Harry Groener

While actor Harry Groener has earned numerous accolades for his stage performances, he is recognizable to most for his role as the mayor on the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Born in Germany, Groener moved to the United States as a child, later apprenticing with the San Francisco Ballet before studying drama at the University of Washington. His subsequent success on the stage earned him several Tony nominations for such musicals as "Oklahoma!" and "Cats." His feature debut came in 1980 in the Robert Redford film "Brubaker." Guest appearances on various series followed before he landed a regular role on the sitcom about men dealing with divorce, "Dear John," as the painfully anxious Ralph. When his character was dropped for the final season of that show, Groener slipped back into one-off spots on series, as well as a brief recurring role on "Mad About You." His best-remembered repeat part came as the sinister Mayor of Sunnydale in the wildly popular supernatural drama "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He has also held supporting roles in features including "About Schmidt," with Jack Nicholson as a confused man entering his golden years, and "Road to Perdition," the Depression-era tale of hit men and family bonds, featuring Tom Hanks. Amidst his theatrical performances and guest spots on television series, he has held recurring roles on such popular and diverse shows as "The West Wing" and "How I Met Your Mother."