Beau Starr

Many fans know little about Beau Starr himself, but may easily recognize his craggy face as someone in the background -- a father, a sheriff, or even a bad guy.

For the past 20 years, Beau has played a wide range of roles, but invariably he's been cast as the cop, even though he began his career playing the bad guy. It seems an odd career move for a man who attended Hofstra University and earned a B.A. and M.A. in Biology. In 1969, this Queens-born man played for the Montreal Alouettes, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1970. Beau then lived in Guelph, Ontario until 1980, when he moved back to New York. Soon he migrated to the west coast and settled in Burbank, California.

Beau appeared as a guest star in quite a few television series during the 1980's. Eventually he landed the role of Sheriff Ben Meeker in the 4th and 5th installments of the Halloween movies. More roles soon followed, both on the small and big screens.

Beau auditioned for Due South but was unavailable when it came time to film the pilot. Instead, Canadian actor Chuck Shamata filled the role of Ray's often frustrated boss in the pilot film. However, when the series began shooting, Beau gladly hopped on board. He enjoyed working on the series, which he regarded as a wonderful experience that may never be duplicated.

Beau felt that the third season, under the guidance of new executive producer Paul Gross, blended into a more ensemble cast than in previous seasons. The character of Welsh soon gained more screen time, and interestingly enough, Beau's brother Mike, a character actor frequently seen in movies, almost appeared as Welsh's own brother. When Welsh returned home in the episode "Doctor Longball" to assist his estranged brother in a criminal investigation, they tried to get Mike to fill that role. Unfortunately he was busy working on a Sharon Stone movie and could not get free. Instead, Max Gail (Barney Miller) took on the role.

Recent Years

Beau appears to be staying very busy, appearing in numerous television series as well as a movie or two.

Due South Cast Information | William & Elyse's Due South Page