Prolific character actor of film and TV since the 1970s whose commanding glare, bald pate, lanky physique, and ramrod posture lend credibility to his often less than sympathetic portrayals of military brass, law men, and other men of authority. While most of his characters are fairly solemn, Lauter previously worked as a stand-up comic before turning into a professional tough guy. He works constantly and has amassed a huge number of credits in guest shots, TV-movies, miniseries, and feature films, usually in supporting roles, in a variety of genres including Westerns ("The Magnificent Seven Ride" 1972; "The White Buffalo" 1977), thrillers (Alfred Hitchcock's "Family Plot" 1976), horror flicks ("Cujo" 1983) and comedies ("Real Genius" 1985).
Lauter's memorable feature roles include the captain of the prison guard football team in "The Longest Yard" (1974), Tom Cruise's Vietnam Commander in Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), and the working-class Jewish father of Brendan Fraser in "School Ties" (1992). On the small screen, Lauter was a corrupt sheriff on "B.J. and the Bear" and a no-nonsense general who becomes a renegade to combat the machinations of a secret government agency in "Stephen King's Golden Years" (CBS, 1991).