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Mark Linn-Baker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Linn-Baker (born June 17, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American actor and director famous for his role as Larry Appleton on the television sitcom Perfect Strangers. The show paired Linn-Baker with Bronson Pinchot (as Balki Bartokomous), creating a Laurel & Hardy-like comedy duo. They played distant cousins who meet for the first time when Balki travels to Chicago from his native island of Mypos. They become roommates, showcasing Linn-Baker as the nebbishy straightman and Pinchot as the outrageous foreigner.
Linn-Baker also guest starred in one episode of the successful ABC TV series Full House, as Dick Donaldson, the wealthy, snobbish cousin of Becky Donaldson Katsopolis (Lori Loughlin). Linn-Baker also guest starred on an episode of Miami Vice as Bonzo Barry and on an episode of "Moonlighting" ("Atlas Belched") as Phil West.
In a 2003 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, he guested as an insurance investigator [1] who displays strong Asperger's Syndrome traits. He gets a degree of empathy from the quirky detective Robert Goren and a number of behind-his-back snickers from Goren's partner Alexandra Eames.
In 2005, he was a regular cast member on the WB Network sitcom, Twins. The show was cancelled after a single season.
Linn-Baker also directed numerous episodes of Family Matters, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and The Trouble with Larry.
Before his entry into television, Linn-Baker had a notable film role as Benjy Stone in the 1982 comedy film, My Favorite Year, co-starring with Peter O'Toole. In a manner similar to his role in Perfect Strangers, Linn-Baker played the straight man to O'Toole's outrageous character, Alan Swann. Linn-Baker also appeared as a spokesperson for Peter Pan peanut butter commercials in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Mark Linn-Baker's wife Adrianne is the daughter of children's book author Arnold Lobel, best known for the Frog and Toad series. Linn-Baker adapted his father-in-law's stories into the Tony-nominated Broadway musical A Year with Frog and Toad, in which Linn-Baker played Toad.