| Walter Olkewicz | |
| Birth Date: | 14 May 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Bayonne, New Jersey, US |
| Death Place: | Reseda, Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1976–2017 |
| Other Names: | Ray Holland |
| Children: | 1 |
Walter Olkewicz (May 14, 1948 – April 6, 2021) was an American character actor. He played Marko in the short-lived TV series Wizards and Warriors and Coach Wordman in the feature film Making the Grade.
Olkewicz was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, and attended a Catholic grammar school there and St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City before graduating from Bayonne High School in 1965.[1] He continued his education at Saint Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas and at Colorado State University. During his high-school years, he was active in plays. Before he began acting professionally, Olkewicz sold insurance, sold office supplies, and drove a taxi.[2]
Early in his career, Olkewicz acted with improv and other groups.[3] He co-founded the improvisational group Saturday Bath, which had a national tour that lasted more than a year.Originally billed as Ray Holland, He appeared in the films Futureworld (1976), The Greatest (1977), Summer Camp (1979), Hot T-Shirts (1981), and The Client (1994).
Olkewicz guest-starred in many TV shows, including Barney Miller (two episodes), Night Court, Seinfeld, ER, and Who's the Boss?. He was a semi-regular performer on Dolly Parton's 1987–88 variety show Dolly! and played the key role of Dougie Boudreau in the first four seasons of Grace Under Fire. He also played bartender Jacques Renault on Twin Peaks (1990).
Olkewicz died at his Reseda, California, home[4] after a long illness on April 6, 2021, at age 72.[5] [6] His son, Zac Olkewicz, is a screenwriter. During the time of his illness, he crafted a series of YouTube videos reaching out to all of his friends from his years of work, hoping that someone he knew would help him. The video messages were posted as being meant for Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Elliott, Chuck Lorre, Tommy Lee Jones, and John Larroquette, among many others. He spoke of his illness and struggling to get back into work, the pain that he was in, and his substantial number of knee surgeries (19 at that point as he states), as well as his resulting insurance-related financial losses. In his message to John Larroquette, he said he'd been out of work approximately 12 years because he was too sick to go on, with the exception of two episodes of Twin Peaks where he appeared in 2017. His final video was posted as "Message to Sam Elliott."
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Futureworld | Chief Technician | ||
| 1977 | The Greatest | Reporter | ||
| 1977 | Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses? | Himself | ||
| 1979 | 1941 | Private Hinshaw | ||
| 1981 | Circle of Power | Buddy Gordon | ||
| 1982 | Jimmy the Kid | Kelp | ||
| 1984 | Making the Grade | Coach Wordman | ||
| 1984 | Heartbreakers | Marvin | ||
| 1989 | The Big Picture | Babe Ruth | ||
| 1992 | Jacques Renault | |||
| 1994 | The Client | Jerome 'Romey' Clifford | ||
| 1995 | The Surgeon | Dr. Meade | ||
| 1995 | Stuart Saves His Family | Larry Skoog | ||
| 1996 | Big Packages | Richie | ||
| 1996 | Raven | Bernie DeFrewd | ||
| 1997 | In Dark Places | Vendor | ||
| 1998 | How to Make the Cruelest Month | Professor | ||
| 1998 | Milo | Jack Wyatt | ||
| 1998 | Suicide, the Comedy | |||
| 1999 | You Know My Name | Mr. Killian | ||
| 1999 | You're Killing Me... | Embalmer | ||
| 2000 | Meeting Daddy | 'Dink' Branson | ||
| 2001 | Last Days | Warden Phillips | ||
| 2002 | Par 6 | Walt Hegelman |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Rockford Files | Mac Amodeus | Episode: "The Jersey Bounce" | |
| 1979 | Hart to Hart | Longshoreman #2 | Episode: "Hit Jennifer Hart" | |
| 1979–1980 | The Last Resort | Zach Comstock | 15 episodes | |
| 1980 | Sergeant 'Shug' Crawford | Television film | ||
| 1980, 1983 | Taxi | Tom Caldwell | 2 episodes | |
| 1981 | Alice | Sonny Santini | Episode: "Vera Goes Out on a Limb" | |
| 1981–1982 | Barney Miller | William Krebs / Walter Cushing | 2 episodes | |
| 1982 | It's a Living | Dan | Episode: "Falling in Love Again" | |
| 1982 | The Executioner's Song | Pete Galovan | Television film | |
| 1982 | The Blue and the Gray | Private Grundy | Episode: "Part 2" | |
| 1983 | Wizards and Warriors | Marko | 8 episodes | |
| 1983 | Travis McGee | Wright Fletcher | Television film | |
