Eddie Barth

For the first few seasons of the hit CBS crime drama "Simon & Simon," the title pair of A.J. (Jameson Parker) and Rick Simon (Gerald McRaney) would sometimes find themselves rubbing up against A.J.'s old boss Myron Fowler. The part was played by Eddie Barth, a character actor who would later become known, or at least recognized, as the voice uttering the famous tag line in Miller Lite commercials ("Everything you always wanted in a beer, and less"). Perhaps if the 1973 TV series "Shaft" had lasted more than a single season, Barth's career would have taken a much different course. On that show, he played the part of Lieutenant Al Rossi. But as it turned out, Barth became a capable character actor standby, popping up on TV here, there, and everywhere to mine small moments of gold, often by virtue of his signature gravelly voice. The parts of Morty Fleckman on "Night Court" and Richie Kanpinski on "Murder, She Wrote" were perfect examples.