Bruce Mahler is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is known for his role as Sgt. Fackler in the comedy films Police Academy, and as Rabbi Glickman[a] on the sitcom Seinfeld.

Bruce Mahler
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • voiceover artist
Years active1977–2001

Biography

edit

In 1977, Mahler appeared on two episodes of the TV series Fernwood 2 Night. In 1980, he appeared on Fridays, an early 1980s ABC sketch show modeled after NBC's Saturday Night Live, where most of his appearances showcased his musical talent and radio DJ-style voice, most notably in the recurring sketches "The Latin DJ" and the one-off sketches "KPLO" (about Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists hosting a radio show in their bunker) and "A Classical Get-Down" (about a classical pianist who hosts his radio show like a Top 40 station).

Two years after Fridays was cancelled, Mahler portrayed Sgt. Douglas Fackler in the 1984 film Police Academy. His other film work has included 1984's Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,[1] the 1985 sequel Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, 1986's Police Academy 3: Back in Training, 1987's Funland, and the 1989 sequel Police Academy 6: City Under Siege.

In the 1990s, Mahler appeared on the television series The Famous Teddy Z and had a recurring role on Seinfeld. He had minor roles in the movies Hook, Dick Tracy and Loaded Weapon 1. From 1995 to 1998, he starred as a rabbi whom Elaine befriends in the Seinfeld episodes "The Postponement", "The Hot Tub" (scene deleted), "The Serenity Now" and "The Finale".

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1977 Fernwood 2 Night Howard Palmer Recurring role (2 episodes)
1980–82 Fridays Various characters Main cast (54 episodes)
1984 Police Academy Cadet Doug Fackler
1984 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Axel
1985 Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment Cadet Doug Fackler
1985 Diff'rent Strokes Captain Jack Episode: "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To"
1986 Police Academy 3: Back in Training Sgt. Doug Fackler
1987 Funland Mike Spencer
1989 Police Academy 6: City Under Siege Sgt. Doug Fackler
1990 The Famous Teddy Z Episode: "Pitching the Net"
1990 Dick Tracy Reporter Uncredited
1991 Hook Pirate Uncredited
1993 Loaded Weapon 1 District Attorney #2 Uncredited
1995–98 Seinfeld Rabbi Glickman Recurring role (3 episodes)
1998 Monster Farm Count Cluckula, Doctor Woolly/Mr. Ewwe, various Voice role (13 episodes)
2000 The Perfect Storm Mr. Moss Uncredited
2000 Scary Movie Homey #2 Uncredited

References

edit
  1. ^ "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter". Rotten Tomatoes. April 13, 1984. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  1. ^ Mahler's character is referred to as "Rabbi Glickman" in one episode and "Rabbi Kirschbaum" in another. The characters' mannerisms and backstory are otherwise identical and it seems that these were intended to be the same character, with the name change being a simple continuity error.
edit