Harry Hamlin Movies
Handsome American actor Harry Hamlin studied his craft at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre. Hamlin made his film debut as a John Garfieldesque prizefighter in the 1930s spoof Movie, Movie (1978). Three years later, he played Perseus in the Ray Harryhausen co-produced Clash of the Titans (1981). Also appearing in this film was international sex symbol Ursula Andress, who became Hamlin's "constant companion" over the next few years, a liaison that resulted in a son. Even as his film career dwindled down to such forgettable fare as Blue Skies Again (1983), in which he played an immature Ted Turner type, Hamlin's career flourished on television. He starred in a 1979 TV miniseries adaptation of James T. Farrell's Studs Lonigan, played a courageous astronaut on the 1985 multi-episode production Space, and essayed the role of a straying politician in the 1988 two-parter Favorite Son. Hamlin's best-known TV assignment, which he launched in 1986, was the role of amorous litigation attorney Michael Kuzak on the popular NBC series L.A. Law. He is divorced from actress Nicollette Sheridan.Hamlin continued to find steady work throughout the 90s, appearing on numerous TV shows such as The Outer Limits, Remember WENN, and The Nanny, and even providing voice work for Batman: The Animated Series. The actor also took roles in various films and TV movies like Allie & Me and Badge of Betrayal. After marrying soap actress Lisa Rinna in 1997, he entered the new millennium with no plans to slow down, reuniting with the L.A. Law cast in 2002 for L.A. Law: The Movie, and taking a recurring role on the TV show Veronica Mars as the movie star father of the character Logan. Interestingly enough, in an episode of the show Hamlin's character swears under oath that in 1987 he was People Magazine's Sexiest Man of the Year, and Hamlin was in fact given that very title that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this 13 episode mystery series, a group of family and friends arrive at an island destination for a wedding, but plans go awry when somebody turns up dead. Old conflicts bubble up to the surface as everyone becomes a suspect, and bonds of love and family are tested as the murderer continues to pick off guests, leaving everyone in a battle for survival against an unknown killer. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elaine Cassidy, Katie Cassidy, (more)
- 2005
- Add The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits to QueueAdd The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits to top of Queue
The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits offers stories about the productions of eight famous programs. Among the shows discussed are Cheers, L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, he Addams Family, The Munsters, and I Love Lucy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This eerie cable-TV movie begins as married couple Jim and Patty (played by one-time L.A. Law costars Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey), accompanied by their children, drive through the Nevada desert in their SUV. Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, the family finds itself marooned in a deserted (and uncharted) town called Weaver. Or is it truly deserted? The spectral images encountered by Jim and Patty may be the spirits of Indians interred in a local burial mound, or they might be the hideously misshapen victims of a botched nuclear test. Whatever the case, it is what the audience doesn't see that induces the goose pimples. Filmed in Australia, Disappearance originally appeared over the TBS cable service on April 21, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Kindhearted technology-firm executive Liam Cadegan (Harry Hamlin) is worried about his professional future--to say nothing about the welfare of his family--when his company is taken over by a conglomerate known for its ruthless weeding out of "weaklings." As the company's new vice-president of community relations, Monica advises head man Harlow (Grant Albrecht) that it would be good P.R. if he were to sponsor the Special Olympics, in which Liam's own handicapped son is a contestant. Instead, the selfish and manipulative Harlow orders his executives to attend a fiercely competitive weekend retreat, in which "survival of the fittest" is the order of the day. Fortunately for Liam, the retreat is being stage-managed by Monica's fellow angel Tess (Della Reese), who has a few fascinating "survival" ideas of her own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As a number of luminaries on the international fashion scene converge for a major show, their personal and professional crises come to a head in this comedy-drama. Lorenzo Mancini (Paul Sorvino) is an internationally famous designer who has learned he has only a short time to live. As Mancini tries to make his peace with both his ex-wife (Sonia Braga) and his long-time companion (Peter Gallagher), he also tries to mend fences with his son (and heir) Mario (Michael Sorvino) while persuading him to not merge the family business with the hip-hop fashion empire of J.B. (Omar Epps. Anthony (Jared Harris), a famous and influential fashion photographer, is having a career crisis as his marriage to Francene (Michelle Forbes) begins to collapse. Cutting-edge designer Roberta (Rita Wilson) is scrambling to complete her latest line as her underlings start leaving her one by one. Camille (Leslie Mann), Roberta's business partner, may be the next to hit the road, as she becomes involved with Jamie (Jeff Goldblum), who works for a firm run by arch-rival designer Phillip (Harris Yulin). And Janice (Joanne Baron), the editor of a leading fashion journal, is facing a deadline when she gets an unexpected visitor -- her daughter Halley (Michelle Williams), whom she hasn't seen in over a decade. Taking an unusual approach, director Michael Rymer and screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson wrote a detailed outline for Perfume and in-depth background sketches for all the characters, but allowed the cast to improvise all the dialogue used in the film. Perfume had its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanne Baron, Angela Bettis, (more)
Star Fleet commander-turned-kitsch icon William Shatner stars in this satirical comedy that takes aim at the Dogme 95 filmmaking movement. Shatner plays Harvey Wilkes, an escaped mental patient who also happens to be an aspiring screenwriter. Armed with a pistol, Harvey hijacks a film crew and orders them to make his movie. Former L.A. Law regular Harry Hamlin co-stars as the film's producer. Shoot or Be Shot marks the feature debut of director Randy Argue. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Harry Hamlin, (more)
Harry Hamlin (L.A. Law, Clash of the Titans), Shannon Sturges, and Jack Scalia head the cast of this horror film. Noel Nosseck's Silent Predators concerns the sudden attacks of mutant rattlesnakes who have been breeding unnoticed for 20 years just outside of booming San Vicente, CA. The film, which is comparable to Tremors minus the tongue-in-cheek wink-wink tone, was co-written by legendary horror director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Fog, The Thing). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Shannon Sturges, (more)
- 1998
Wanting to protect her son from the sometimes harsh realities of urban life, a single mother moves to a small town. Unfortunately, her boy becomes friends with a mysterious and sinister stranger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Graham Greene, (more)
- 1998
Having been burned by a traumatic childhood experience, greedy toy tycoon Tyler Madison (Harry Hamlin) is contemptuous of his fellow man, ruthlessly nasty in his business dealings, and callously neglectful of his wife Elyse (Megan Gallegher) and son Danny (Curtis Blanck). Just before Christmas, Madison piles into his private plane and heads for the North Pole, determined to put his chief competitor, Santa Claus (William Hookins), out of business. But upon his arrival, he realizes that he and S.C. have a lot in common--and thus the inevitable epiphany occurs, culminating in the settling of an "Elf strike" and a closer bond between Tyler and his loved ones. Like Father, Like Santa was telecast by cable's Fox Family Channel on December 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Megan Gallagher, (more)
- 1998
In this suspenseful outdoor thriller, a killer flees into the Canadian wilds hotly pursued by a determined insurance claims adjuster. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Mädchen Amick, (more)
Getting home early, Beverly Hills wife Michelle Halaburton (Lyndie Benson) catches her husband Dustin (Harry Hamlin) in bed with her best friend Allie (Joanne Baron), who works at Michelle's favorite beauty salon. Not long after this, Michelle and Allie embark on a life of crime. At the beauty salon, Michelle sees how to get access codes to homes of the salon's wealthy patrons. During the break-ins that follow, the two collect cash, art, and jewelry. Their haul escalates until the wrong house at the wrong time could lead to their downfall. Surprised by the spoiled son (James Wilder) of one of their victims, they capture him, tie him up, and try to devise a way out of the situation. Shown at the 1997 Hollywood Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyndie Benson, Joanne Baron, (more)
- 1997
The tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease is at the core of this heart-tugging made-for-cable drama, starring veteran actors Richard Kiley and Eva Marie Saint. Diagnosed with Alzheimers, the brilliant doctor Gerald Klooster (Richard Kiley) would sooner die immediately than endure the agony of a progressively failing memory. Thus, he asks his loved ones to do him one final favor and assist him in committing suicide. Everyone, including Gerald's wife Ruth (Eva Marie Saint), is willing to go along with this plan--everyone that is except his youngest son, who kidnaps the old man before his last wish can be granted and brings legal action against his mom. Based on a true story, Time to Say Goodbye? first aired over the Lifetime channel on September 1, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Crimes of Passion: Badge of Betrayal is the cable-TV and home-video title of an "@ABC World Premiere Movie" that originally aired January 6, 1997 as simply Badge of Betrayal. Newly arrived from the Big City, professional cop and single mom Annie Walter (Michele Greene) joins the small-town Wyoming police force headed by Sheriff Dave Ward (Harry Hamlin). It doesn't take long for Annie to ascertain that Ward is a crook, a grafter, a sadist, a possible murderer--and a sexual predator. She'd like to blow the whistle on Ward, but he is too powerful in the community to be touched; moreover, he can ruin her in an instant, and has already arranged for the property value of her house to be depleted so that she'd be financially destroyed if she ever moved out of town to tell her story. With the help of a courageous attorney, Annie formulates a plan to (hopefully!) ensnare Ward in his own web of corruption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Reminiscent of the "best" of David Lynch, the two-part TV movie Night Sins uses a mysterious abduction as catalyst for a progressively bizarre and disturbing expose of small-town corruption, hypocrisy and perversion. When the 8-year-old son of a doctor is kidnapped from his home in the rural Washington town of Deer Lake, government agent Megan O'Malley (Valerie Bertinelli) arrives to investigate. It soon becomes apparent that this most recent abduction is tied in to a string of kidnappings and murders that have occurred in the region