The Equalizer (1985 TV series) season 3

The third season of The Equalizer premiered and ended on CBS.

Synopsis

In this season, McCall goes against an atheist bomber, a Wall Street raider, two hit-men, more KGB, more Mafia, a serial killer, a sexploiter pimp/pornographer, a deranged dramatist, an alcoholic AIDS avoider, a murderous master manipulator, a greedy diplomat, an enemy espionage agent, a lost lover, welfare slumlord scammers, a psycho ransoming rapist, a psycho stalker ex-husband, a psycho murderer ex-con, a vengeful industrialist, a casino boss, and a protÃÂ©gÃÂ© turned femme fatale.

He stops a mass-murder at a mass, defends a developmentally disabled man, frees a scientist-defector, saves an army career, prevents a psychic's fatal future, thwarts thespian threats to the theatre troupe, saves a six year-old, reunites father/son, derails dancer danger, turns teens from thug-life, rescues a reporter from revenge, liberates a kidnapped boy, averts an amnesic woman, frees hostages, houses a homeless family, protects two single mothers, one single father, and two families of three.

McCall is arrested once, shot thrice, forgives an enemy, loses a friend, gains a daughter, and buys a bar.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Notable guest stars

Telly Savalas as Brother Joseph Heiden, who used to be a terrorist (with Loeber as his protÃÂ©gÃÂ©) until Heiden began seeing a strange man mourning his horrific acts. He describes his conversion to McCall, who finds it hard to believe and forgive because Heiden killed his godson.
William Atherton as Martin "Alpha" Loeber (alias Brad), a Marxists that hates God and religion, thus he sets out to kill as many as he can, starting with a blind monsignor.
Moira Harris as Linda, Loeber's girlfriend who he uses as "cover." She doesn't want to believe anything bad about "Brad" from McCall, Mickey or even her own mother.
Tom Atkins as FBI Special Agent Frank Standish, leader of an FBI-NYPD Joint Task Force to apprehend Loeber.
Elizabeth Franz as Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas, Linda's mother who knows "Brad" is up to no good.
Lynne Thigpen as Cleaning Lady, for the dentist that McCall never finds.
Lee Breuer as Benjamin Harris, who "procures" anything Loeber needs to carry out his nefarious plan.
Nicholas Georgiade as Agent #2, part of the JTF who hears Brother Heiden's briefing.
Ted Beniades as a Police Officer, who responds when Mrs. Thomas and McCall are rammed by a truck and knocked into the water.

Vincent D'Onofrio as Davy Baylor, a mentally disabled man falsely accused of the murder of his coworker Cheryl Jansen (played by co-star Mary Kane).
William Converse-Roberts as Will Rattigan, another of Davy's coworkers who was having an affair with Cheryl.
Ann Wedgeworth as Irene Baylor, Davy's "hovering" mother who can't seem to let go and allow his independence.
John Randolph as Jack Rattigan, Will's father, who is disappointed in himself for battering his own wife for years in front of his son, and disappointed in his son for not learning compassion and overcoming his father's abusive disease. Thus he is through making excuses for Will, refusing him an alibi.
James Eckhouse as the District Attorney, who requests remand for Davy to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
Nancy Giles as the court Bailiff.

John Heard as Ron Parrish, a Wall Street risk arbitrageur who uses criminal means and other people's funds to enrich himself.
Dennis Boutsikaris as C.R. Heaton, who is left hanging to answer to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, facing economic ruin and jail time for insider trading.
Ashley Crow as Samantha Chesborough, who is mistaken for Fraunces Tavern waitress Wendy who is targeted for murder by Parrish, because Wendy, as Heaton's girlfriend, learned of their crimes and tried blackmailing them.
Patricia Richardson as Sandy, who hangs about Fraunces Tavern hoping for the right opportunity to present itself, or himself, or both. She provides McCall insight into Wendy's connection to Heaton.
Oliver Platt as Norm Jameson, a thug who does Parrish's bidding by going after Wendy when they realize they abducted the wrong woman, Samantha.
Paul Perri as Craig Rose, a thug who does Parrish's bidding by going after Wendy when they realize they abducted the wrong woman, Samantha.
David J. Steinberg as Freddy, a who helps McCall engineer a unique way of setting up Parrish to prove his murderous, criminal intent to law enforcement.

