John Putch
Encyclopedia
John Putch is an American actor
, director
and screenwriter
. He is best known for his recurring role as Bob Morton on the 1980s sitcom One Day at a Time
and as Sean Brody in the film Jaws 3-D
.
, Pennsylvania
. He began his career as an actor at the age of five in summer theater company, The Totem Pole Playhouse, run by his father William H. Putch (1924–1983). He is the son of actress Jean Stapleton.
After guest starring on his mother's series All in the Family
, he was remembered by producer Norman Lear
who cast him in a recurring role as Bob Morton on the sitcom One Day at a Time
, appearing in fourteen episodes from 1976–1983. Putch's next notable role was in the film Jaws 3-D
co-starring as Sean Brody the son of Roy Scheider
's character, Martin Brody.
For much of the 1980s into the 1990s he guest starred in a number of notable television series namely, Family Ties
, The Fall Guy
, The Love Boat
, Hill Street Blues
, Newhart
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
, 21 Jump Street
, Seinfeld
, Home Improvement as well as a starring role in the sitcom Room for Two
.
In 1985, Putch made his directorial debut with the film Waiting to Act starring Ed Begley, Jr.
, Helen Hunt
and Lance Guest
. He began focusing more on directing in the mid 1990s, directing independent films and episodic television. His television directing credits include Big Bad Beetleborgs
, Son of the Beach
, Grounded for Life
, Scrubs
, Ugly Betty
, My Name Is Earl
and Cougar Town
. Some of Putch's film directing credits include BachelorMan starring David DeLuise
, The Poseidon Adventure
, American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, Murder 101: College Can Be Murder
starring Dick Van Dyke
and Mojave Phone Booth
starring Annabeth Gish
and Steve Guttenberg
, which won numerous independent film awards.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He is best known for his recurring role as Bob Morton on the 1980s sitcom One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
and as Sean Brody in the film Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr...
.
Career
Putch was born in ChambersburgChambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He began his career as an actor at the age of five in summer theater company, The Totem Pole Playhouse, run by his father William H. Putch (1924–1983). He is the son of actress Jean Stapleton.
After guest starring on his mother's series All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, he was remembered by producer Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
who cast him in a recurring role as Bob Morton on the sitcom One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
, appearing in fourteen episodes from 1976–1983. Putch's next notable role was in the film Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr...
co-starring as Sean Brody the son of Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
's character, Martin Brody.
For much of the 1980s into the 1990s he guest starred in a number of notable television series namely, Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, 21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
, Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, Home Improvement as well as a starring role in the sitcom Room for Two
Room for Two (tv series)
Room for Two is an American situation comedy that features Patricia Heaton as the executive producer of a New York City television show called Wake Up, New York...
.
In 1985, Putch made his directorial debut with the film Waiting to Act starring Ed Begley, Jr.
Ed Begley, Jr.
Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
, Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
and Lance Guest
Lance Guest
Lance R. Guest is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Guest developed a serious interest in acting in the ninth grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween...
. He began focusing more on directing in the mid 1990s, directing independent films and episodic television. His television directing credits include Big Bad Beetleborgs
Big Bad Beetleborgs
Big Bad Beetleborgs is an American television series produced by Saban Entertainment. It aired for two seasons on Fox Kids between September 7, 1996 and March 2, 1998. Reruns later aired on UPN Kids during 1998-1999...
, Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2002 on the FX network. The series was a spoof of Baywatch, with much of the comedy based on sexual jokes, innuendo and the like. The studly David Hasselhoff character is instead an average, pot-bellied, out-of-shape bald man but...
, Grounded for Life
Grounded for Life
Grounded for Life is an American television sitcom that debuted on January 10, 2001 as a mid-season replacement on the FOX Network. It was created by Mike Schiff and Bill Martin. It ran for two seasons on the network until being cancelled only two episodes into its third season...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
and Cougar Town
Cougar Town
Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make...
. Some of Putch's film directing credits include BachelorMan starring David DeLuise
David DeLuise
David Dominick DeLuise is an American actor and director.-Career:DeLuise was born in 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He is the youngest son of actor and comedian Dom DeLuise and actress Carol Arthur , and the brother of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise and actor Michael DeLuise.His first...
, The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure (2005 film)
The Poseidon Adventure is a 2005 action and adventure film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name.-Plot:...
, American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, Murder 101: College Can Be Murder
Murder 101
Murder 101 is the name of a series of two-hour TV movies appearing regularly on the Hallmark Channel since 2006. In it, Dick Van Dyke stars as professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, an absent-minded and brilliant criminologist. His son Barry Van Dyke co-stars as a former cop who is working as a private...
starring Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
and Mojave Phone Booth
Mojave Phone Booth (film)
Mojave Phone Booth is an independently produced 2006 film directed by John Putch. The movie is based on a real phone booth in the Mojave Desert that once accepted incoming calls, but has since been removed....
starring Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish is an American actress known for starring roles in Shag, Mystic Pizza and Double Jeopardy. She is best known for her roles as Special Agent Monica Reyes on The X-Files, Elizabeth Bartlet Westin on The West Wing and as Eileen Caffee on the Showtime drama Brotherhood.-Personal...
and Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
, which won numerous independent film awards.