J

John Lawlor

Died
February 13, 2025
Age
83 years

Remembering John Lawlor: related finds and keepsakes

About John Lawlor

John Lawlor, 83, American actor (Phyllis, The Facts of Life, Wyatt Earp).

Explore other notable deaths in 2025 or deaths in February 2025.

The Deaths Archive presents

How well do you know John Lawlor?

Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.

10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?

Challenge your friends

Play together in real-time.

Advertisement

60 Seconds Life Story

John Henry Lawlor III was a versatile American actor whose career spanned decades of television and film.

60 Seconds Life Story

John Lawlor

d. 2025

0:00 / 0:56

60 Seconds: John Lawlor's Life Story

0:56Added 2026-10-23Generated

A look at the life and career of American actor John Lawlor, known for his roles on The Facts of Life and Phyllis.

Transcript

John Henry Lawlor III was a versatile American actor whose career spanned decades of television and film. Born in 1941, he spent his early years in Colorado before building an impressive acting resume. Audiences fondly remember him as Leonard Marsh on the sitcom Phyllis and as Headmaster Steven Bradley on The Facts of Life. Beyond sitcoms, he made memorable appearances in shows like Breaking Bad and the film Wyatt Earp. He also became part of pop culture history in a 1980s commercial, popularizing the catchphrase, "Good stuff, Maynard!" Lawlor was a dedicated father to his six children throughout his life. He passed away on February 13, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 83.

Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.

Visual credits: Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) · The Crystal Mill (CC BY 2.0) · Vintage Television Collection: Motorola Porthole "Suitcase" 7-Inch Television Set, Uses Electrostatic Deflection, Missing Antenna Housed in Cover (Typical of These Sets), Very Good Condition, Circa 1949 (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Box of Cereal (CC BY-SA 2.0) · This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsc.06257.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. (Public domain) · Mount Evans and Denver skyline Uploaded by xnatedawgx (CC BY 2.0)

An illustrated presentation assembled inside the archive from the approved script and the credited images: narration, scene transitions and captions. Caption timing is estimated from the narration.

Narrated illustration. Images are sourced and credited; they are not presented as authenticated photographs.

Full Biography

|

John Henry Lawlor III (June 5, 1941 – February 13, 2025) was an American actor and assistant director.

Early life

Lawlor was born on June 5, 1941, in Troy, New York, but spent much of his early life in Boulder, Colorado, where his mother was a teacher of special needs children at Casey Jr. High School. In the late-1960s, he worked as a AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer trainer in Denver.[citation needed]

Career

His best known roles were Supervisor Leonard Marsh on the television series Phyllis from 1976 to 1977, and later of Headmaster Steven Bradley on the television series The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1980. The name Steven Bradley was likely meant as a tribute to Steve Bradley in Boulder, a friend and one-time manager of the Winter Park ski area.[citation needed]

He also guest-starred in L.A. Law, Knots Landing, Mr. Belvedere, Barney Miller, The Rockford Files, Ellery Queen, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Alice. He played the locksmith exhorted by Skylar White in Breaking Bad.

He appeared in the movies National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982), S.O.B. (1981), Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977), The Gumball Rally (1976), Wyatt Earp (1994) and Mr. Fixit (1988).

In a 1980s TV commercial for Malt-O-Meal hot cereal, he played a father telling his son's invisible friend that Malt-O-Meal was, "Good stuff, Maynard!" a line which became a popular phrase.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

Lawlor was divorced from Tantoo Cardinal, with whom he had two children. He also had four other children.

Lawlor died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 13, 2025, at the age of 83.

Filmography

Film

Television

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Interactive

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

How well do you know this person's life and legacy?

No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.

Articles & News

Reported coverage of John Lawlor; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about John Lawlor on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on February 13

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for John Lawlor →

Advertisement

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.