Roy Dotrice (Seamus Madigan)

      Burbank, CA -- Tony Award winner Roy Dotrice drove 5 hours
specially to meet with fans of the Beauty and the Beast TV series from 
the United States and Europe who recently met here for their Eleventh 
Annual International Convention. 
 
      Dotrice played Father in the 1987-1990 series on CBS. 
The modernized romantic story concerned Catherine (Linda Hamilton), 
the 'Beauty,' a socialite crime-fighting lawyer in New York City, and 
the noble Shakespeare-quoting 'Beast,' Vincent (Ron Perlman), 
who lived in a tunnel community below the city streets. The critically 
acclaimed series garnered eight Emmys and quickly developed 
an international fandom rivaling Star Trek's. 

      Earlier this year, the British actor achieved a grand slam on
Broadway for his role as Phil Hogan, the drunken pig-farmer father in
Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten. The Drama Desk Awards,
the Outer Critics' Circle, and the American Theater Wing's Tony Awards
voted him the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.   

     Between Beauty and the Beast and his Broadway triumph, Dotrice
has starred in the series Going to Extremes, and had a recurring
role in Picket Fences, and significant roles in The Cutting
Edge and The Scarlet Letter. He also narrated the audiotape of
Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast and the video 
The Prince and the Pauper. This fall, he will co-star as the Irish 
father of his'Misbegotten' co-star Gabriel Byrne in ABC's comedy 
The Madigan Men.
  
     Roy Dotrice has attended several of the International Beauty
and the Beast conventions. "At the one in Austin," Pat Jackson of 
La Marque, Texas recalled,"many of us gathered around him in the hotel 
lounge as he read poetry, both Shakespearean and that composed by fans. 
He got teary-voiced when he read one concerning Father." 

     Dotrice and co-star Ron Perlman had not been expected at the 
Burbank convention, but surprised the attendees by stepping in unannounced 
during a banquet. Fans eagerly made extra donations to the San Diego 
Area Chapter of The National Multiple Sclerosis Society to have their 
pictures taken with each actor. Beauty and the Beast fans have raised 
well over $100,000 for charities such as pediatric AIDS, women's 
shelters, and the MS Society.

     "The show underlined that Helpers aided those less fortunate," said
Jackson. "We've carried that over into our lives, both at our conventions,
and in our communities."

     Other guests at the Burbank convention included Edward Albert (Elliott
Burch), David Greenlee (Mouse), Jay Acovone (Joe Maxwell), Lee Holdridge
(composer), and Margaret Beserra (makeup artist who made Perlman over into
his man/beast character). The next convention will take place in 
New York City in July, 2001.Reruns of the series air on the Odyssey cable channel 
at 12 Midnight CDT weekdays, 10 P.M. Sundays.