Mark Harelik

Playwright-actor Mark Harelik prefers the stage, but has also felt the draw of more lucrative screen roles. His hometown of Hamilton, Texas, features prominently in his writing; two of his plays, "The Immigrant" and "The Legacy," portray the struggles and successes of the only Jewish family in town. "The Immigrant" premiered in Denver in 1985 and was subsequently put on extensively around the country, becoming the most-produced play of 1991. In 1987, Harelik settled in Los Angeles, and he began making appearances in films and TV shows, including the series finale of the long-running "Cheers" and a recurring part on the hit sitcom "Wings." In the 1999 comedy "Election," he loses his teaching job over an affair with high school student Reese Witherspoon, while in the dinosaur-themed "Jurassic Park III" he meets a more vicious fate. Harelik's guest spots include the much-lauded HBO drama "Six Feet Under" and the popular medical drama "ER," and he also had a recurring role as a doctor on the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." Gravitating back towards theater, Harelik performed on Broadway in 2005's "The Light in the Piazza" and strives to act in one play per year.