Tim Matheson | 12/31/1947 | 74

Tim Matheson is a veteran actor who rose to fame thanks to his performance in Bonanza, one of the longest-running series on TV. But before that, he was a young actor who had a part to play in Window on Main Street. Growing up, Matheson landed a role in the TV western series, The Quest. He later ventured into acting on film, becoming part of National Lampoon’s Animal House opposite John Belushi. His success continued from the ’60s to the ’90s.

Aside from being in front of the camera, Matheson, to his credit, was also great as a director. He acted and directed The West Wing, which was an instant hit. He poured a lot of his investments into his being a director, which is why he got a great gig going with shows like Cold Case, White Collar, and Criminal Minds. He is still active as an actor, so we will not be seeing the last of him on our TV.