Robert Gerringer

Robert Gerringer (born Robert Geiringer; May 12, 1926 - November 8, 1989) was an American character actor perhaps best known as Dr. Dave Woodard on the soap opera Dark Shadows, a role he played during 1967. Gerringer left the show because he refused to cross the picket line during a technician's strike; he was replaced by actor Peter Turgeon for six episodes and the character then killed off. Gerringer was born in New York City, the son of Mary Agnes (née Moran), a teacher, and Arthur Joseph Geiringer, a surgeon. He appeared in the film The Exorcist (1973) and in soap operas including The Guiding Light, Texas, in which he played Houston attorney Striker Bellman; and The Edge of Night. He died from a stroke at age 63 in Damariscotta, Maine.