Roy Thinnes (born April 6. 1938) is an American television actor. Born in Chicago, Thinnes is best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967 television series The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production. He also played Alfred Wentworth, in the pilot episode of Law & Order. He starred in the 1969 British science fiction film, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (also known as Doppelgänger), and his first primetime role was as Ben Quick in the short-lived 1965-66 television series The Long Hot Summer, which ran on ABC (during its run he received around 1500 letters a week from lovelorn women). During this time he appeared on the cover of TV Guide (April 9-15 1966 issue) for his one and only time to date.

Another short-lived series in which Thinnes starred was The Psychiatrist, in the title role of the unconventional psychiatrist, Dr. James Whitman. The pilot for the series, a TV movie called The Psychiatrist: God Bless the Children (also known as The Psychiatrist: Children of the Lotus Eaters) co-starred Pete Duel in the role of Casey Poe, a former drug addict and patient of Whitman.

He also appeared as intrepid writer and investigator of the supernatural David Norliss in 1973's The Norliss Tapes, a pilot for an unproduced TV series. He also played a suspicious schoolmaster in the TV movie Satan's School for Girls with Kate Jackson.

During the 1982-1983 season, Thinnes appeared on the hit CBS prime time soap opera Falcon Crest as Nick Hogan.

Thinnes played Roger Collins in the 1991 revival of TV's Dark Shadows.

Thinnes also appeared on General Hospital as Phil Brewer from 1963 to 1966, on One Life to Live as Alex Crown from 1984 to 1985, and as Sloan Carpenter from 1992 to 1995. He also played a lead role in "The Crystal Scarab", a first season episode of Poltergeist: The Legacy in 1996.

As well, Thinnes made three appearances in the X-Files ("Herrenvolk" in 1996, "Talitha Cumi" in 1996, "This Is Not Happening" in 2001) as Jeremiah Smith, an alien rebel with healing and shape-shifting abilities.

Roy also appeared in the three-hour, 1995 TV mini-series The Invaders starring Scott Bakula, in which he returned as a much older David Vincent.

Roy twice appeared on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live playing two different characters. From 1984-1985, he played the role of "Alex Crown" and from 1992-1995, he played the role of "Gen. Sloan Carpenter." During both of his stints on the show, his characters became a father-in-law to the same character, "Cassie Callison" then died.

Roy was born April 6, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. During his formative years, Roy had wanted to become a doctor or football player - or, if one wants to believe his early press releases, both. He started in show business at a radio station, where he did everything: engineering, DJ shows, news and dramatizations. That led to an interest in acting in general. When he left the Army he went to New York and then to California, where he started working in episodes of TV shows. Having made his professional acting debut as a teen-aged firebug in a 1957 pilot for the never-sold TV series "Chicago 212", