Warren Frost


Actor, Director, Playwright

About

Birth Place
Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Born
June 05, 1925
Died
February 21, 2017
Cause of Death
Complications Due To Illness

Biography

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 att...

Family & Companions

Virginia Frost
Wife
Teacher. Married 1940.

Notes

Frost has published at least four plays and a novel. He is an avid tennis player having ability to play in Over-75 division at Wimbledon.

Biography

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.

Life Events

1972

Made first onscreen appearance in "Slaughterhouse-Five."

1990

Debut as TV series regular, "Twin Peaks"

1996

Appeared as Henry Ross on "Seinfeld"

2017

Reprised the role of Doc Hayward on the rebooted "Twin Peaks" prior to his death

Family

Mark Frost
Son
Producer.
Lindsay Frost
Daughter
Actor.
Scott Frost
Son
Writer.

Companions

Virginia Frost
Wife
Teacher. Married 1940.

Bibliography

Notes

Frost has published at least four plays and a novel. He is an avid tennis player having ability to play in Over-75 division at Wimbledon.