Warren Frost

Warren Frost was a beloved character actor best known for his memorable appearances on "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998) and "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-1991/Showtime, 2017-). Born on June 5, 1925 in Newburyport, MA, Frost spent his childhood in the Bronx and Essex Junction, VT. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II, and was present at the Normandy landings on D-Day. After the war, Frost attended college under the G.I. Bill at Middlebury College, where he majored in English. Frost spent most of his life as an English professor at the University of Minnesota and as artistic director of the Chimera Theatre in St. Paul, MN, with acting being something of a hobby, albeit a lucrative one. His first onscreen appearance was in George Roy Hill's big screen take on Kurt Vonnegut's classic sci-fi novel "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1972). But his acting career really took off in the 1990s, when his son, screenwriter Mark Frost, cast him as Dr. Will Hayward on "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-1991/Showtime, 2017-), the surreal mystery show Mark had created alongside director David Lynch. Overall, Frost appeared in 30 episodes of the show, and acted in Lynch's controversial film adaptation, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (1992), though his scenes were ultimately left on the cutting room floor. Suddenly, Frost was an in-demand character actor, earning regular roles on "Matlock" (NBC, 1986-1992/ABC, 1992-1995), and "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998), where he played Henry Ross, the father of George Costanza's fiancé, Susan Ross. In the 2000s, Frost and his wife, Virginia Calhoun, retired and moved to Middlebury, VT. However, he was called out of retirement to once again portray "Doc Hayward" on the revived "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-1991/Showtime, 2017-), which will premiere on May 21, 2017. Warren Frost died at home in Middlebury on February 17, 2017, following a long illness. He was 91.