Character Profiles: Supporting Characters

Character Profiles: Supporting Characters

Dreyfuss (Bear)
Dreyfuss is the Weston family’s dog, a half St. Bernard/half Golden Retriever. Dreyfuss just may be the most sensible one of the household. He’s very smart but rather lazy. In fact, he doesn’t do much of anything except sleep and eat. Of course, when he takes a notion he can be pretty active – even fathering a few pups over the years.

Jeffrey Millstein (Edan Gross)

Precocious patient Jeffrey Millstein drops by the hospital often, usually seeking Harry’s advice on some crisis, like when he thinks he is having prostate problems, when he decides to find himself an older woman, and when his dad takes him out of his school for the gifted and enrolls him in public school.
Jeffrey appears in the episodes “Harry’s Friend,” “The First Time, Again,” “Strange Bedfellows,” “Love is Blind” and “Still Growing After All These Years.”

Fred and Ursula Dietz (Richard Stahl, Marian Mercer)

Fred and Ursula are Charley’s unloving parents who don’t hide the fact that they favor their other son, Deiter, over Charley. The two were never there for Charley while he was growing up, and when they finally visit they seem to know little about his life.  Fred and Ursula eventually divorce and from then on whenever Ursula visits she spends most of her time chasing after Harry.

Fred and Ursula appear in the episodes “The Unimportance of Being Charley” and “Love a la Mode.” Ursula also appears in “My Mother, My Self.” 

Nick Todd (Christopher McDonald)

Laverne’s husband Nick is a minor league baseball player who also hails from Hickory, Arkansas. He tends to be a little dimwitted and is very superstitious, basing his whole game around things such as lucky shoelaces. When he is traded to a team in Japan, Nick meets another woman and he and Laverne get a divorce.

Nick appears in the episodes “It Happened Two Nights, Four Costume Changes,” “Have You Ever Seen a Dream Dying?” and “Her Cheatin’ Heart.”

Kevin Millen (D. David Morin)

Kevin is introduced during the final season. While editing the newspaper’s advice column, Carol finds a letter from a lonely man asking where he could meet a nice woman. At Sophia’s urging, Carol responds, telling him that art galleries are great places to meet women, hoping she’ll be able to find him herself. While there, she meets airline pilot Kevin Millen. He ends up not being the man who wrote the letter, but the two hit it off and start a relationship. There are a couple problems in the way, such as Carol’s jealousy over Kevin’s beautiful ex-wife and his fast bond with little Scotty. They overcome these obstacles though and marry in the series finale.

Kevin appears in the episodes “Dear Aunt Martha,” “And Kevin Makes Three,” “The Ex-Files,” and “Life Goes On” Parts 1 and 2.

Dr. Matt Kane  (Stephen Nichols)

Laverne’s childhood friend, Matt, comes for a visit during the last season, and the two end up falling in love. At first, Laverne is afraid to admit her feelings, thinking he won’t feel the same way, but she soon finds out he does. They almost breakup when scheduling problems interrupt their relationship. Just when Laverne thinks it’s over, Matt proposes, and the two wed in the series finale, with Laverne planning to move back to Hickory and work in his office.

Matt appears in the episodes “Feelings, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Feelings,” “Stand By Your Man,” and “Life Goes On” Part 2.

Scotty Weston (Caston Holmes)

Carol and Patrick’s son Scotty (actually F. Scotty, after Carol’s favorite writer F. Scott Fitzgerald) is born in November of 1993. After a series of false alarms, Carol finally gives birth to Scotty at the opera. The character goes from baby to toddler as season 7 begins, which is when Caston Holmes takes over the role.
Scotty appears in the episodes “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About,” “And Kevin Makes Three,” “Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have” and “Life Goes On” Parts 1 and 2.

