Diagnosis Murder Cast: Diagnosis Murder was an American crime drama series broadcast on CBS from 1993 to 2001 and starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, an oncologist who also solves crimes with help from Steve, his homicide detective son (Barry Van Dyke). Victoria Rowell played Dr. Amanda Bentley-Livingston; Charlie Schlatter took on Dr. Jesse Travis; Michael Tucci was Norman Briggs while Scott Baio played Dr. Jack Stewart.
Diagnosis Murder was a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman, itself an offshoot of Matlock. Diagnosis Murder featured crossover episodes with other series such as Matlock, The Nanny, Touched by an Angel, and Monk; in addition it produced five TV movies after its cancellation.
Diagnosis Murder Cast
Table of Contents
The primary cast members and their roles on Diagnosis Murder:
1. Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan
Dick Van Dyke has been active in show business since the 1950s as an actor, comedian, singer-dancer-dancer-writer-producer. He is best known for his roles in The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Night at the Museum.
On Diagnosis Murder, he played Dr. Mark Sloan, chief of internal medicine at Community General Hospital and consultant to the LAPD. A gifted physician, he was also a talented amateur sleuth who frequently used his medical knowledge and intuition to solve crimes. Additionally, Dr. Sloan was Steve’s loving father as well as Amanda and Jesse’s mentor and confidant.
2. Barry Van Dyke as Steve Sloan
Barry Van Dyke is an actor, writer, director, and producer who hails from Dick Van Dyke’s second son. He has appeared in various TV shows and movies such as Airwolf, Galactica 1980, The A-Team and Murder 101.
On Diagnosis Murder, he played Steve Sloan – Mark’s son and a detective for the LAPD Homicide Division. A dedicated cop who often worked alongside his father on cases, Steve often had romantic encounters with Det. Tanis Archer (Susan Gibney). Lastly in season 4, Tanis Archer came into their lives through Steve.
3. Victoria Rowell as Dr. Amanda Bentley-Livingston
Victoria Rowell is an actress, writer, producer, dancer, and activist who has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies including: The Young and the Restless, Dumb and Dumber Home of the Brave and The Rich and Ruthless.
On Diagnosis Murder, she played Dr. Amanda Bentley-Livingston – a pathologist at Community General Hospital and Mark’s colleague – a smart, independent woman who often assisted Mark and Steve with their investigations. Additionally, Dion (Aaron Meeks) became her son during season 5.
4. Charlie Schlatter portrays Dr. Jesse Travis.
Charlie Schlatter is an actor and voice actor known for appearing in numerous TV series and movies, such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (TV series), 18 Again!, Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil.
On Diagnosis Murder, he played Dr. Jesse Travis – one of Mark’s proteges at Community General Hospital who frequently assisted in his cases and had a crush on Susan Hilliard (Kim Little).
5. Michael Tucci as Norman Briggs
Michael Tucci is an actor best known for his roles in Grease, The Paper Chase (TV series), It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. and The Heat.
On Diagnosis Murder, he played Norman Briggs, administrator of Community General Hospital and Mark’s boss. A pompous bureaucrat with whom Mark often clashed due to his involvement with police work, Norman also had an affinity for nurse Delores Mitchell (Delores Hall).
6. Scott Baio as Dr. Jack Stewart
Scott Baio is an actor and director who has appeared in countless TV shows and movies, such as Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi, Charles in Charge and Arrested Development. On Diagnosis Murder he played Dr. Jack Stewart a resident at Community General Hospital who used to be Mark’s former student; often teaming up with Mark on cases together. On Season One Amanda became attracted to him despite this, with an eventual romance blossoming between them both
FAQ: The Ultimate Guide To Your Questions
Q: When and how many episodes did Diagnosis Murder air on CBS?
A: Diagnosis Murder ran from October 29, 1993 until May 11, 2001 on the network, featuring 178 episodes across eight seasons.
Q: Who created Diagnosis Murder and where did its inspiration come from?
A: Diagnosis Murder was developed by Joyce Burditt, known for her writing on Jake and the Fatman and Matlock. She drew inspiration for Diagnosis Murder from both its success with viewers as well as Dick Van Dyke’s guest star appearance on Jake and the Fatman.
Q: Which television movies based on Diagnosis Murder have aired recently and when?
A: To date, these include:
- Diagnosis of Murder (1992), which introduced Mark, Steve, Amanda and Jack; The House on Sycamore Street (1992), which followed Mark and Steve investigating a murder at an abandoned mansion;
A Twist of the Knife (1993), another sequel film, featured Mark and Steve teaming up with Dr. Sloan (Andy Griffith), an experienced retired pathologist who is an old acquaintance of Mark’s. - A Town Without Pity (2002) was a reunion movie that saw Mark, Steve, Amanda and Jesse solving a murder case in a small town.
- Without Warning was also released as part of this trilogy with Mark uncovering an international conspiracy involving bioweapons.
Q: Which other series have crossover episodes with Diagnosis Murder?
A: Among others, Diagnosis Murder features crossover episodes from other series such as:
- “Murder Two” (1994), an episode featuring Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) as Steve’s defense attorney during a murder trial. “Murder at the Telethon” (1994), in which Fran Fine from The Nanny appeared as a guest at Mark’s telethon event.
- “Murder by Friendly Fire” (1995), an episode that featured Dr. Sloan from Matlock as a suspect in a murder case; “Murder Can Be Contagious” (1997), which saw Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) from Touched by an Angel acting as angels helping Mark solve a murder case.
- “Murder with Mirrors” (2000 episode), in which Tony Shalhoub played Adrian Monk as an LAPD consultant.
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