httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT3NYiv12z8

George Gaynes didn’t become a TV star until his 60s, when he was cast in NBC’s ‘Punky Brewster.

George Gaynes, best known to TV viewers as the foster father to Soleil Moon Frye’s Punky Brewster and her dog Brandon, has died at 98.

Gaynes was born George Jongejans in Helsinki in 1917 to a Russian artist mother and Dutch businessman father.

He was cast in Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town, changed his last name to Gaynes and married actress Allyn Ann McLerie, with whom he spent the rest of his life.

The majority of Gaynes’ career was spent in on the small screen, w he eked out a living doing TV movies and guest roles on shows like.

Viewers recognized him but could never quite name him, making Gaynes the “Hey, It’s That Guy” of his time.

George Gaynes