Dana Elcar

Dana Elcar was an American television and movie character actor. Although he appeared in about 40 films, his most memorable role was on the 1980s and 1990s television series "MacGyver" as Peter Thornton, an administrator working for the Phoenix Foundation.

Beginning his screen career in the 1950s, Elcar appeared in small parts on numerous TV programs, including "The Art Carney Show," "Car 54, Where Are You?," and "The Patty Duke Show." In '62, he won his first recurring role on the series "The Doctors and the Nurses" and later played a police officer on numerous episodes of the supernatural show "Dark Shadows."

Elcar later made guest appearances on "Get Smart," "Hawaii Five-0," and "Gunsmoke," and was briefly featured as a regular on the cop series "Baretta." In '76, he joined the cast of the war drama "Black Sheep Squadron" (also known as "Baa Baa Black Sheep"), and eventually directed a few episodes of the show.

Elcar's most renowned role arrived in '85 with the popular action/adventure series "MacGyver," where he played the title character's main ally, Pete Thornton, for much the show's seven-season run.

Although Elcar primarily worked in television, he had supporting parts in various films, including "The Sting," "All of Me," and "2010," and, by the time of his death, he had more than 150 screen credits to his name.