John Hostetter

John Hostetter (October 6, 1946 – September 2, 2016) was an American actor and visual artist whose versatile career spanned over four decades in film, television, voice work, and fine art. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Hanover, Pennsylvania, he displayed an early passion for performance, graduating from Eichelberger High School before pursuing higher education at Catawba College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and ultimately earning a master’s degree in acting from Cornell University, where he refined his craft under rigorous academic training. After completing his studies, Hostetter joined the National Shakespeare Company, gaining classical stage experience, and in 1971 relocated to California, where his breakout stage appearance alongside Christopher Reeve in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot marked his entry into the professional acting world. Over the next thirty‑five years he amassed more than one hundred screen credits, appearing in iconic television series such as Murphy Brown, where he portrayed the witty stage manager John across sixty‑five episodes, as well as guest roles on Cagney & Lacey, Knight Rider, The Golden Girls, NYPD Blue, and JAG, demonstrating his adaptability to both comedy and drama. His film work included supporting parts in Heartbreak Ridge, Beverly Hills Cop II, No Way Out, and the science‑fiction adventure Star Trek: Insurrection, further cementing his reputation as a reliable character actor. In 1985 Hostetter expanded into voice acting, giving life to the exuberant soldier Bazooka in the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and reprising the role in the 1987 direct‑to‑video film, while later providing English‑language narration for Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed anime Princess Mononoke and voicing characters in video games such as Vampire Hunter D. Beyond the screen, he pursued visual art, relocating with his wife Del Louise Appleby to Florida in 2001, where he devoted himself to painting and exhibited his work locally. His creative spirit endured until his death from cancer in Port Orange, Florida, on September 2, 2016, a month shy of his 70th birthday, leaving behind a legacy of diverse performances and artistic contributions.