OK, So My Favorite Actor Looks Sorta Like My Dad…This Is Awkward
Bruce, you look, like, old enough to be my dad!
I *am* old enough to be your dad, chickie.
~Bruce Campbell to fangirl at my book signing
My dad (nope) with Dirk Benedict.
What the heck is my dad doing with Dirk Benedict? Wait…that’s not my dad.
Ever have one of those experiences where you drive past the same building in the same neighborhood on the same street for months or even years at a time, then one day, you look out the window and say, “Wow, I didn’t even notice that before?” Yep, that’s me.
It even took somebody else to point out the glaringly obvious.”You know,” Friend X helpfully said as I showed her my collection of Murdock images from The A-Team, “your dad kinda looks like Dwight Schultz.”
It took a moment for the shock to set in.
You know, she had something there. The more I look at the two of them now, the more I see the resemblance. Aside from the eye color they might be able to pass as fraternal twins. Same height, same lopsided smile, same sorta-receding hairline.
“Wait a sec,” I know you’re saying, “this is a little too icky and Freudian for me.” And you might be right. They say every daughter of a good father wants to marry someone exactly like her dad. Same thing for sons whose moms brought them up right. I don’t think there’s anything weird about that.
My dad is quirky, but I really did get lucky when it came time to pass out dads. (He’s not even my biological dad…I’m adopted, and so was he.) I look at him and I see a man who selflessly worked 60-80 hour weeks, often away from home, so me and my mom could live comfortable, safe lives. I see a man who was stubborn as all hell but always knew what he believed in and why. I see a man who never tried to pigeonhole me into a certain gender role and always encouraged me to learn new things and like whatever I wanted to.
If that’s quirky, well, I think more people should have quirky dads. Too few kids growing up today even HAVE a dad in their lives, much less one who takes an active interest in his kids’ lives.
My dad always cared. He may not have been home all the time, but he cared. He took me fishing, and to little diners on the weekends for lunch, and to basketball practice. He read to me (and later, the same books I read.) He made up funny stories and characters and encouraged me to play along. He always treated me with respect and taught me the value of self-respect.
My dad, in short, is a great man. He’s never going to be on the cover of a magazine or a featured guest on 60 Minutes (he’s much too private and much too conservative, for starters), but he’s a true role model.
And yeah, he does look a lot like Dwight Schultz. I had no idea who Dwight Schultz was growing up (I only became an A-Team fan as an adult), but, if I had to guess now, I’d say Dwight looks a lot like my dad rather than the other way around.
For the record Mr. Schultz has also become a hero of mine: a terrific family man with great values and a wide patriotic streak. Oh, and did I mention he’s a devoted dad to an only child, just like mine?
Happy Father’s Day to my dad and to all the great dads out there. They deserve more than just one day. (I just can’t afford much more than a card and a book…the helicopter ride and the 12-year-old Scotch will have to wait.)
Not my dad. Again.
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Prawn And Quartered 
Now can we see a photo of your dad? If he is too private, that’s okay….but maybe you can email me one! I want to see if I think he looks like DS.
It sounds like you got a great dad. This is the first Father’s Day in my life without my own dad, as he died last September. So all of you that have good dads who are still alive, be sure to treat them with respect and love!