Joe Seneca

Joe Seneca (January 14, 1919 – August 15, 1996) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for Willie Brown in "Crossroads" (1986), Dr. Meadows in "The Blob" (1988), and Dr. Hanes in "The Cosby Show".
Life and career.
Seneca was born Joel McGhee, Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio. Before his acting career, he belonged to the R&B singing group The Three Riffs, which was active from the late 1940s and performed at upscale supper clubs in New York City. He was also a songwriter and had big hits with "Talk to Me", sung by Little Willie John, and "Break It to Me Gently," which was a smash hit by Brenda Lee in 1962 and by Juice Newton in 1982.
In the 1982 film, "The Verdict," Seneca plays the supporting role of Dr. Thompson, a small-town women's hospital physician brought in by attorney Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) to support his belief that two famous doctors' incompetence left his client alive but in a coma. Arguably his most well-known roles are that of bluesman Willie Brown in "Crossroads" (1986) and Dr. Meddows in "The Blob" (1988), the evil head of a government team sent to contain the title creature.
Seneca also made multiple appearances on "The Cosby Show" as Hillman President Dr. Zachariah J. Hanes. He also played Alvin Newcastle, a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease, on an episode of "The Golden Girls" titled "Old Friends". Seneca appeared in Spike Lee's "School Daze" as Mission College President McPherson.
Seneca played Eddie Haynes on "Matlock" in the May 9, 1989 episode "The Blues Singer." He later played a murder witness in the October 13, 1993 "Law & Order" episode "Profile."
Seneca appeared in Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video in the late 1980s.
He died from asthma at the age of 77.