Noam Pitlik

A native of Philadelphia, Noam Pitlik began his show-business career as an actor, but also excelled as a director. During the 1960s, Pitlik made the rounds on network television, appearing in episodes of a wide array of shows, including "The Rifleman," "Gunsmoke," "My Favorite Martian," and "Gidget." Aside from a recurring role on the short-lived comedy series "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster," Pitlik generally stuck to one-off guest spots, often playing different characters on the same series ("The Flying Nun," "Hogan's Heroes"). In '72, Pitlik was briefly a regular on "Sanford and Son" as a cop, and he also appeared for a short stint on "The Bob Newhart Show." The following year, Pitlik embarked on a directing career, first helming episodes of "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" and then continuing with a wide variety of programs. While Pitlik directed numerous episodes of "Taxi" and later "Wings," he is best known for helming "Barney Miller," with more than 100 episodes to his credit. Pitlik was still active as both an actor and director up until shortly before his death in '99.