Michael Moriarty as Dr. Peter Kapik, a Czechoslovak genetic scientist who has made a DNA break-through that could be very valuable to the Soviet Eastern Bloc for its potential use in biological warfare. Kapik seizes an opportunity to break free of his Russian handlers to see an old flame.
Maureen Mueller as Alina Jennings nÃÂ©e Polivka, Peter Kapik's old flame, who has since married Wayne. As a defector herself, Alina is leveraged by Sarka to set up Kapik to be captured, or failing that, to kill him herself. Failure will result in her parents being killed.
Jamey Sheridan as Wayne Jennings, Alina's husband.
Liliana Komorowska as Sarka, the KGB Agent tasked with setting up or killing Kapik; she threatens to kill Alina's parents if Alina doesn't complete the mission.
George Gerdes as a Russian Spy.
Adam LeFevre as Foster, a State Department agent who takes Dr. Kapik into protective custody.
Lola Pashalinski as Vera Polivka, Alina's Mother.
Warren Keith as a TV Reporter.

Robert Mitchum as Richard Dyson, Southern Control and Robert McCall's former Agency colleague. When Dyson learns McCall was abducted by the KGB, he suggests breaking Harley Gage out of prison, as Gage was their best agent in Moscow. Dyson and Gage will infiltrate the Russian regional facility to rescue Robert. Control (Lansing) and Southern Control (Mitchum) are work against each other at cross-purposes, with Dyson trying to locate and free McCall and Control trying to keep him sequestered, providing the actors a chance to shine dramatically.
Frances Fisher as Francesca, a KGB agent trying to capture Robert McCall before he can be used in a prisoner exchange. She was also Gage's handler and lover in Moscow.
Frankie Faison as Zudo, owner of a Curio shop.
Joseph Tobin as Weber/Cronin, an Agency operative.

J. T. Walsh as Andrew Banks, a career Army Major, who is now a Logistical Officer for the United States Department of Defense. As a witness called to testify at a Congressional Hearing, he has made himself the target of assassination to prevent exposing criminal activity, separate but, related to the arming and training of Angolan counter-revolutionaries, which was ordered by Control.
Tomas Milian as Renaldo Duran, a Cuban international banker and financier with ties to the Mafia, including Meyer Lansky. Thus Duran has no qualms against hiring a hit-man to take out Banks.
Gerry Bamman as an unnamed Congressman, who poses the questions to Banks at the hearing.
Paul CalderÃÂ³n as Chacon, a hit-man hired to kill Banks.
Walter Bobbie as William Virgil, a Department of Defense agent.
Ethyl Eichelberger as Bagler's Butler.

Katherine Cortez as Karen Alden, a psychic with an "Inner View" who has been having visions of murders committed by the so-called Scrapbook Killer. The female detective at the precinct doesn't believe her, so Karen calls The Equalizer after seeing McCall and Sarah talking about the killer to a Lieutenant. Karen provides Harley Gage details that lead to the killer.
Terrence Mann as Shadow Man, a fan of the rock band Archon, who imagines he is the "Shadow Man" from Archon's new single.
Toni Kalem as Sarah Hendricks, who has identified the Scrapbook Killer from a composite sketch after he assaulted her in a subway train. Sarah helps by providing a bracelet that triggers Karen's vision of the killer.
Starletta DuPois as a Female Detective, who warns Karen to tell the truth, or be named an accessory to murder.
Paul Hipp as Jarret, the lead singer of Archon.
Ron Vawter as a Lieutenant, who is very dismissive of McCall and Sarah.
Tim Cappello as a Roadie for rock band Archon.

Chris Cooper as Michael, a deranged former stage actor who had been horribly disfigured, and now haunts the theatre, fixated on actress Sandra Benning, who he mistakes as his beloved Elise.
George Morfogen as Everett Austin, director of a play's stage production.
Jennifer Van Dyck as Sandra Benning, an actress who has been receiving romantic notes left in her dressing room.
Ned Eisenberg as Josh, an actor for the play.

Jacqueline Brookes as Phyllis Robertson, grandmother to Mickey who lost his mother to AIDS, having contracted it intravenously as a heroin addict.
Martin Shakar as Kelly Stigman, owner of Kelly's Bar, who hates having a kid sick with AIDS in his neighborhood. He rouses his buddies into ousting him and his grandmother. But Kelly has his own sickness to hide.

