1936—2009 · George in four films in a row

Steven Gilborn

A humanities professor who became an actor. In the early nineties Steven Gilborn appeared in Columbo four times in a row as the same character, George — a rare case of a regular face in the background.

Parts in Columbo

Episode	Season	Year	Character	Rating
Uneasy Lies the Crown9×05	9	1990	George	7
Columbo Goes to College10×01	10	1990	George	8
Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health10×02	10	1991	George	7
Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star10×03	10	1991	George	7.5

George

Gilborn plays George in Uneasy Lies the Crown, Columbo Goes to College, Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health and Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star — four films released one after another in 1990–1991. In a series where supporting characters rarely carry over, it stands out.

Beyond Columbo

He graduated from Swarthmore, earned a doctorate in dramatic literature at Stanford and taught humanities at MIT, as well as at Stanford, Columbia and Berkeley. Acting fame came late: Ellen’s father in the sitcom Ellen, the algebra teacher in The Wonder Years, parts in ER and The West Wing.

Facts

Four films in a row, 1990–1991, as the same George.
Before acting, a professor at MIT.
A doctorate in dramatic literature (Stanford, 1969).

Questions

Who did Steven Gilborn play in Columbo?

A character called George — in four consecutive films in 1990–1991.

More familiar faces

1926—2012