Leonard Harris

Leonard Harris (September 27, 1929 – August 28, 2011) was an American critic, author, and actor. He played Senator Charles Palantine in the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver and the mayor in Hero at Large. Harris began his career as a print journalist; he spent several years as the arts and entertainment critic for WCBS-TV in New York City. He had three novels published and worked as a television writer later in his career. He served on the Tony Award Nominating Committee in the later 1980s and early 1990s. In Taxi Driver, Harris played Senator Charles Palantine, the link between anti-hero Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) and Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), the woman Travis is obsessed with who works on the Charles Palantine political campaign....