Gabe Kaplan on AllMovie

Standup comedian and actor Gabe Kaplan is best known for playing the title role in the television series Welcome Back Kotter (1975-1979), the sitcom that launched the career of actor John Travolta. Following the show's cancellation, Kaplan continued to appear occasionally in feature films and TV movies. He made his big-screen debut in Fast Break (1979). In 1981, Kaplan starred in the short-lived series Lewis and Clark as a New Yorker who buys a small country & western bar in Texas, and since then has seldom been seen, but for the rare guest-starring appearance on series such as Murder She Wrote. When not acting, Kaplan focuses on his standup comedy. Kaplan is also a world-class poker player.