Kelly Connell

He looks like he was born to wear a lab coat, and, indeed, Kelly Connell wore one on the acclaimed CBS series "Picket Fences" as Carter Pike, the quirky--some might say eccentric--medical examiner with an apparent deep affection for his work. As big breaks go, "Picket Fences" was it for Connell. Prior to that, he had often been seen in small roles, quite frequently roles with merely an occupation attached. He was a "Yuppie Poet" in "Cocktail" (1988) with Tom Cruise; an "Air Traffic Controller" in the Zucker Brothers' "Hot Shots!" (1991); and they brought him back as a "Fireman" in "Hot Shots! Part Deux" (1993). On TV, Connell's work had often been in guest appearances on sitcoms such as "Murphy Brown," "Wings" and "Davis Rules" or in small roles in longforms, such as TNT's 1989 remake of "Dinner At Eight." Connell did have extensive New York theater work in his background. He was a member of the prestigious Circle Repertory Company and studied at the Herbert Berghoff (HB) Studios.