Tubby and engaging character actor
Cliff Emmich was born on December 13, 1936 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father Clifford was a popular exotic car dealer whose celebrity customers included
Clark Gable,
Gary Cooper, and
Ozzie Nelson. Following graduation from John Muir High School, Emmich served in the air force for four years as a photo technician. He first began acting on stage. Veteran character actor
Keenan Wynn advised Emmich to enroll at the Pasadena Playhouse. He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse for eight months. Emmich then toured the country with the American Repertory Players and spent a summer performing in summer stock at the Pink Garter Theatre in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He made his film debut in
Gaily, Gaily (1969).
Later memorable roles were as a coroner in
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), as sexist jerk business executive who insults
Yvette Mimieux at the beginning of
Jackson County Jail (1976), as a bumbling small town deputy in
Barracuda (1978), as the ill-fated hospital security guard Mr. Garrett in
Halloween II (1981), as an asylum doctor in the trashy
Hellhole (1985), and as a small town sheriff in
Digital Man (1995). He has appeared in such television shows as
Crossing Jordan (2001),
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993),
Nash Bridges (1996),
Coach (1989),
Baywatch (1989),
Murder, She Wrote (1984),
Knots Landing (1979),
Night Court (1984),
Hunter (1984),
Riptide (1984),
Simon & Simon (1981),
CHiPs (1977),
Knight Rider (1982),
The Incredible Hulk (1977),
Vega$ (1978),
Fantasy Island (1977),
Happy Days (1974),
Little House on the Prairie (1974) (this is one of Emmich's favorite parts),
Charlie's Angels (1976),
Baretta (1975),
Police Woman (1974), and
Starsky and Hutch (1975). He is a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.