David Rasche ( ; born August 7, 1944) is an American theater, film, and television actor who is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the 1980s satirical police sitcom Sledge Hammer!. Since then he has often played characters in positions of authority, in both serious and comical turns. In television he is known for his main role as Karl Muller in the HBO drama series Succession and his role as Alden Schmidt in the TV Land comedy series Impastor, as well as recurring and guest performances in numerous programs including L.A. Law, Monk, The West Wing, Veep, Bored to Death, and Ugly Betty.
Early life Rasche was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a minister and farmer.
Rasche graduated from Elmhurst College in 1966; his grandfather was also an alumnus. Coming from "a long line of Evangelical and United Church of Christ ministers", he attended the University of Chicago Divinity School for two years, then quit. He did, however, receive a graduate degree in English from the University of Chicago.
Rasche studied acting under Sanford Meisner.
Career Early years Rasche worked as a writer and teacher, including teaching English for two years at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. He performed for two years in Chicago's Second City improvisation group after studying there, and he also helped fund Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.
After Second City, Rasche starred in Organic Theater's 1974 production of David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, which established the playwright's characteristic blend of earthy, sometimes brutal dialogue.
Rasche began appearing on television and films in 1977, making his film debut in 1978 in An Unmarried Woman, directed by Paul Mazursky. The following year, he had a small part in Woody Allen's Manhattan.
Rasche played a terrorist in the 1983 television film Special Bulletin. He appeared on the Miami Vice episode "Bushido" (first aired November 22, 1985) as a KGB agent attempting to capture a former colleague of Lt. Castillo (Edward James Olmos). During his subsequent starring role on Sledge Hammer! his character often made jokes about Miami Vice.
Rasche played Petruchio to Frances Conroy's Kate in a production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew directed by Zoe Caldwell at the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut, in the mid-1980s.
Sledge Hammer! Rasche is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the satirical television sitcom Sledge Hammer!, which ran from 1986 to 1988. The show was a spoof of police dramas and concerned the character Sledge Hammer, a violent and chauvinistic – but also somewhat clumsy – police inspector with a taste for large and powerful weaponry.
Later work Rasche had a minor role as a photographer in the movie Cobra alongside Brigitte Nielsen.
Shortly after Sledge Hammer! ended, he played to critical acclaim in the Broadway production of Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, and he later appeared in an Off-Broadway revival of Mamet's Edmond.
Rasche was lead character Buddy Wheeler in the 1990 biker comedy Masters of Menace. He played Parnell, one of two corrupt narcotics police officers, in the 1989 Tom Selleck crime drama, An Innocent Man.
Rasche played the role of Ted Forstmann in the 1993 made-for-television movie Barbarians at the Gate, about the leveraged buyout (LBO) of RJR Nabisco. Rasche had a leading role in the 1997 Columbo episode, "A Trace of Murder".
In addition to his work as a screen actor, Rasche can also be heard as Captain Piett in the NPR radio adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back.
Rasche portrayed Donald Greene, one of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, in Paul Greengrass's 2006 9/11 film United 93. He had a major role in the 2009 satirical political comedy In the Loop, as a US official pushing for an invasion of an unspecified Middle Eastern country.
Starting February 14, 2017, he played George Antrobus in Theatre for a New Audience's production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, opposite Kecia Lewis as Maggie Antrobus. Rasche had a main role in HBO's Succession as Karl Muller from 2018 to 2023. He also participated in an industry reading of Rob Sedgwick's play, Please Leave, on February 13, 2023.
Personal life Rasche met his future wife Heather Lupton after he moved to New York City in 1976. She has taught acting at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They have three children. Rasche owns a house in Santa Barbara, California.
