Bill Erwin, character actor and 'Seinfeld' Emmy nominee, dies. Let's watch some of his greatest work.

Jan 4, 2011

Bill Erwin, a character actor whose resumé included everything from Gunsmoke to Everwood, died at his home in California on Dec. 29. He was 96.

Erwin was nominated for an Emmy for his role as Sid “The Old Man” Fields on a 1993 episode of Seinfeld, the role for which he is perhaps best remembered:


He was also the knowledgeable bellhop in the 1980 romance drama Somewhere in Time, in which his character helped Christopher Reeve’s time travel to find love. When the film became a cult classic, Erwin regularly attended fan gatherings in Michigan.

One of Erwin’s early roles was on the classic “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” episode of The Twilight Zone:



He appeared on several episodes of Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Perry Mason, Growing Pains, Highway to Heaven, and Just the Ten of Us, as well as more recently appearing on episodes of Monk, The West Wing, Just Shoot Me!, and My Name Is Earl.

Source