Life and career
La Fleur was born in
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the
University of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
under Coach Charlie Bradshaw as chronicled in a 2007 book,
The Thin Thirty.
La Fleur has had many guest-starring roles on
television showsA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, including
AngelAngel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
and
JAGJAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
. He played baseball player
Babe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
in
The SandlotThe Sandlot is a 1993 American comedy-drama sports film about a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. The film was filmed in Utah and directed by David M. Evans...
. He had another notable role as the eccentric and obsessive character Red Sweeney (Silver Fox), in the 1995 family comedy film
Man of the House (1995 film)Man of the House is a 1995 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Marking Thomas' motion picture debut, this Disney comedy is about a boy who must come to terms with his potential stepfather , a well-meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt...
. He also appeared in one episode of the TV show
M*A*S*H in season 9 ("Father’s Day”) as an MP looking for the people responsible for a stolen side of beef. La Fleur played a soldier in the 1985 WW2Scifi film Zone Troopers.
La Fleur also appeared as a baseball player,
Chick GandilCharles Arnold "Chick" Gandil was a professional baseball player. He played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox of the American League. He is best known as the ringleader of the players involved in the 1919 Black Sox scandal...
, in
Field of DreamsField of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
, as the White House's security chief in
First KidFirst Kid is a 1996 Disney comedy film directed by David Mickey Evans and stars Sinbad and Brock Pierce. It was mostly filmed in Richmond, Virginia.-Plot:...
, as "McNulty" in both
TrancersTrancers is a 1985 science fiction film. It was directed by Charles Band and stars Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. It is the first film in a series of six: Trancers , and the direct-to-video releases; Trancers II , Trancers III , Trancers 4: Jack of Swords , Trancers 5: Sudden Deth and Trancers 6...
(1985) and
Trancers IITrancers II is a 1991 American action science fiction film directed by Charles Band. It is the sequel to Trancers starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt.The film has been released on DVD through the Trancers boxset or as a single DVD in Europe.-Plot:...
(1991). He has appeared in
Air AmericaAir America is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots, during the Vietnam War, flying missions in Laos...
(1990),
The ReplacementsThe Replacements is a 2000 American film directed by Howard Deutch. It stars Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton and Orlando Jones.-Plot:...
(2000) and
Beethoven's 4thBeethoven's 4th is the third sequel to the 1992 film, Beethoven and is the fourth installment in the Beethoven film series. It was released on December 4, 2001.- Plot :...
(2003) as Sergeant Rutledge.
La Fleur played a coach for the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 1992 film,
Mr. BaseballMr. Baseball is a 1992 American film that starred Tom Selleck and was directed by Fred Schepisi.-Plot:Jack Elliot is an aging American baseball player put on the trading block by the New York Yankees in favor of a rookie first-baseman , and there's only one taker: the Nagoya Chunichi Dragons of...
. He also appeared in
The Santa Clause 2The Santa Clause 2 is a 2002 American comedy film and the sequel to the 1994 film, The Santa Clause. All the principal actors from the first film reprise their roles, except for Peter Boyle, who returns portraying a different minor character...
in 2002, and
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape ClauseThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is a 2006 American film, the sequel to The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2. This is the third and final film in the trilogy. This film was also scheduled as a Disney Channel Original Movie....
in 2006 as the
tooth fairyThe tooth fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood. The folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth, if he or she places it beneath the bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while the child sleeps, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment....
. In 2005 he appeared in
HostageHostage is a 2005 thriller film with Bruce Willis that was directed by Florent Emilio Siri. The film was based on a novel by Robert Crais, and was adapted for the screen by Doug Richardson....
. In 2009, he appeared in
Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective and in the Science-Fiction horror film "The Rig".
He also appeared on
House, M.D. in 2005 as Warner Fitch, in the episode entitled "Sports Medicine."
He also appeared on " Home Improvement (TV series) as Jimbo in season 1 episode 7 (Nothing more than feelings).
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 9-781593-933425.
External links