Joseph Whipp’s first credited role was a prison guard in “Escape from Alcatraz” but he’d been appearing in productions since the mid-70s. Little did he know at the time that his career would be somewhat defined by similar roles. Put simply, Whipp has played a lot of cops in his time. He was a cop in 1984’s “Nightmare on Elm Street,” in which he played Sergeant Parker. Immediately following that he played “LA cop #1” in 1986’s “Miracles,” after which he once again played “cop #1” in 1987’s “Disorderlies.”

In the ’90s, Whipp played Sheriff Burke in what remains the best of the “Scream” movies, 1996’s “Scream.” More roles followed, with Whipp once again playing a sheriff in “A Place Called Truth” (1998). But it’s unfair to say the now 82-year-old’s career has been solely defined by law enforcement roles.

Throughout his career, Whipp racked up dozens of guest appearances on big-name TV shows, from “The Dukes of Hazzard” and Golden Girls” to “Cheers,” “ER,” and “Monk.” More recently, in 2022 he appeared in popular “Black-ish” spin-off series “Grown-ish,” and in 2023 he played the role of Bill in an episode of Fox’s series “9-1-1 Lone Star.”