Bernard Aloysius Kiernan "Barnard" Hughes was an American actor of television, theater and film. Hughes became famous for a variety of roles; his most-notable roles came after middle age, and he was often cast as a dithering authority figure or grandfatherly elder.
Hughes changed the "e" in his first name to an "a" to help his acting career on the advice of a numerologist. Through high school and college, Hughes worked a series of odd jobs, including a stint as a dockworker and as a salesman at Macy's. He auditioned for the Shakespeare Fellowship Repertory company in New York City on the advice of a friend, and ended up joining the company for two years. Hughes played more than 400 theatre roles, including the one for which he was perhaps most famous, in Hugh Leonard's Da. He won Broadway's 1978 Tony Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of the title role; in 1988 he recreated the role for the film Da. On screen, he appeared in the film transcription of Hamlet, and also appeared in such films as Midnight Cowboy, Where's Poppa?, Cold TurkeyThe Hospital, Tron, Maxie, The Lost Boys, Da - the screen reprise of his most successful stage-role, Doc Hollywood and the big success '. He also played the old man who gave a ride to Felix and Oscar in The Odd Couple II and was featured in The Fantasticks. Hughes appeared on TV in such series as Naked City, The Secret Storm, Dark Shadows, Love Story, Blossom, and '. In 1973, he had a notable recurring role on All in the Family as a Roman Catholic priest, Father John Majeski, doing battle with Archie Bunker, and won an Emmy for his portrayal of a senile judge on Lou Grant. Hughes made three appearances in The Bob Newhart Show as the father of Dr. Robert Hartley. He was the central character in three sitcoms: Doc, in which he played a physician; Mr. Merlin, in which he played Merlin, a magician mentoring a 20th-century teenager; and The Cavanaughs, co-starring Christine Ebersole, in which he played the family patriarch. Hughes sang "Danny Boy" in one episode of the latter series. He also made a memorable appearance as The King in the PBS mini-series Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Hughes also made recurring appearances on daytime dramas including Guiding Light and As the World Turns as well as a brief appearance as a private investigator in an early episode of Dark Shadows. He also did voice-overs for television commercials advertising Kix cereal.
Selected filmography
Stage productions
"Osgood Meeker" in the Broadway production of Noël Coward's little-known play Waiting in the Wings, directed by Michael Langham
"Old Man" in the Broadway production of Prelude to a Kiss, directed by Norman René
