Stanley Kamel (January 1, 1943 – April 8, 2008) was an American actor. From 2002 until his death in 2008, he played Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series Monk.

Biography

Kamel was born to a Jewish family and raised in South River, New Jersey. He attended Rutgers Preparatory School and Boston University, graduating with a BFA in 1965. He started his acting career off-Broadway and broke into television with a role in Days of Our Lives (1972-76) as the second actor to play the character of "Eric Peters". Kamel began appearing on television in 1968, appearing in many episodic one-off appearances over decades (including The Mod Squad, Barney Miller, Kojak, Lou Grant, Quincy M.E., Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Murder, She Wrote, Cagney & Lacey, Matlock, Hooperman, Father Dowling Mysteries, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Nanny, and The Lazarus Man). He had a recurring role on Melrose Place in 1994 as Bruce Teller, the CEO of D&D Advertising, where Amanda (Heather Locklear) and Allison (Courtney Thorne-Smith) were employed. During the first part of the sixth season of Beverly Hills, 90210, Kamel appeared on several episodes as Anthony Marchette, an organized crime figure. Kamel was best known for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger in the USA Network television series Monk, playing the infinitely patient and ever-supportive psychiatrist to the main character, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Though his last appearance was in the sixth season of Monk, clips of his character were seen in the series finale.

Death

On April 8, 2008, Kamel was found dead of a heart attack in his Hollywood Hills home. He was 65. "Mr. Monk Buys a House", the premiere episode of the seventh season of Monk, was dedicated to his memory and included a mention of his character (Dr. Kroger) dying of a heart attack. The final shot of the episode was a close-up of a photo of Kamel, as Dr. Kroger, on Monk's fireplace mantle. Kamel never married and had no children.

Filmography

Film

Television