Theatre productions Year Title Role Venue 1977 Isadora Duncan Sleeps with the Russian Navy Ivan Miroski / German Entrepreneur/ LeninAmerican Place Theatre, Off-Broadway 1977 The Shadow Box Mark Morosco Theatre, Broadway 1979 Loose Ends Ben Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway 1980 Lunch Hour Peter Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 1982 Geniuses Eugene Winter Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway 1984 To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday David Circle in the Square Downtown, Off-Broadway 1985 The Custom of the Country Raymond De Chelles McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Off-Broadway 1988 Speed-the-Plow Bobby Gould Royale Theatre, Broadway 1990 The Country Girl Frank Elgin Union Square Theatre, Off-Broadway 1996 Edmond Edmond Linda Gross Theater, Off-Broadway 1998 Getting and Spending Richard O'Neill Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway 2003 Last Dance Randall New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2004 Five by Tenn Josie Cartwright / Lawrence / Two New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2005 Moonlight and Magnolias Victor Fleming New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2006 Lovely Day Performer Samuel Beckett Theatre, New York 2006 Elvis and Juliet Joey Francis Lesley June Havoc Theatre, New York 2006–07 Regrets Only Jack McCullough New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2008 The Seagull Yevgeny Sergeyevich Dorn Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway 2008 To Be or Not to Be Josef Tura Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway 2012 Warrior Class Nathan McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Off-Broadway 2013 Little Miss Sunshine Grandpa Hoover Tony Kiser Theatre, Off-Broadway 2014 The Country House Walter Keegan Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway 2017 The Skin of Our Teeth Mr. Antroubus Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Brooklyn 2024 Cult of Love William "Bill" Dahl Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1978 An Unmarried Woman Man at Bar Uncredited 1979 Manhattan Television Actor #3 1979 Something Short of Paradise David Ritchie 1980 Just Tell Me What You Want Stopwatch Producer 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway Eddie White 1982 Fighting Back Michael Taylor 1984 Best Defense KGB Agent Jeff 1986 Cobra Dan 1986 Native Son Buckley 1987 Made in Heaven Donald Sumner 1989 Wicked Stepmother Steve Fisher 1989 An Innocent Man Detective Mike Parnell 1989 Wedding Band Sloane Vaughn 1990 Masters of Menace Buddy Wheeler 1991 Delirious Dr. Paul Kirkwood / Dennis 1991 Bingo Hal Devlin 1993 Twenty Bucks Baker 1994 A Million to Juan Jeff 1994 Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter Chaz Frederick 1995 Magic in the Water Phillip 1995 Pie in the Sky Amy's Dad 1997 That Old Feeling Alan 1999 Friends & Lovers Richie Wickham 1999 The Settlement Denny 1999 The Big Tease Stig Ludwigssen 1999 Pros & Cons Jack Stanford 2001 Teddy Bears' Picnic Elliot Chevron 2002 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Taylor Abbott 2003 Just Married Mr. McNerney 2003 Exposed Warren Ward 2004 Off the Lip Dr. Martin Shutte 2005 The L.A. Riot Spectacular Performer 2005 Perception Phil 2006 The Sentinel President John Ballentine 2006 United 93 Donald Freeman Greene 2006 Flags of Our Fathers Senator 2007 The Girl in the Park Doug 2008 Burn After Reading CIA Officer Palmer DeBakey Smith 2009 Peter and Vandy Alan 2009 In the Loop Linton Barwick 2009 Crimes of the Past Thomas Sparrow 2009 Blue Eyes Marshall 2011 Collaborator Radio Host (voice) 2011 Remembrance Daniel Levine 2012 Missed Connections George 2012 Revenge for Jolly! Eichelberger 2012 Men in Black 3 Agent X 2012 Petunia Percy Petunia 2012 The Discoverers Cyrus Marshall 2012 The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich Hills 2013 Kill Your Darlings Harry Carman 2013 The Big Wedding Barry O'Connor 2014 Amira & Sam Jack 2014 Freedom Jefferson Monroe 2019 Swallow Michael 2020 Paper Spiders Bill Hoffman 2021 Americanish Jim 2021 The Good House Scott Good 2023 Theater Camp Dr. Bill Rauch 2023 About My Father Bill Collins 2026Evil Genius
Television