Where Are They Now
HOT GALLERY: Looking Back at the Stars of St. Elsewhere, Some of the Most Beloved Doctors in TV History
Before ER, before Grey’s Anatomy, before House and Nurse Jackie, came St. Elsewhere, an irreverent, hilarious, controversial series that broke a lot of ground. Over its six seasons, it addressed AIDS, addiction, infidelity, rape—not to mention the deaths of several main characters. Thirty-two years later, it’s clear that one of the most astonishing things about it was its ensemble cast (the show gave some very talented actors their big break). Oh, and we’d be remiss not to mention that memorable—and hummable—theme song. Just don’t even get us started on the series finale—to this day, one of the most talked-about and oft-maligned in TV history: Was St. Eligius hospital all a figment of an autistic boy’s (Chad Allen) imagination? Let’s look back at St. Elsewhere... By Nina Hämmerling Smith
Frank Carroll/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Ed Flanders as Dr. Donald Westphall on St. Elsewhere in 1983
Dr. Westphall was the head of St. Eligius Hospital, an administrator who was more focused on his fellow doctors than on the corporate hierarchy. He was the compassionate and kindly father figure to the staff—as well as to his children (it was his autistic son shaking that infamous snow globe in the series’ final scene).
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