Libby Weston (Judith-Marie Bergan)

Libby is Harry’s wife. When the series begins, Libby has been dead 18 months. In the final episode, Harry is visited by Libby, the “ghost” of Libby that is. She comes to ask Harry why he turned down the offer to teach in Vermont, plus offers some advice and reminisces on old times. In her one brief appearance, we see the chemistry between Libby and Harry, and finally get a look at the character who is referred to many times throughout the series’ run.

Laurie Kincaid (Mayim Bialik)

Little Laurie Kincaid is one of Harry’s precocious patients at the hospital. She definitely isn’t too shy to ask a favor of Doc, as she calls Harry. In one appearance she actually asks him to her school dance (since she couldn’t get any other date) and in another she comes to him seeking advice when she wants a nose job.

Laurie appears in the episodes “The R.N. Who Came to Dinner” and “Harry Knows Best.”

Ben Braxton (Todd Susman)

Mr. Braxton is Carol’s boss at the Dade Country Crier, the newspaper where she works during season seven. He hires Carol as chauffeur to the paper’s teenage reporter, but she quickly moves up to senior reporter after the kid is fired. In two of his most notable appearances, Mr. Braxton sleeps with Carol and later grows too attached to Harry when in need of a friend.

Mr. Braxton appears in the episodes “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About,” “Harry Weston: Man’s Best Friend,” “Carol Gets a Raise” and “Dear Aunt Martha.” 

Doris (Kari Lizer)

Uhh…uhh…Beatrice…uhh…Doris!! This flaky odd-ball, whose name no one can ever seem to remember, makes three appearances throughout seasons six and seven. While volunteering at the clinic, she grows oddly attached to Laverne (sending flowers, inviting her to dinner), which makes everyone think Doris  in love with her. She shows up again at Harry’s door selling beauty products and Carol, noticing that Doris has no self-esteem, gives her a makeover and takes her out to meet men. And when she shows up a third time, it’s at the clinic again, this time just out of nursing school and filling in for Laverne.

Doris appears in the episodes “No Volunteers, Please,” “The Devil and Dr. Weston” and “The Woman Who Came to Dither.”

Lurlene Moss (Jana Arnold)

Well cut my legs off and call me Shorty! All the way from Hickory, Arkansas, it’s Lurlene Moss! Lurlene is Laverne’s countrified best friend who comes to visit a few times and talks to Laverne on the phone often. In one visit, Lurlene accuses Laverne of being citified but later sees that it’s the fault of “the citified dandy” she works for. In another visit, Lurlene comes on behalf of the committee against putting a traffic light at Hickory’s busiest intersection (a decision which Laverne is asked by the mayor to make). Her argument: “We don’t need it.” She’s not very wordy and not nearly as outspoken as her best friend.

Lurlene appears in the episodes “The Man Who Got Away,” “You Are 16 Going on 17…And I’m Not” and “Everything But Love.”

Miss Bingham (Mary Catherine Wright)

Miss Bingham is Carol’s mousy boss at the university library during seasons two and three. She seems very devoted to her work and loves books: “Books make the best adventures! Books make the best friends! Books make the best lovers!” Together, she says, she and Carol will move mountains in library work. Surprisingly, Miss Bingham gets married to the perfect man, which drives Carol (who can’t even get a date) off the deep end.

Miss Bingham appears in the episodes “Overdue for a Job” and “Mad About the Boy.”

Mr. Garrison (Eric Christmas)

There is one word to describe Mr. Garrison: hypochondriac! The little old man comes to the clinic on a regular basis with an endless list of symptoms with which to annoy Harry, Laverne and Maxine. The only way to get rid of him is to give him a complete check-up. He first appears during season five when Harry fills in at an inner-city clinic and pops up again when Harry and Laverne move to the Canal Street Clinic.

Mr. Garrison appears in the episodes “The All-American Boy — Not!,” “Read All About It” and “Diary of a Mad Housewife.”

Harry | Barbara | Carol | Charley | Laverne | Patrick | Emily | Maxine | Sophia | Supporting