Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. In addition, Farrell was a producer of Patch Adams starring Robin Williams , and he starred in the television series Providence β Farrell is also an activist and public speaker for various political causes.
He has been the President of Death Penalty Focus since But I keep finding people who inspire me--some of them on death row, and more of them in the trenches, in the courts, in religious circles, fighting against the death penalty. Farrell, one of four children, was born in South St. When he was two years old, his family moved from South St. Paul to Hollywood, California, where his father worked as a carpenter on film sets.
He served in the United States Marine Corps from to After being discharged, he worked at various jobs before becoming an actor. During the s, Farrell guest-starred in a few series. During the years under contract, he guest-starred in a number of shows, including Banacek ; Mannix ; Marcus Welby, M. In the early s, Farrell guest-starred in the television Western drama Bonanza [ 5 ] [ 6 ] and did a number of commercials as a spokesman for Maytag dryers and Plymouth automobiles , among other products.
Farrell was recruited for the newly created role of B. Hunnicutt, along with series lead Harry Morgan , who was already signed to replace McLean Stevenson for the fourth season. Farrell stayed with the series for its remaining eight years on the air. During that time, he wrote five episodes and directed four. Farrell hosted several National Geographic Presents specials and starred in a number of television films, including 's Memorial Day , which he co-produced.
Rintels' play Clarence Darrow. In , Farrell was given the part of veterinarian Jim Hansen, the father of the lead character Dr. Farrell appeared in 64 of the 96 episodes. Even before he was well-known, Farrell was an activist for many political and social causes. He was co-chair of the California Human Rights Watch for ten years, was on the Board of Advisors of the original Cult Awareness Network , and has been president of Death Penalty Focus for more than 10 years, [ 13 ] being the first person to be awarded its Human Rights Award, subsequently named after him in A guerrilla commander, Nidia Diaz , had been taken prisoner.
