Lester Rawlins

Lester Rawlins was an American actor who worked in theater, film, and television. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, he earned a BFA at the Carnegie Mellon College of Drama in 1950. Off-Broadway, he appeared in productions including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Nightride, and his performance in Nightride brought him a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. On Broadway, he acted in A Man for All Seasons and in Da, the latter earning him a Tony Award as featured actor in a play and a Drama Desk nomination. He won Obie Awards for The Old Glory, The Quare Fellow, and Hedda Gabler. They Might Be Giants (1971) and Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) were among his films. His television work included recurring parts in The Defenders, Ryan's Hope, Kojak, and The Secret Storm, and he spent several years on The Edge of Night as Orin Hillyer. He ended his screen career with an appearance on The Equalizer in 1985.