Joseph Hindy as Dave Burton, Mickey's father, who didn't want to walk away from his son, but couldn't stand his wife's drug addiction.
Corey Carrier as Mickey Burton, a six year-old boy who is the target of Kelly's ire. Mickey knows he's going to die, and gives Gage a list of Christmas presents for his grandmother, including a cat, "...so she won't be alone." Mickey treasures his "Mr. Manhattan" poster and misses his father.
Maureen Anderman as Pete O'Phelan, who was Director of Research for ten years at the Company with her husband Mark who was in "Personnel." They left and opened a restaurant-bar named Pete O'Phelan's, but their past debts caught up with them, and Mark took ill and died. McCall finds the place closed but becomes half-owner, using the restaurant to meet clients and talk strategy with his team (much like the re-imagined show uses Mel Bayani's Haven Bar as a base of operations).
Matthew Kimbrough as Spicer, a Kelly's Bar patron who becomes fearful, and expresses concern over Kelly's escalating violence against Phyllis and Mickey.
Dean Norris as Martin, a "silent type" Kelly's Bar patron who doesn't comment on Kelly's plan at all.
Don McManus as Dr. Feinberg, who tells Gage about Mickey's mother and father.

David Andrews as Del Larkin, an undercover cop who lies to the Organized Crime Task Force. He tries explaining to his best friend, Detective Charlie Kelly (played by co-star William Carden), that he "went in too deep" and that he's "on to something" to "bring these guys down." Kelly calls him an accomplice and tries to take Larkin in, but Kelly is inadvertently shot with his own gun in the struggle.
George DiCenzo as Bruno Dominic, a mob boss.
Madeleine Potter as Simone Peters, Larkin's lover, who but reports to Dominic and has another alias and profession.
Amanda Plummer as Jill O'Connor, a police switchboard operator learning to dance in her off-hours, who accidentally overhears Larkin talking about Kelly's death, after which he threatens her life, so she calls The Equalizer.
Marilyn McIntyre as Maureen, Kelly's widow.
Brooke Smith as Risa, a police switchboard operator.
Matt Mitler as Detective Bates.

Christopher Collet as Danny Winters, a high-school kid who gets mixed up with a bad crowd. Matters get worse when one of their own, Eddie, is hit by a car and killed while Danny and the gang chase after him.
Thomas G. Waites as Shep Morrow, the ruthless leader of a robbery gang consisting of impressionable teenage boys who he indoctrinates with "survival of the fittest," crime "family" dogma.
Frances Ruffelle as Sylvie, Shep's girl who reinforces his leadership and is not above using her feminine wiles to ensure loyalty, especially with the eldest, Danny.
Lycia Naff as Amy, Danny's concerned girlfriend who notices the changes in Danny's behavior, and sees the boys with lots of money and shop-lifted goods. Not wanting to get them into trouble and arrested, she calls The Equalizer.
Mary-Joan Negro as Irene Winters, Danny's single mother, who struggles with two jobs that prevent her from seeing what is really happening to her son. When she learns for herself that he has been stealing, and that he is willing to lie about it, she must apply some tough love.

Jerry O'Connell as Bobby, one of Shep's gang members.
Frank Whaley as Press, one of Shep's gang members.
Sam Rockwell as Slick, one of Shep's gang members.
Max Casella as Streak, one of Shep's gang members.
Anthony LaPaglia as Agent #1, who with two other agents, takes Danny into custody after he chooses to ignore his mother's ultimatum. Danny knows he must extricate himself, but doesn't know how. But, McCall has a plan to end Morrow's manipulations.

Daniel Davis as Eddie Mason, an investigative reporter who has been missing for months, having gone undercover as a limo driver for beautiful "high-end" call girls, ostensibly for an exposÃÂ© on prostitution, but also for revenge.
Andreas Katsulas as Warren Briggs, who surreptitiously records sex videos to extort both his clients and his employees.
Vanessa Angel as Christine Hayes, one of Briggs' employees who is blackmailed into prostitution.
Maryann Urbano as Angela Mason, Eddie's concerned wife who calls The Equalizer to find her husband.
Annabelle Gurwitch as Suzanne, another call girl blackmailed by Briggs.
Ching Valdes-Aran as Joy Tang, a madam who is Briggs' rival in the so-called "whore wars" in which she has been losing her girls to Briggs' blackmail scheme.
Tony Ganios as Serge, a "male talent" Briggs uses to make his blackmail sex videos.
David B. Hunt as Steiner, Briggs' bodyguard.