over the past twenty years. As Megan pursues her investigation with the help of friendly local cop Mitch Holt (Harry Hamlin)--to whom she grows extremely close--innumerable local skeletons are dredged out of innumerable local closets. In fact, it seems that everyone concerned with the story is harboring a dark, unsavory secret--including Megan. If nothing else, this offbeat melodrama may well be the only TV movie to feature an evil chess club! Originally telecast on CBS, Night Sins was first seen on February 23 and 25, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Another Tom Clancy political thriller is put to film with this made-for-television movie. Harry Hamlin stars as Paul Hood, the new director of an obsolete government crisis management center. Hood is assigned to downsize the center, but during first day on the job some nuclear warheads are hijacked by terrorists. Hood has to rise to the occasion and prove himself as a leader in unfamiliar territory. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Deidre Hall, (more)
- 1995
In this made-for-television drama, a man's life falls completely to pieces when an obsessed woman begins to stalk him. Even his marriage crumbles from the strain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Annie Potts, (more)
- 1994
The full title of this made-for-TV film was In the Best of Families: Pride and Madness. Based on a true story, the film details the bitter divorce between overly idealistic Keith Carradine and emotionally disturbed Kelly McGillis. Caught in the middle are the couple's sons, played by Erik Von Detten and Ira David Wood Jr. The crisis erupts into violence, resulting in a triple homicide. Roundly criticized for its lurid and sensationalistic aspects, In the Best of Families was originally telecast in two parts on January 16 and 18, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 1992
This made-for-TV film was based on a real-life, nail-biting hostage situation. The incident began when a deranged gunman, disgruntled for a variety of reasons, burst into the maternity ward at the Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah. Holding mothers, babies and nurses captive, the gunman clearly intended to kill as many people as possible before he himself was subdued by the police. Harry Hamlin, light-years away from LA Law, plays the psychotic intruder, while Terri Garr co-stars as the maternity nurse who struggles to act as the voice of reason. Filmed on location in Salt Lake City, Deliver Them From Evil premiered April 28, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Teri Garr, (more)
- 1991
In this crime drama, a sequel to "Deadly Intentions," the protagonist, Dr. Charles Raynor, who was convicted of attempted murder, has been paroled. He goes home to his second wife. He is determined to get revenge upon those who had him convicted for trying to kill his first wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This medical instructional video is produced by the American Red Cross. Taking the viewer first through a twenty-question test on proper procedures for life-threatening medical emergencies, with an included test score card, the video then shows the recommended medical procedures for each depicted Emergency. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Dinner at Eight is a TV remake of the 1933 MGM film of the same name; both films were adapted from the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. While the basic plot point of a social-climbing woman (Marsha Mason) throwing a "best people" dinner party has not dated all that much, other elements prevalent in the 1933 version were due for an overhaul 56 years later. The aging, near-impoverished stage actress played con brio by Marie Dressler in the original becomes a jet-setting "literary raconteur" (read: "trash novelist") in the form of Lauren Bacall. And the alcoholic matinee idol portrayed by John Barrymore in 1933 is transformed into a Pacino type (Harry Hamlin) with a drug and attitude problem for the 1989 version. While not exactly improvements, these alterations do not stand out like sore thumbs, as do many past attempts at updating old material. Only Ellen Greene, in Jean Harlow's role as the floozielike wife of a corrupt businessman, falls short of the original. Produced by actress Shelley Duvall, the 1989 Dinner at Eight was first shown on December 11, 1989 over the TNT Cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Target: Favorite Son is the 115-minute abridgement of the three-part TV miniseries Favorite Son. Adapted by Steve Sohmer from his own novel, the film stars Harry Hamlin as a freshman senator from Texas who has "greatness thrust upon him" when he is accidentally shot during the assassination of a visiting Nicaraguan contra leader. Almost as if rehearsed, Hamlin delivers an impassioned pro-contra speech--all of which is seen on live TV. Upon recovering, Hamlin is selected by his party to run for the Vice President's post. Meanwhile, FBI agent Robert Loggia investigates the assassination, and what he discovers could--to reuse the cliché--blow Washington DC wide open. Featured in the cast is James Whitmore as the President, whose political enemies do their best to hound out of office so that the supposedly honest-and-aboveboard Hamlin can assume the Presidency. At the time of its first telecast, Favorite Son received a great deal of press play due to a scene wherein Linda Koslowski, playing the ambitious, oversexed mistress of Hamlin's press aide, strips to bra and panties and asks one of her boss' assistants (Lance Guest) to tie her up. Nothing further is shown, of course, but this tiny, almost missable scene ended up as the focal point of the entire series, so long as the clean-up-TV brigades were concerned. Favorite Son originally aired October 30 and 31, and November 1, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
