Dennis Cockrum

While the plight of the working actor who has yet to achieve a measurable degree of stardom may be a frustrating one, Dennis Cockrum has been working steadily in film, television, and the theater for 25 years, appearing in over 85 productions. He started on the big screen as a hood battling Chuck Norris in the 1985 actioner "Code of Silence." A few roles in the Burt Reynolds/Liza Minnelli action flop "Rent-a-Cop" and the Gene Hackman/Tommy Lee Jones thriller "The Package" followed, but he landed a role as one of John Candy's buddies in John Hughes's comedy "Uncle Buck," which led to a recurring role on the offshoot TV series of the film. He starred in six episodes of the show's single-season run. For the next two decades he alternated between features and television, working constantly, and received more and more screen time as his career progressed. His TV credits include roles on programs as varied as the political drama "The West Wing" to the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." Cockrum can also be seen in the crime drama "Murder By Numbers."