February 22, 1995
Remembering the great St. Elsewhere actor
Ed Flanders was the lead doctor in the 1980s TV series St. Elsewhere, about the lives and dedication of the doctors and nurses at run-down, under-funded St. Eligius Hospital in a bad neighborhood of South Boston.
St. Elsewhere, as the hospital became known, was, to quote a reviewer, “a sanctuary for the underdog and the downtrodden.”
The show was a favorite of mine and my 17-year-old son when we lived in a weekly-rate motel in Topanga Beach, California. We never missed an episode. My son had a crush on Christine Pickles, who played nurse Helen Rosenthal.
EXCELLENT CAST
The superlative cast included Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, Betty White, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Robbins, Cynthia Sikes, Norman Lloyd, William Daniels, David Morse, Howie Mandel, George Wendt, Helen Hunt, David Birney, and many more.
LEADER OF THE TEAM
One of the best was Ed Flanders, who played Dr. Donald Westphall, the Director of Medicine who was regarded as the heart and soul of the hospital.
“What I have foremost in my mind is an extraordinary presence,” cast member France Nuyen said in the St. Elsewhere newsletter On Call. “He had a magnetism and power, but it was always understated. He was a remarkable actor.”
Flanders received eight Emmy nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Series and won three times.
RECLUSE IN A TINY TOWN
Ed Flanders left St. Elsewhere in 1988.
Three divorces, a crippling and excruciatingly painful back injury from a near fatal car accident in 1989, and a lifelong battle with depression began to take their toll.
“Eddie had a rough childhood,” Ellen Geer, his second wife, said in the On Call newsletter.
“His mother was killed in a car accident when he was fourteen, then he had a nervous breakdown. Alcohol was also something that was part of his family.”
Ed was an alcoholic. He had gone through rehab in the late 1980s, but it didn’t last and he went back to the bottle.
BAR STOOL NEAR THE DOOR
In his last years, Ed became a recluse on his 190-acre ranch in the tiny hamlet of Denny in northern California.
On his daily 30-mile drive into Willow Creek, the closest town large enough to have a post office, he would pick up his mail and frequent the local bars.
“He came in by himself,” one bartender recalled, “and always sat in the same place, on the bar stool near the door. He was a very lonely man.”
Ed Flanders spent his final days in a depression “so deep he rarely left his sofa,” according to reporter Tom Gliatto.
.30-06 RIFLE
Then, on the morning of February 22, 1995, he took a .30-06 rifle from a closet, positioned the barrel against his right temple and pulled the trigger. He was 60 years old. There was no suicide note.
“I remember Ed as a fan who fell madly in love with this handsome, blue-eyed man,” said Cody Lambert, his third wife. “In spite of the problems, in spite of the hurt, it’s important to remember Ed as the brilliant talent, giving a performance and giving of himself. He was a special human being.”
Ed Flanders had many other successes on screen and stage, including a Tony Award for Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten on Broadway. He had roles in dozens of TV shows and movies, including that of President Truman in MacArthur with Gregory Peck.
See bio here.
But for me and millions of others, it will always be St. Elsewhere.
I was not happy when that show went off the air. I ended up recording the reruns and watching it all over again. (and to think that was before TiVo, DVR’s and streaming.
Wonderful actor. I didn’t know the life details. Shared, Sir.
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https://twitter.com/outosego/status/1231200521316454400
My teenage son had a crush on Christina Pickles. Many excellent and young future stars, like Denzel Washington.
Yes, a lonely end indeed. Thank you for sharing it.
The older stars mixed in with the up-and-comers, true.
Nice, sad tribute!💕
That was very sad. I had never knew about his life. I knew of St Elsewhere but at that time watching other shows. It just proves how important getting help for depression and mental health issues is.
Indeed it was. Ed had suffered from deep depression for years, probably beyond saving.
true
Lexapro brought me out of a deep depression. Only drug that worked. Been taking it for about twenty years. Wish Mr. Flanders had gotten help. He was a wonderful actor.
Yes, it is a great regret he didn’t get help, he isolated himself from everyone so there was no one to help him. Thanks for mentioning Lexapro, perhaps it will help depression sufferers who may read this,
This is so sad to learn of his torment. I enjoyed him on St. Elsewhere, he was so incredibly believable and a great actor. I also loved him on Mary Tyler Moore show guest appearance as a priest (Father Terrance Brian) and Betty White /Sue Ann had her eye on him. It was hilarious to watch and Flanders had incredible comic timing — a must see if you are a St. Elsewhere fan as Flanders character is so different on MTM and it shows his incredible range. RIP Ed Flanders.
I must have missed the MTM episodes where he appeared, I’ll look for them in reruns, especially since they featured Betty White. Three marvelous actors gone — Mary, Ed and Betty. Thanks for your reply.
I watched St. Elsewhere religiously and always had a crush on Ed Flanders. I’m not sure why, but something about him just touched my heart. I saw an old video of Betty White on The Tonight Show, but Joan Rivers was the guest host. Betty mentioned that she had a huge crush on Ed Flanders. I was surprised because I thought I was the only one! LOL
Yes, he seemed like a nice guy — with a lot of problems, such a lonely way to die.
Eddie was my mother’s cousin. They grew up together like siblings, especially after his mother died in a car accident when Eddie was 14. I had a very close bond with him as well. We had family reunions in Saskatchewan Canada, as many of our relatives live there. In 1983 I was 14 and Ed and I really bonded that year after him getting completely drunk and having a challenging conversation with me about the existence of God. Me believing in God and Ed rejecting the notion of God. He went off the deep end and scared the heck out of me. He actually dragged me down to the dock and threw me into the lake while yelling “You son of a b, how dare you try and tell me there’s a God” as he threw me in the water. I was mortified and ashamed. His cousins took him aside and gave him a lecture. The next day Ed came to my tent and apologized to me and spent the next 5 days right by my side and we became friends. He told me I earned his respect when I was willing to spar with him on the existance of God. We stayed in touch and saw each other every year or 2 until he took his life. I miss Ed, he was a brilliant actor and had a heart of gold. You just had to get beneath the hard exterior to find it. God Bless your Soul Ed, I know you believe in God today!
Hello Andrew, thank you so much for sharing those memories of you and Ed Flanders. I didn’t realize he was so atheistic, but as you say, maybe a different perspective now.