Whatever happened to Dwight Schultz, A-Team Looping?

“Those accused of theft, which they did not commit, have no way to prove it, constantly run away from the pursuer. They use their skills to survive. When the law can’t do anything for you, you have one option left. Only one: All Risk Agency’.

It’s an understatement to say that the hook of The All Risks Agency has given its fans chills. Created in 1983, the duo of Frank Lupo and Steven J. By Kanelli, it has become absolutely iconic. Especially thanks to the personality of each member of the friendly mercenary group.

Lupe, the traumatized mad soldier

Dwight Schultz played “Howling Mad” Murdoch, better known to us by the nickname Looping. He was the moony, brash and above all crazy member of the group. Traumatized by his experience in Vietnam, he was even placed in a psychiatric hospital after suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

During phases of madness, sometimes with lucid flashes, he identified himself with fictitious characters, experienced hallucinations, and believed that inanimate objects were endowed with intelligence.

It shows the fraught legacy of a character who loved nothing more than to (gently) torment his sidekick Barracuda with his whims. But Looping was also, and above all, an outstanding pilot, airplane or helicopter.

IfAll risk agencies To a large extent contributed to the trajectory of the actor’s career, his career is more difficult, which still did not prevent him from returning to where he was not expected at all.

A solid theater experience

Born on November 24, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland, Dwight Schultz first did a lot of theater before stepping in front of the camera. In 1969, he was a co-founder of the troupe Baltimore Theater EnsembleThen integrated in the early 70s Baltimore Center Stage Companywho will perform in different states during the tour.

After moving to New York to pursue a career as a stage actress, she struggled to make ends meet while working several jobs as a salesperson or waitress. In 1978, he finally landed the title role in an Off Broadway play. water engine.

Just two years before the huge success All risk agencies, he looks at castings for small roles in TV movies or series for the duration of an episode, such as Captain Furillo or even Chips. In 1982, he landed one of the lead roles in the horror film Dément, opposite Jack Palance and Martin Landau.

It was in the wake of this role that Dwight Schultz auditioned for the role of Murdock. With the same disappointment, short-lived: the producer informed him that he was only hired to shoot the pilot of the series; His character is not written.

But the public liked it so much during the test screening of this pilot that the production decided not only to keep it, but also to keep its character. A happier outcome than his co-star Tim Dunnigan, who was hired to play Foote’s character and fired after the pilot, eventually playing Dirk Benedict.

“The TV network hated the show!”

After five seasons and 98 episodes, All risk agencies Canceled by NBC. Like his co-star Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz had fond memories of filming the series, but was bitter about how it ended. During a question-and-answer session organized in 2009He believes that the channel made this decision for purely political reasons.

“Everybody knows that Hollywood is pretty much dominated by Democrats. But The A-Team was a conservative show, and because of that, a television company that was created to hate it. Yes, they hated it, and the Democratic organizations hated the United States, they didn’t like the content of the series, even though everyone The kid loved it and it was number one on the grid!

He added: “Because of that, every actor who had a role on the show got into trouble after it went off the air. Just because they got typecast doesn’t mean they couldn’t find work, no, ‘They couldn’t find work after “The A-Team because They all worked on a show that was considered too conservative, and because of that they weren’t hired.

We are not obliged to fully subscribe to the words of the actor, who is famously conservative and never hides it. However, in the 1990s, in addition to several appearances in TV movies, a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and several film roles, including one in Star Trek: First Contact in 1996, all risked further agency returns for him. It was difficult…

One hell of a rebound… in video games!

Salvation will come from a completely different domain: video games! In addition to his several roles on the small and big screen, it was in the world of video games that Dwight Schultz made a comeback as a voice actor, including in animated series.

The list of his contributions is dizzying and should logically evoke great memories among video game fans. His first contribution dates back to 1998 with the (fabulous) game Fallout 2. Ironically, this license has recently been adapted for Prime Video.

Also worked on the Final Fantasy X games; The Fantastic Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from the Butcher alongside Vin Diesel; Crash Bandicoot Saga; World of Warcraft; The brilliant Yakuza series of games; Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell; the fabulous role-playing game Mass Effect and Dragon Age; Gears of War; His God; Wolfenstein: The New Order.

No less fantastic Marvel’s Spider-Man game created by studio Insomniac released in 2018, in which he voiced Vulture. He even does some additional voices in the recent and lavish Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which we told you about all the good things we thought about it here. And again, we will give only a few examples.

Although she agrees to make a cameo in the film adaptation of The A-Team, in which Sharlto Copley will reprise her role, Dwight Schultz interrupted her acting career for about twenty years.

At 76, he continues to walk the convention aisles to meet fans, while also lending his voice to video game productions and animated series. His last contribution in this field dates back to 2021, on DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, which is broadcast on Netflix.