| 1983 | Cheers | Wally Bodell | Episode: "They Called Me Mayday" | |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Leonard Gluck | Episode: "Dee Dee's Dilemma/Julie's Blind Date/The Prize Winner" | |
| 1984–1987 | Family Ties | Various | 3 episodes | |
| 1984 | Calamity Jane | Will Lull | Television film | |
| 1984 | The Duck Factory | Bumps Carmichael | Episode: "The Children's Half Hour" | |
| 1984 | Partners in Crime | Harmon Shain | 12 episodes | |
| 1985 | Newhart | Mr. Thurman | Episode: "My Fair Larry" | |
| 1985 | Trapper John, M.D. | Dr. Harry Denmore | Episode: "Go for Broker" | |
| 1985 | I Had Three Wives | Johnny Shore | Episode: "You and I Know" | |
| 1985 | Hollywood Beat | Harvey Minick | Episode: "The Long Weekend" | |
| 1985–1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Van Epps / Zeke | 2 episodes | |
| 1985 | The A-Team | Joe Skrylow | Episode: "There Goes the Neighbourhood" | |
| 1985 | Riptide | Robin Loxley / Robin Duncan | Episode: "Robin and Marian" | |
| 1985 | 227 | Eddie | Episode: "The Big Piano Play-Off" | |
| 1986 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Conyo | Episode: "In the Eye of the Beholder" | |
| 1986 | Many Happy Returns | Darryl Webb | Television film | |
| 1986 | Throb | Perry Mason | Episode: "Our Song" | |
| 1986 | Designing Women | Mason Dodd | Episode: "A Big Affair" | |
| 1986 | Falcon Crest | Dancer | 3 episodes | |
| 1986–1992 | Night Court | Various | 5 episodes | |
| 1987 | Shell Game | Norman van Delken | Episode: "Norman's Parking Ticket" | |
| 1987 | Stillwatch | Sid Sherman | Television film | |
| 1987 | Married... with Children | Violinist | Episode: "Sixteen Years and What Do You Get" | |
| 1987–1992 | Who's the Boss? | Tiny McGee | 4 episodes | |
| 1987 | Moonlighting | Leon Summers | Episode: "Tale in Two Cities" | |
| 1987 | The Charmings | Henry Giant | Episode: "The Charmings and the Beanstalk" | |
| 1987–1989 | Mr. Belvedere | Alan | 2 episodes | |
| 1987–1988 | Dolly | Bubba | 10 episodes | |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | Mr. Hartvig | Episode: "Full Marital Jacket" | |
| 1988 | We Got It Made | Orville | Episode: "Mickey Times Two" | |
| 1988 | Baja Oklahoma | Private Eye | Television film | |
| 1989 | Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal | Lenny Coles | Television film | |
| 1989 | Police Officer Andy Glasscock | Television film | ||
| 1989 | Wiseguy | Jacobson | Episode: "Sins of the Father" | |
| 1989 | Horsin Around (TV series) | Horsin' Around | Security Guard | Episode: "Starstruck Sabrina" |
| 1989 | Open House | Stan | Episode: "In Vegas... with Showgirls!: Part 1" | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Howard | Episode: "When the Fat Lady Sings" | |
| 1990 | Twin Peaks | Jacques Renault | 3 episodes | |
| 1990 | Matlock | Bartender | Episode: "No Where To Turn" | |
| 1990 | Bagdad Cafe | Bobby | Episode: "City On A Hill" | |
| 1990 | The Flash | Callahan | Episode: "Shroud of Death" | |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Nathan | Episode: "Arthur" | |
| 1991 | Brooklyn Bridge | Happy Felton | Episode: "Boys of Summer" | |
| 1992 | Love & War | Claude Renais | Episode: "Monday, Monday" | |
| 1993 | Carmine Falcone (voice) | 2 episodes | ||
| 1993 | Route 66 | George Wilton | Episode: "Everybody's a Hero" | |
| 1993–1996 | Grace Under Fire | Dougie Boudreau | 48 episodes | |
| 1995 | The Good Old Boys | 'Fat' Gervin | Television film | |
| 1996 | Seinfeld | Nick | Episode: "The Cadillac" | |
| 1997 | Profiler | Sanitorum Director | Episode: "Shattered Silence" | |
| 1997 | Pronto | Jimmy 'The Cap' Capotorto | Television film | |
| 1998 | Michael Hayes | Albert Parker | Episode: "Mob Mentality" | |
| 1998 | The Visitor | Ozzie Faulkner | Episode: "The Chain" | |
| 1998 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Mr. Bloom | Episode: "Tourist Trap" | |
| 1998 | Sliders | The Boss | Episode: "World Killer" | |
| 1998 | Chicago Hope | Harry Zakovitch | Episode: "Austin, We Have a Problem" | |
| 1999 | The Wayans Bros. | Ernie | Episode: "Saving Private Marlon" | |
| 1999 | Otto Schenkel | 2 episodes | ||
| 1999 | Dharma & Greg | Howie | Episode: "Bed, Bath, And Beyond" | |
| 1999 | G vs E | Gus Wine | Episode: "To Be or Not to be Evil" | |
| 2000 | Arliss | Episode: "The Sum of the Parts" | ||
| 2001 | ER | Georgia's Man | Episode: "Surrender" | |
| 2002 | Everwood | Mike O'Connell | Episode: "Turf Wars" | |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | Jean-Michel Renault | 2 episodes |