Paul Zaloom as a Hotel Clerk.
Colleen Flynn-Lawson as Woman on Phone, Briggs' receptionist who handles clients' calls.
Darlene Vogel as Gina Harper, who is being blackmailed by her video into working for Briggs as another of his many call girls.

Jon De Vries as Raymond Gephardt, a European diplomat of royal ancestry who launders money for criminals. Money and his heir, Paul, mean more to him than anything or anyone else. With diplomatic resources and $10,000,000 in loot, he can easily disappear from his ex-wife Anne and, more importantly, from mobsters.
Lisa Eichhorn as Anne Gephardt, Raymond's ex-wife who runs her own business, thus necessitating hiring Paul's nanny, Consuela (played by Gloria Irizarry).
Ronald Hunter as Mr. Binder, a lawyer that negotiates on behalf of the mobsters as a go-between with Raymond.
Leon Russom as Lieutenant Borley.
Macaulay Culkin as Paul Gephardt, who is kidnapped by his greedy father Raymond.
Neal Ben-Ari as Stanley, who represents the mobsters trying to get their money back from Raymond.

Anne Heywood as Manon Brevard Marcel (penultimate role), who presents a "mystery" to Robert McCall, given that Manon had supposedly been killed years before in a plane crash in the French Alps while on a mission for Control. Manon had not only been a fellow Company agent, but also Robert's lover from whom she conceived Yvette, and afterwards married Phillipe Marcel.
Melissa Sue Anderson as Yvette Marcel (reprise role after events in season two, "Memories of Manon"), who has no choice but to ask her godfather Control, and McCall, for help with her adoptive father Phillipe, who is determined to handle "The Mystery of Mannon" himself.
Anthony Zerbe as Phillipe Marcel (reprise role after "Memories of Manon"), who is unnerved by his dead wife Manon's sudden reappearance, but he believes it's really her. It sets him against McCall and everyone else in the Company, as he blames them for her suffering.
Roger Grimsby as a Newscaster, who announces a timber wolf named Rex Imperator on the loose in Manhattan, released from the zoo after a night watchman was assaulted.

Lawrence Dane as Arthur Trent, an old enemy who Sterno reports was executed by firing squad in Leningrad fifteeen years ago.

Michael Rooker as Bill Whitaker, Paula's husband, who fell on hard times and has just been evicted, and thus forced to avail himself of the New York Department of Social Services to seek shelter elsewhere. Bill, Paula and their son Billy are sent to a deplorable, squalid hotel called The Alexandria, where a housing scam exploits the system to enrich its new "owner," Mr. Amar. It is young Billy who calls The Equalizer.
Kelly Curtis as Paula Whitaker, Bill's husband.
Michael Lerner as Mr. Amar, who swindled The Alexandria hotel out from under its true owner, Robert Nichols, to exploit its residents.
Leo Burmester as Jim Harding, who tries to scam Bill by paying him $500 a month to leave the hotel so Harding can scam $3,000 more from the State to house yet another homeless family.
Richard Bright as Vegas, who works for Amar, and has to finish the job Harding bungled.
Ed Lauter as Robert Nichols, from whom Amar has swindled the hotel in order to run his fraudulent scheme.
Valarie Pettiford as Jackie Chenier, an investigative reporter trying to do a documentary on "these welfare hotels," but the hotel guard blocks her entry on Amar's orders.
Thomas A. Carlin as a Doorman.

