George Gaynes in a still from Police Academy
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 at the age of 98.
Mr Gaynes, who appeared in hundreds of TV shows and 35 Hollywood films, died on Monday at his daughter's home in North Bend here, his daughter Iya Gaynes Falcone Brown confirmed to
The New York Times.
Critics often applauded his work in supporting roles, and his face became familiar to millions of Americans. But he never achieved the stardom attained by a leading man.
In
Punky Brewster, he played building manager Henry Warnimont, who finds an abandoned girl (Soleil Moon Frye) and becomes her foster parent and eventually her adoptive father. The actor got the part after two of his most memorable big-screen performances: in 1982's
Tootsie, and in 1984's first entry in the long-running
Police Academy franchise.
He retired in 2003 after appearing in the feature comedy
Just Married starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy.
Mr Gaynes is survived by his wife, a daughter, one granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters. His son, Matthew, died in a 1989 car crash.