Robert Lesser

Robert Lesser or Bobby Lesser is an American film, theater and television actor.

Lesser was born in New York City, and lives in Santa Barbara. His earliest work dates to 1967 with "David Holzman's Diary", directed by Jim McBride. He is best known for the opening scene with Bruce Willis in Die Hard, his featured role in Hester Street with Carol Kane, The Big Easy, Oscar with Sylvester Stallone, Shoot to Kill with Sidney Poitier, Presidio starring Sean Connery, the Japanese film "Best Wishes for Tomorrow among others."Lesser has worked with Bruce Willis, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matthew Broderick, Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller, and Richard Mulligan.^[1][2] He is well known in the Santa Barbara theater community.^[3][4]

In 2011, both the Wall Street Journal and The Hollywood Reporter published a front page, tongue-in-cheek open letter from Lesser to the Internet Movie Database after they refused to correct his birthdate, which they had listed as May 28, 1938, aging him considerably. ^[5] They have since corrected the date.

Selected theaters

• The New York Shakespeare Festival's Richard the Third, on Broadway
• The Soft Touch directed by Alan Arkin
• Rubbers and Yanks 3 Detroit 0 Top of the Seventh, American Place Theatre by Alan Arkin.
• Performances at the Yale Repertory's Winterfest
• Geography of a Horse Dreamer, by Sam Shepard - The Manhattan Theatre Club.
• Steven Berkoff's: Kvetch, and God's Country, Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles.
• To Gillian, by Michael Pressman (West Coast Premier).
• Santa Barbara area:

Rubicon Theatre: My Antonia, In All Honesty

Center Stage Theatre: The Goat or Who is Sylvia, by Edward Albee and Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett.

Ensemble Theatre Company: The Fourth Wall, Communicating Doors, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Weir, An Inspector Calls, and The Cripple of Inishmaan.

Selected films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	David Holzman's Diary	Max, Penny's agent
1974	Hot Times	Coach / Guru
1975	Hester Street	Lawyer
1977	The Goodbye Girl	Richard III Cast
1980	Christmas Evil	Detective Gottleib
1981	The Gangster Chronicles	Treasury Agent #1
1984	2010	Dr. Hirsch
1986	Poltergeist II: The Other Side	Kane's People
	Running Scared	Supoena Lawyer
	The Big Easy	'Silky' Foster
1987	The Monster Squad	Eugene's Dad
1988	Shoot to Kill	Minelli
	The Presidio	Sgt. Mueller
	Die Hard	Businessman
	Ernest Saves Christmas	Marty
1989	Great Balls of Fire!	Alan Freed
1991	Oscar	Officer Keough
1993	What's Love Got to Do with It	Fairmount M.C.
1995	Across the Moon	Dentist #2
	Steal Big Steal Little	Agent Buchanan
1997	The Relic	Mayor Robert Owen
1998	Godzilla	Murray
1999	The Auteur Theory	Abusive Dad - The Quest
	End of Days	Carson
2001	An American Rhapsody	Harold
2007	Best Wishes for Tomorrow	Featherstone	title translates to "Ashita e no yuigon"
2009	Painting in the Rain	Stefan
2016	8989 Redstone	Pavel

Selected television

• Charlie's Angels, (1981) - Burt Walker
• The New Odd Couple, (1982–1983) - Harry Price / Stage Manager
• St. Elsewhere, (1987)
• Married... with Children, (1991) - Bum - Edwin Johanson
• Herman's Head, (1992) - Troy Michaels
• Empty Nest, (1990–1995) - Dr. Perry Smith / Russell
• Bosom Buddies, (1981)