LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 -- Actor Ed Flanders, a three-time Emmy winner best known as the compassionate Dr. Donald Westphall on the television series 'St. Elsewhere,' has died, his agent confirmed Tuesday. He was 60.
The cause and time of his death was still unclear, said Flanders' agent Christian Donatelli, who refused even to say where his client had died. Flanders was active on television since the early 1970s, appearing in such dramatic programs as 'Eleanor and Franklin' in 1976, 'Backstairs at the White House' (as President Coolidge) in 1979, 'Blind Ambition' in 1979, and 'Skokie' in 1981. Flanders was most recently seen last year in the short-lived CBS drama 'Down Home.' Born in Minneapolis Dec. 29, 1934, Flanders got his start as a stage actor in the 1950s and moved on to Broadway roles in the '60s and '70s. He won a Tony Award in 1974 for his supporting role in 'A Moon for the Misbegotten,' and later won his first Emmy for the TV production of the same play. The following year, Flanders won a best actor Emmy for the title role in the PBS production 'Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking.' In 1983, he won a best actor award for his leading role on NBC's 'St. Elsewhere.'
