Classic TV Actor John Lassell Has Died

Another television star of yesteryear has sadly passed on. John Lassell, who appeared on numerous legendary TV shows, died on Oct. 4, per an online death notice from Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park and Mortuary. He was 95.

Lassell was a regular face on network TV from the ’60s to the ’80s. He popped up on many of the biggest shows on TV, including Gunsmoke, Dallas, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, Lassie, Falcon Crest, The Fugitive, Hazel, Peyton Place, Mod Squad, The F.B.I., Flipper, My Favorite Martian, As the World Turns, The Streets of San Francisco, Rawhide, Naked City, Adam-12, Police Story, Barnaby Jones and Wagon Train.

While those appearances already provide a stacked filmography, he is best remembered for appearances on two more iconic series: Dark Shadows and The Twilight Zone. On Dark Shadows, Lassell played investigator Dr. Peter Guthrie in the spooky soap opera. Dr. Guthrie appeared in 25 episodes of Dark Shadows that ABC aired in early 1967.

As for The Twilight Zone appearance, Lassell appeared in the Season 2 episode “Back There,” which fans will remember for its time travel plot surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Lassell appears as a character going by Jonathan Wellington; we won’t give away the twist of his character, but it’s a key part of the episode’s eerie plot.

Details on Lassell’s death are few, including cause of death and location of death. He was listed as being a resident of Los Angeles.