John Lawlor on AllMovie

A character actor who specialized in older, conservative everyman types -- often with a professional edge -- John Lawlor began his career essaying bit parts and supporting roles in B pictures such as The Gumball Rally and Jackson County Jail (both 1976) before signing on to play the venerable headmaster of the all-girls Eastman School Steven Bradley in season one of NBC's popular sitcom The Facts of Life (1979-1980). Lawlor bowed out after that first year, but subsequently moved into occasional film roles in features including John Boorman's Excalibur (1981), Blake Edwards' S.O.B. (1981), and Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp (1994).