television. He is known in the horror movie community for his work in the films of John Carpenter, especially his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in Carpenter's 1978 hit horror movie Halloween. He reprised this role in the 1981 sequel Halloween II. He is not related to actor Jon Cypher, alongside whom he played in Hill Street Blues.
Film Work
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.
After appearing in Halloween in 1978, 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.
In 2005, he appeared in the movie Dead Calling, and in 2007 he appeared as a Sheriff in Ethan Dettenmaier's forthcoming film, Sin-Jin Smyth, and in the film Methodic in a role which paid homage to his character in Halloween.
Television
Cyphers has appeared in numerous television productions. During the 1970s, he had a recurring role, as Hugo Muncy, in The Betty White Show. In addition, he had guest roles in popular television series such as Barnaby Jones and The Dukes of Hazzard, and he played Drake in the 1977 mini series Roots.
More recently, he has appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 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 has also acted in various made-for-television movies.
Filmography
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) ....Starker MacArthur (1977) ....Brig. Gen. Forest Harding Halloween (1978) ....Sheriff Brackett Elvis (1979)....Sam Phillips The Onion Field (1979) ....Chaplain Borderline (1980) ....Ski The Fog (1980)....Dan O'Bannon Escape from New York (1981) ....Secretary of State Halloween II (1981) ....Sheriff Brackett Death Wish II (1982) ....Donald Kay Honkytonk Man (1982) ....Stubbs Big Bad Mama II (1987) ....Stark Gleaming the Cube (1989) ....Harvey McGill Major League (1989) ....Charlie Donovan Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) ....Interrogator Mach 2 (2001) ....Harry Olson Dead Calling (2006) ....Chuck Walker Sin-Jin Smyth (2006) Methodic (2007) ....Chief Sperranza Legend of the Mountain Witch (2009) ....Ben Maddock
Appearances
- "Go Fish"
Characters
- Coach Carl Marin
See also
- Nurse Ruth Greenliegh
