Actor. Born in Bedford Hills, New York, he made his acting debut in 1935. A veteran character performer, he was successful in his 40s for his roles in Broadway theater, winning a Tony Award in the title role of Hugh Leonard's "Da" in 1978. He also starred in the 1988 motion picture version of the play. Among his other major Broadway credits were "A Majority of One" (1959), "Advise and Consent" (1960), "Nobody Loves an Albatross" (1963), the Richard Burton revival of "Hamlet" (1964), "How Now, Dow Jones" (1967), "Abelard and Heloise" (1971), "The Good Doctor" (1973), "All Over Town" (1974), "Angels Fall" (1983), and "Prelude to a Kiss" (1990). Hughes made a memorable movie debut in "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), as hooker Jon Voight's ill-fated final client, and went on to appear in such films as "Where's Poppa?" (1970), "The Hospital" (1971), "Cold Turkey" (1971), "Oh, God!" (1977), "Tron" (1982), "Maxie" (1985), "The Lost Boys" (1987), "A Hobo's Christmas" (1987), "Doc Hollywood" (1991), "Sister Act 2" (1993), and "The Cradle Will Rock" (1999). He also worked extensively in the early days of television, appearing on such shows as "Playhouse 90," "Kraft Theatre," and "Armstrong Circle Theatre." He starred in the television sitcoms "Doc" and "Mr. Merlin," was a regular on "The Cavanaughs" and "Blossom," and won an Emmy in 1977 for a guest-starring stint on the newspaper drama "Lou Grant."
Actor. Born in Bedford Hills, New York, he made his acting debut in 1935. A veteran character performer, he was successful in his 40s for his roles in Broadway theater, winning a Tony Award in the title role of Hugh Leonard's "Da" in 1978. He also starred in the 1988 motion picture version of the play. Among his other major Broadway credits were "A Majority of One" (1959), "Advise and Consent" (1960), "Nobody Loves an Albatross" (1963), the Richard Burton revival of "Hamlet" (1964), "How Now, Dow Jones" (1967), "Abelard and Heloise" (1971), "The Good Doctor" (1973), "All Over Town" (1974), "Angels Fall" (1983), and "Prelude to a Kiss" (1990). Hughes made a memorable movie debut in "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), as hooker Jon Voight's ill-fated final client, and went on to appear in such films as "Where's Poppa?" (1970), "The Hospital" (1971), "Cold Turkey" (1971), "Oh, God!" (1977), "Tron" (1982), "Maxie" (1985), "The Lost Boys" (1987), "A Hobo's Christmas" (1987), "Doc Hollywood" (1991), "Sister Act 2" (1993), and "The Cradle Will Rock" (1999). He also worked extensively in the early days of television, appearing on such shows as "Playhouse 90," "Kraft Theatre," and "Armstrong Circle Theatre." He starred in the television sitcoms "Doc" and "Mr. Merlin," was a regular on "The Cavanaughs" and "Blossom," and won an Emmy in 1977 for a guest-starring stint on the newspaper drama "Lou Grant."
Bio by: Ron Moody
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