Harry Johnson, an actor with scores of credits spanning 40 years that ranged from the original Battlestar Galactica to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, several Dick Wolf series and the famous “Harry & Louise” commercials, died January 2 of in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 81.
His wife, Christiane, confirmed his passing to Deadline.
Born on December 27, 1942, in Plainfield, NJ, he often credited as Chip Johnson in the 1970s and ’80s and was among the last contract players for Universal Studios. Johnson began his screen career with the multi-part pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica in 1978 and went on to guest-star on dozens of TV series including M*A*S*H, Quincy M.E., The Incredible Hulk, Simon & Simon, The Greatest American Hero, Highway to Heaven, The A-Team, L.A. Law, Dynasty, Who’s the Boss?, Thirtysomething, Melrose Place, Party of Five, Roswell, Resurrection Blvd., Judging Amy, Days of Our Lives and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He was a prolific ADR voice actor and also worked on multiple Need for Speed video games. Johnson’s most successful period came running the voice-over or looping groups on multiple Dick Wolf shows for more than two decades, including all the Law & Order and Chicago series.
He also appeared in such features as Real Genius, Warlock and The Spitfire Grill and in several TV movies, notably starring opposite Batman alum Adam West in the 1981 sci-fi telepic Time Warp.
Johnson famously played Harry in a string of “Harry & Louise” TV and radio ads in 1993-94 that targeted President Bill Clinton’s health care plan. Funded by the Health Insurance Association of America to the tune of $15 million-$20 million, the spots were so successful — one famous line was “”If you let the government choose, we lose” — that the Democratic National Committee eventually ran answer ads.
Johnson and Louise Claire Clark reprised their roles for election-year commercials in 2000 and 2004. Harry & Louise resurfaced again in an ad that premiered during the 2008 Democratic National Convention and again the following, that time for a commercial ad supporting President Barack Obama’s new health care plan. The spots were parodied during the 2006 Oscars broadcast, with a voiceover by then-Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert.
Here is a collection of some of the “Harry & Louise ads:
Johnson later authored books, under the name Harry Castle. His first novel was 2013’s Fugitive Romance: The Fictional Memoir of a Hollywood Screenwriter, and his second book was the short-story collection Miracles & Misfits. His essays, short stories and poetry have appeared in a variety of literary journals and periodicals.
His wife told Deadline that Johnson loved to sail and was renowned with colleagues for his wit and habit of bringing a brightness to sets, making work a pleasure.
Along with Christiane, his wife of 15 years, Johnson is survived by his stepchildren Oliver and Penelope. A memorial service is pending.
