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Earl Boen

Earl Boen was an American actor whose career moved easily between film, television, the stage and voice work. Born in New York City on August 8, 1941, he made both his television and feature-film debuts in 1977, appearing in The Streets of San Francisco and Mr. Billion. Boen became especially well known as criminal psychiatrist Dr. Peter Silberman, a role he played across three entries in the Terminator series: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Silberman gave Boen room to bring dry authority and comic exasperation to a character repeatedly confronted with events far beyond his understanding. His wider film work included 9 to 5, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Man with Two Brains, Alien Nation, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. On television, Boen was a dependable character actor with a gift for officials, bosses and clergymen. He played the Rev. Lloyd Meechum in a recurring role on Mama's Family, Jim Petersen on Who's the Boss? and Dr. Kramer on Get a Life. His credits also included appearances in The Jeffersons, Kojak, ALF, Matlock, The Golden Girls, The Wonder Years, Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After retiring from screen acting in 2003, Boen continued working extensively behind the microphone. He voiced the pirate LeChuck in the Monkey Island adventure games, Police Chief Kanifky in Bonkers and Horace Bleakman in Clifford the Big Red Dog. His game work also included World of Warcraft, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, X-Men: Legends and several Star Trek titles. His voice was additionally heard on the Disneyland Railroad and Walt Disney World Railroad. Boen fully retired from acting in 2017. He died in 2023, leaving a body of work shaped by steady character acting and a voice that could carry comedy, menace or authority.