Joe Maruzzo as Lewis Fipps, who had kidnapped seventeen year-old Andrea, demanding ransom from her rich father Vincent Brennard. When he wouldn't pay, Fipps raped, brutalized, and mutilated her. Now he runs from a hit-man hired by Brennard, taking refuge at Pete O'Phelan's bar after "Last Call."
Michael Cerveris as Frank Fipps, a "nice guy" but compliant to a fault, allowing his brother Lewis to severely beat Mickey for getting Pete's gun from the register.
David Schramm as Joe, a middle-aged man out with his wife Lucy at Pete O'Phelan's, who Lewis holds hostage.
Kathleen Doyle as Lucy, Joe's middle-aged wife, who wants to call the police on Susan for purse-snatching.
James Rebhorn as Gant, an international hit-man trying to fulfill Brennard's half-a-million dollar contract on Lewis' life. His professional code dissuades him entering Pete O'Phelan's and causing collateral damage, but doesn't care if Lewis kills everyone himself; it would simplify matters.
Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick as Susan, from Bangor Maine who's on her big New York adventure, but obviously stretched beyond her means as she tries to steal Lucy's purse.
Peter Sellars as Woody, McCall's hacker who accesses Lewis' police rap sheet: grand larceny, grand theft auto, armed robbery, kidnap, rape, and aggravated assault, with a $10,000 reward. He also provides mercenary files, including Jameson.
Charles Keating as Vincent Brennard, an industrialist whose daughter Andrea was kidnapped by Lewis Fipps. She has subsequently undergone thirteen surgeries and been institutionalized for trauma. He hires Gant, so Fipps can't spend a few short years in prison before release.
Tony Azito as Jameson, a mercenary who tells McCall why and for how much Gant was hired.

J. Smith-Cameron as Susan Foxworth, who works full-time, goes to school, and is a single mother of young Joanie. She is determined to have a life of her own despite her psychopathic, malicious, vindictive, stalker ex-husband Dr. Gary Edward Foxworth (played by guest star Philip Kraus), who hasn't been paying child support.
Jean DeBaer as Detective Bishop, from whom Susan requests a restraining order, without evidence of a crime. She suggests Susan talk to her divorce lawyer, but Susan can't afford it. McCall must convince Bishop to act before Gary kills Susan.
Polly Holliday as Sister Sara, who saw first-hand what a "bad-seed" Gary was as a child, and has school records to prove it.
Tony Longo as Young, an illegal firearms dealer and thug, whom Gary hires to assault him and blame McCall, thereby justifying a restraining order against McCall.
Debra Jo Rupp as Marge, Dr. Foxworth's assistant, who's oblivious to the television set and pre-recorded VCR tape McCall sends to Dr. Foxworth's office.

Michael Parks as Jonathan Grey, a tanker driver for a petroleum company, who is terrorized by Hawkins, because Jonathan testified against him eight years prior.
Verna Bloom as Marian Grey, Jonathan's wife, who is wheelchair-bound from multiple sclerosis and terrorized by Hawkins.
Kevin Geer as Willie J. Hawkins, a petroleum company employee who killed his boss for being fired, pushing him in front of Jonathan's truck. Unable to prove pre-meditation, 25-to-life wasn't sentenced. Paroled after only eight years, he's out for revenge.
Lenny Venito as Devin, Jonathan and Marian's son.
Denise Faye as a Hooker, whom Hawkins sends to determine who Mickey is and why he's been hounding him.
Cecily Adams plays Claudia, Marian's physician who treats her MS and wards off Hawkins who volunteers "to be of service to the community," but really there to terrify Marian.

Anne Twomey as Meredith Browning, a former Company protÃÂ©gÃÂ© to whom McCall gave a memento when she ran a "travel agency" for Latin American missions, until an operation went wrong. She works illegal enterprises from Tony Costa's casino, using him for her own means.
Joseph Mascolo as Tony Costa, who recently solved his casino income "laundry" problems, but someone steals his "going legit" money. Suspecting Meredith, he orders Johnny to get it back by any means.
Lewis Van Bergen as Johnny Sax, Costa's second-in-command, who hides his own secrets from Costa. He tells Costa he tried everything to get the money back, but was "doing business...your business," by which he meant killing Meredith.
Ron Frazier as Honeywell, an Agency operative who worked for Southern Control who ordered him to ensure General Astiz assumed power, which required betraying Meredith.

Susan Gibney as Angela, who worked for Meredith in "customer relations," and relays what she knows to McCall and Mickey.
Rita Jenrette as a Hooker, who propositions McCall while he reminisces about Meredith.

Production

Richard Jordan was brought on to the show as fellow Company agent Harley Gage to lighten the load on Edward Woodward after he suffered a heart attack. Keith Szarabajka was featured in only four of the same episodes with Jordan.