10 GROUNDBREAKING TV CHARACTERS
TV has occasionally spotlighted physically challenged characters on fictional shows as well. Here are a few who stand out:
"TATE" (1960)
David McLean played a bounty hunter who's the fastest draw in the West even though he lost the use of his left arm in the Civil War.
"IRONSIDE" (1967-75)
Although a sniper's bullet forced Raymond Burr's detective into a wheelchair, he still managed to roll over bad guys.
"LONGSTREET" (1971-72)
He may have been blinded by an explosion, but James Franciscus' insurance investigator could still see through criminals' flimsy stories.
GERI ON "THE FACTS OF LIFE" (1980-84)
Geri Jewell became the first physically disabled actress to portray a recurring character, teaching the girls the facts of cerebral palsy.
CORKY ON "LIFE GOES ON" (1989-93)
Chris Burke, who was born with Down syndrome, won our hearts and admiration as the eternally optimistic Corky Thatcher in this feel-good family drama.
DR. WEAVER ON "ER" (1995-2007)
We learned that Laura Innes' Kerry Weaver was a lesbian and abandoned as a child before discovering that her limp was caused by congenital hip dysplasia.
AUGUSTUS HILL ON "OZ" (1997-2003)
Harold Perrineau Jr.'s character narrates from a maximum-security prison and a wheelchair after a cop threw him off a roof for killing his partner.
