George Gaynes, Police Academy’s hapless leader, dead at 98

Actor George Gaynes, who played a beleaguered commandant in seven “Police Academy” films and a grouchy foster parent on the 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster”, has died. He was 98. Gaynes died on Monday at his daughter’s home in Washington. Along with being a versatile actor, he was also known for his prolific voice and started his career with opera performances. He went ahead to act in 35 films, TV roles, and a number of plays and musical comedies.

[It’s] a sad, sad loss. But he had a really long, great life.

Long-time agent, Jonathan Howard

But he is perhaps best remembered by cinema fans as the loveable, bumbling Commandant Eric Lassard in the Police Academy series. His most critically-acclaimed role was as a lecherous soap-opera star in “Tootsie,” trying to get his hands on castmate Dorothy, not realising that the “actress” played by Dustin Hoffman is actually a man. Gaynes retired in 2003 after playing in the feature comedy Just Married, alongside Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. He is survived by his wife, actress Allyn Ann McLerie, his daughter, and grandchildren. His son, Matthew, died in a car crash in 1989.

Police Academy