Barry Primus

Barry Primus (born February 16, 1938) is an American television and film actor. Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian. He then made his screen bow in the Manhattan-filmed The Brotherhood (1968). Additional films include Boxcar Bertha (1972), Heartland (1979), Night Games (1980), Absence of Malice (1981), and Guilty by Suspicion (1991). He also had a continuing role on the CBS TV series Cagney and Lacey (1982 — 1988) as Christine Cagney's (Sharon Gless) erstwhile boyfriend Sergeant Dory McKenna, whose drug problem compromises his value as a police officer. After working as director Mark Rydell's assistant on The Rose (1979), Primus has increased his behind-the-camera activities; in 1992, he directed his first theatrical feature, the "inside" Hollywood comedy/drama Mistress. Barry Primus taught acting and directing classes at the American Film Institute, The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, the UCLA campus, and at The Maine Media Workshops [1] in Maine. He also teaches acting classes at Loyola Marymount University. Primus' recent film history includes Jackson, a film directed by J.F. Lawton; he also cameoed in Righteous Kill with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.