Art LaFleur (September 9, 1943 – November 17, 2021) was an American character actor and acting coach.

Life and career LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana.‘The Sandlot’ and ‘Field Of Dreams’ actor Art LaFleur has died He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charlie Bradshaw as chronicled in a 2007 book, The Thin Thirty. He was a sportscaster on ESPN and on CBS.

LaFleur had many guest-starring roles on television series, including Angel and JAG. In 1983, he was cast in the ABC sitcom pilot Another Ballgame alongside Alex Karras and Susan Clark. The series went through many development changes before its fall premiere, with Emmanuel Lewis being added to the show and LaFleur being dropped from the regular cast. Once the final change to the series title was made (to Webster), LaFleur was kept only as a guest star in the pilot.

In 1993, LaFleur played baseball player Babe Ruth in The Sandlot. He had another notable role as the eccentric and obsessive character Red Sweeney (Silver Fox), in the 1995 family comedy film Man of the House. He also appeared in one episode of the television series M*A*S*H, in season 9 ("Father’s Day”) as an MP, looking for the people responsible for a stolen side of beef. LaFleur played US Army soldier, Mittens in the 1985 science fiction film Zone Troopers.

In addition to playing Babe Ruth, LaFleur also appeared as baseball player Chick Gandil of 1919 Black Sox infamy, in Field of Dreams. In terms of military and national security film roles he appeared as the White House's security chief in Disney's First Kid (1996), as "McNulty" in both Trancers (1985), Trancers II (1991) and as 1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams in In the Army Now (1994). He played pilot, Jack Neely in Air America (1990), appeared as Banes in The Replacements (2000) and in Beethoven's 4th (2001) as Sergeant Rutledge. He also played Red Sweeney in Disney's “Man of the House” in 1995.

LaFleur played a coach for the New York Yankees in the 1992 film, Mr. Baseball. He also appeared in The Santa Clause 2 in 2002 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, as the Tooth Fairy. In 2005, he appeared in Hostage as a deputy to Bruce Willis' sheriff. In 2009, he appeared in the Direct-to-DVD film Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective and in the Science-Fiction horror film The Rig.

LaFleur also appeared on a House M.D. episode in 2005, as Warner Fitch, in "Sports Medicine." He also appeared on Home Improvement as Jimbo in season 1 episode 7 "Nothing More Than Feelings."

The Gary SouthShore RailCats, LaFleur's hometown professional baseball team recognized him with a special bobblehead and first pitch ceremony on July 20, 2019.

LaFleur died from atypical Parkinson's disease on November 17, 2021, at the age of 78.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1978 Rescue from Gilligan's Island Ivan TV movie 1980 The Hollywood Knights Thomas Any Which Way You Can Baggage Man #2 M*A*S*H M.P. Season 9 Episode 4 "Father's Day" 1982 Cannery Row Doorman Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal Homeowner TV movie I Ought to Be in Pictures Baseball Fan In the Custody of Strangers Clifford TV movie Two of a Kind Cook TV movie Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again Clock Repairman 1983 Sometimes I Wonder Joe TV movie The Invisible Woman Phil TV movie Who Will Love My Children? Krause TV movie WarGames Sergeant Ginzberg Emergency Room Colon TV movie 1984 Unfaithfully Yours Desk Sergeant Sins of the Past TV movie Boys in Blue Stanley Singleton TV movie City Heat 'Bruiser' 1985 Trancers McNulty The Man with One Red Shoe CIA Agent Zone Troopers Mittens 1986 The Fifth Missile 'Animal' Meslinsky TV movie A Winner Never Quits John Stewart TV movie Cobra Captain Sears Say Yes Ernest Little Spies Sergeant Westwood TV movie Penalty Phase Pete Pavlovich TV movie 1987 Rampage Mel Sanderson The Three Kings TV movie Scarecrow and Mrs. King Rodney Hobart Season 4 Episode 18 "One Flew East" 1988 The Wrong Guys Woody Winslow The Blob Pharmacist / Mr. Penny 1989 Field of Dreams Chick Gandil 1990 Keaton's Cop Detective Ed Hayes Air America Jack Neely Death Warrant Sergeant DeGraf 1991 Oscar Officer Quinn Trancers II Old McNulty Acting Sheriff Captain Van Patten TV movie Home Improvement Jim Season 1 Episode 7 "Nothing More Than Feelings" 1992 Live! From Death Row Lockart TV movie Doogie Howser, M.D. Shooting Range Instructor Season 4 Episode 3 "Doogie Got a Gun" Mr. Baseball Skip Forever Young Alice's Father 1993 Jack the Bear Mr. Festinger The Sandlot Babe Ruth 1994 Maverick Poker Player In the Army Now 1st Sergeant Brandon T. Williams 1995 Man of the House "Red" Sweeney 1996 First Kid Secret Service Agent Morton 1997 Running Time Warden Hijacking Hollywood Eddie Lewis and Clark and George Fred 1998 The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon Gus Rogenheimer TV movie The Magnificent Seven Warden Episode: "Inmate 78" Best of the Best 4: Without Warning 'Big Joolie' Direct-to-video The Tony Danza Show Mr. Paxton Episode: "Vision Quest" 1999 Last Chance Jimmy Tycus Shyler Direct-to-video Boy Meets World Bill Season 6 Episode 15 "Road Trip" 2000 JAG Vice Admiral Richard Kern Episode: "Cabin Pressure" The Replacements Banes 2001 Beethoven's 4th Sergeant Rutledge Direct-to-video 2002 The Santa Clause 2 Tooth Fairy 2004 A Cinderella Story Football Coach Breaking the Fifth Abraham Polinsky 2005 Malcolm in the Middle Fred 1 episode Hostage Officer Bill Jorgenson McBride: Tune in for Murder Armen TV movie House M.D. Warner Fitch "Sports Medicine" 2006 The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause Tooth Fairy 2007 Shiloh Falls Sheriff 2008 Bad Guys Shep Speed Racer Fuji Announcer 2009 War Wolves Leo TV movie Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective Russell Hollander Direct-to-video The Mentalist Detective Louis Earlen Episode: "Red Bulls" 2010 Ilegales Agent Wallace The Rig Ken Fleming Dahmer vs. Gacy Dr. Hess 2012 Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen Art Ben and Kate Mr. Carlson 1 episode 2012–2013 Have You Met Miss Jones? Lou 'Limo Lou' 2 episodes 2013 House Hunting Don Thomson A Snow Globe Christmas Mr. Barns TV movie 2015 Key and Peele Father 1 episode 2016 The Last Treasure Hunt Robert Sinclair Voice role 2017 Dive Dad Final role

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