by Ron Johnston
Don Creech provided a glimpse of the future with a critically acclaimed stage performance at Heidelberg University in the spring of 1967.
The 1962 Spencerport graduate was cast, along with fellow Student Prince classmates Gary Maurer, Linda Hedrick, Gary Batey, and Sue Stevens, in English playwright and screenwriter Peter Schaffer’s award-winning drama Five Finger Exercise.
After Heidelberg and a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, Creech eventually earned his living as a character actor, mostly in television. Over the years, he appeared in several full-length movies, like 8mm, The Island, X-Men: First Class, Leon: The Professional, and Moments of Clarity to name but a few.
Needless to say, Creech has “rubbed elbows” with his share of TV and Hollywood celebrities.
At Heidelberg in Tiffin, Ohio, Creech was more than just an actor and a member of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society. He was also a standout soccer player, who helped the Fred Wookey-coached Student Princes break even on the pitch with a 3-3 record during the fall of 1966. (Creech, incidentally, played his prep ball at Spencerport High.)
At the conclusion of the Heidelberg soccer campaign, Creech was voted the MVP by the team.
In the working world, from 1980 to 2002, Creech was the keeper of the Muppets for the Jim Henson company in New York City. While there, he cared for the thousands of Muppets.
Creech is a good friend of Richard Termine, the Vice President of the Jim Henson Foundation.
Creech is probably known more for his role as Mr. Sweeney on Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.
Some other TV shows that he’s guested on have been Law & Order, Criminal Minds, How I Met Your Mother, and CSI: Miami.
Creech currently resides in Los Angeles.
Provided photos
Note: Ron Johnston, a 1966 Churchville-Chili graduate, is the author of One-Game Wonder.
