George Dzundza

Dzundza (/ˈzʊndzə/ZUUND-zə) was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one brother. Before immigrating to the United States in 1956, the family lived in Amsterdam for some years. Dzundza attended St. John's University, studying speech and theatre arts. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Career

Dzundza played Commander Daskal in The Beast. His other major film roles include The Deer Hunter, White Hunter Black Heart, Basic Instinct, Crimson Tide, and Dangerous Minds. He played the part of Max Greevey on Law & Order for one season before leaving the show.
His other, lesser known acting roles include an appearance on The Waltons (1975), the Archie Bunker-like father in the short-lived Christina Applegate sitcom Jesse, and the voice of supervillain Ventriloquist in Batman: The Animated Series and Perry White in Superman: The Animated Series, as well as numerous minor roles within both shows. His Broadway theatre credits include Terrence McNally's The Ritz.
Ironically in light of his family's real-life experience as refugees from Nazi Germany, he portrayed American Nazi leader Frank Collin in the 1981 made-for-television movie Skokie.
In 2005, he played Anubis (aka "Jim") in the Stargate: SG-1 Season 8 episode "Threads".
More recently, Dzundza portrayed George O'Malley's father on Grey's Anatomy.

Filmography

• The Waltons, season 4, The Abdication, A.J. Covington (1975)
• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Salem's Lot (1979)
• A Long Way Home (1981)
• Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
• Skokie (1981)
• Streamers (1983)
• The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984)
• Best Defense (1984)
• The Execution of Raymond Graham (1985)
• Brotherly Love (1985)
• No Mercy (1986)
• No Way Out (1987)
• Something Is Out There (1988)
• The Beast (1988)
• The Ryan White Story (1989)
• Cross of Fire (1989)
• White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
• Law & Order (1990) TV Series
• Impulse (1990)
• The Butcher's Wife (1991)
• Basic Instinct (1992)
• Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
• Dangerous Minds (1995)
• Crimson Tide (1995)
• Superman: The Animated Series (1996)
• The New Batman Adventures (1997)
• Trading Favors (1997)
• That Darn Cat (1997)
• The Limbic Region (1997)
• Species II (1998)
• Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)
• Jesse (1998) TV Series
• Instinct (1999)
• Above Suspicion (2000)
• City by the Sea (2002)
• Hack (2002) TV Series
• National Lampoon's Adam & Eve (2005)
• Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006)
• Grey's Anatomy (2006)