Stefan Gierasch was an actor who appeared in dozens of films and television programs during a career that spanned more than 60 years.

Born in New York City, he studied at the renowned Actors Studio and made his Broadway debut in 1944 in Snafu. He also appeared in the original 1959 production of The Sound of Music and many other stage productions.

Gierasch made his TV debut in an episode of the 1952 series Mr. Peepers. his other early credits included The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, You Are There and Studio One in Hollywood. In the years that followed, he had roles in many other series, including The Defenders, Naked City, The Untouchables, Kung Fu, Starsky and Hutch, Barney Miller, The Jeffersons, Dark Shadows, Dallas, Fantasy Island, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons, Miami Vice, Star Trek: The Next Generation and ER.

He was also seen in several high-profile feature films, including The Hustler, High Plains Drifter, What's Up Doc?, The New Centurions, Jeremiah Johnson, Cornbread, Earl and Me, Silver Streak, Perfect, Dave, Junior and Murder in the First.

Gierasch died September 6, 2014, in Santa Monica, California. He was 88.