Charles Cyphers


Charles George Cyphers was an American actor who is known in the horror movie community for his work in the films of John Carpenter, especially his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in Carpenter's 1978 movie Halloween. He reprised this role in the 1981 sequel Halloween II and the 2021 sequel Halloween Kills.

Career

Cyphers's first feature film was the 1974 movie Truck Turner, and he first worked with Carpenter in the 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13, in which he played Starker, one of the ill-fated police officers gunned down by gang members.
He later appeared as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween. Cyphers worked with Carpenter two years later, playing Dan O'Bannon in The Fog, a 1980 horror film which also starred Tom Atkins, Cyphers's fellow Halloween cast member Jamie Lee Curtis, his Assault on Precinct 13 co-star Darwin Joston, and Nancy Kyes, who worked with Cyphers in both Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. He then played the Secretary of State in Carpenter's popular 1981 film Escape from New York, in which he appeared with Atkins and Halloween actress Nancy Stephens. He reprised the role of Sheriff Brackett in Halloween II.
In 2005, he appeared in the movie Dead Calling, and in 2007 he was set to appear in Ethan Dettenmaier's unreleased film, Sin-Jin Smyth, and in the film Methodic in a role which paid homage to his character in Halloween.
Cyphers later returned to the Halloween franchise, reprising the role of Brackett in the 2021 film Halloween Kills.
Cyphers appeared in numerous television productions. During the 1970s, he had a recurring role, as Hugo Muncy, in The Betty White Show, and he guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville in 1976. In addition, he had guest roles in popular television series such as Barnaby Jones, Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard, and he played Drake in the 1977 mini series Roots.
More recently, Cyphers appeared in Sliders, ER, Seinfeld, JAG, and Any Day Now. From 1996 to 1998, Cyphers played Al Yaroker in the 1990s series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He also acted in various made-for-television movies.

Other work

Cyphers' roles on the stage, both on- and off-Broadway, include 12 Angry Men, in which he portrayed "Juror #3" to Julie Cobb's "#2".
Cyphers appeared on The Dating Game in 1967 to compete for a date with Yvonne Craig.

Death

Cyphers died after a brief illness in Tucson, Arizona, on August 4, 2024, at the age of 85.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1972–1973CannonJanniver's Accomplice/Corky Hill2 episodes
1973–1975,
1977		Barnaby JonesVarious4 episodes
1973The F.B.I.Charlie WickerEpisode: "Break-In"
1974The ManhunterEmmett CrowleyEpisode: "Death on the Run"
1974The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number OneArthur 'Doc' BarkerTV film
1974The Missiles of OctoberPress PhotographerTV film
1975The Secrets of IsisSam NilesEpisode: "Fool's Dare"
1976The Six Million Dollar ManFalerSeasons 3–4
1976The Bionic WomanFalerEpisode: "The Return of Bigfoot Part 2"
1976PhyllisCoach Joe CookEpisode: "Out of the Closet"
1976,
1978–1979		Starsky & HutchVarious3 episodes
1976GibbsvilleWingfieldEpisode: "Trapped"
1977Charlie's AngelsHallerEpisode: "Angels on a String"
1977RootsFred DrakeMiniseries
1977Wonder WomanKurtEpisode: "Wonder Woman in Hollywood"
1977The Tony Randall ShowEddie FoxworthEpisode: "Case: The People Speak"
1977Dog and CatLoomisEpisode: "Dead Skunk"
1977Our TownSam CraigTV film
1977–1978The Betty White ShowHugo MuncySeason 1
1977The Trial of Lee Harvey OswaldMichael BrandonTV film
1978AliceAllen WolfEpisode: "Close Encounters of the Worst Kind"
1978Someone's Watching Me!Gary HuntTV film
1979ElvisSam PhillipsTV film
1979, 1984The Dukes of HazzardBumper/Phil2 episodes
1979Friendly FireTom LoomisTV film
1979Lou GrantJerry BaldwinEpisode: "Charlatan"
1981Hart to HartLesterEpisode: "Hart-Shaped Murder"
1982The QuestPetersEpisode: "Escape from a Velvet Box"
1982BensonScottyEpisode: "Benson's Army Reunion"
1983Memorial DayJack RuskinTV film
1983 Little House on the Prairie: Look Back to YesterdayZack TaylorTV film
1984RitualsDutchUnknown episode
1984AirwolfJoe GannsEpisode: "HX-1"
1985, 1987Hill Street BluesCapt. Leder/Commander #13 episodes
1986MatlockTom CoyleEpisode: "The Cop"
1987DallasBertram Pogue2 episodes
1987Our HouseFred HoustonEpisode: "Past Tense, Future Tense Part 2"
1987Santa BarbaraSheriffEpisode 724
1987Simon & SimonSergeant LesterEpisode: "New Cop in Town"
1988Night CourtLeoEpisode: "Dan, the Walking Time Bomb"
1988China BeachThe GeneralEpisode: "Home"
1988Aaron's WayEpisode: "Invisible People"
198821 Jump StreetTeam DoctorEpisode: "Coach of the Year"
1989Freddy's NightmaresBen OstroffEpisode: "Dream Come True"
1989Jake and the FatmanBenny KrausEpisode: Dancing in the Dark"
1989DragnetCoach SimonsEpisode: "The Connection"
1989Mancuso, F.B.I.Episode: "Weapons-Grade"
1990The OutsidersEpisode: "Union Blues"
1991–1992RocMr. Samuels2 episodes
1991Murder, She WroteLt. Timothy ChanceEpisode: "Lines of Excellence"
1993FBI: The Untold StoriesSillous HuddlestonEpisode: "Yablonski"
1993RenegadeZachary QuinnEpisode: "Honor Bound"
1993Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanThaddeus RoarkeEpisode: "Honeymoon in Metropolis"
1994California DreamsCoach CotlerEpisode: "Can't Buy Me Love"
1994seaQuest DSVCalvin ShelleyEpisode: "Higher Power"
1994HardballChuckPilot
1994The George Carlin ShowOfficer Bill Koski3 episodes
1995SlidersCoach AlmquistEpisode: "Eggheads"
1995Deadly GamesGeneral BarnickeEpisode: "The Camp Counsellor Part 2"
1995SeinfeldGardnerEpisode: "The Hot Tub"
1995E.R.Injured Civil-War ReenactorEpisode: "The Secret Sharer"
1995JAGJesseEpisode: "Brig Break"
1995The George Wendt ShowMr. BlakeEpisode: "My Brother, the Albatross"
1996Murder OnePatrick McQueen4 episodes
1996–1998Nick Freno: Licensed TeacherAl YarokerSeason 1–2
1998Buffy the Vampire SlayerCoach Carl MarinEpisode: "Go Fish"
1998Pensacola: Wings of GoldGeneral StablerEpisode: "Raid on Osirak"
1998Hyperion BayEpisode: "The Rope"
1999Any Day Now2 episodes
2001Cousin SkeeterEpisode: "Little Mr. Big Man on Campus"