Biografia

Severely typecast in his long-running, rather featherweight role, he played it low-keyed for many years and found renewed respect on stage as a writer/director/producer/actor. He earned several stage awards for his efforts, including the Renaissance Man Theatre Award from the NAACP and the Paul Robeson Award from AFI.

His acting mentor is Gavin MacLeod.

Best friend of Gavin MacLeod. Whenever Lange has plays, he frequently invites MacLeod to them.

Ted is currently writing a relationship column, with Jenna Jameson, in Maxim Magazine.

He has played the same character (Isaac Washington) in five different series: O Barco do Amor (1977), As Panteras (1976), Martin (1992), Weird Science (1994) and Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998).

Most directors can't act, and the meanest ones are failed actors.

[Who started out as an unfamiliar actor, before he got his first breakout role as Isaac Washington]: Because I'm an actor. I know how to tap into what works for another actor when I'm directing. On the first day, I just let the actors go - I let them make all their suggestions. They like that, because so many directors hamstring them. And then, because I've done my homework on both the actor and the script, I'll say, 'Try this or that,' and they'll say, 'Wow! I should've thought of that!' By the end of the first day, I'm not ['Love Boat' bartender] Isaac Washington anymore. I'm the director and I've got them.

[When he was promoted from actor to director]: I started out to be an actor. Out of necessity, I found myself becoming a director, writer and screenplay writer to stay involved in the industry and in the exploration of the art.

I'm fortunate. When I get recognized, it's a nice thing. It's a good thing.

[When asked if all O Barco do Amor (1977) cast members, esp. Gavin MacLeod, who were there at the 2010 TV Land Awards]: Well, Gavin MacLeod [Captain Stubing] had a back operation - he hurt himself, hurt a couple of his discs - so he wasn't able to be there. We really missed him, because, you know, he's the anchor of the show as the captain. So I called him up and talked to him to see how he was doing, and he was a little weak, but he was recuperating well. But everybody else was there, and they all brought their kids. Fred Grandy [Gopher] brought his daughter, I brought my son...it was a lot of fun.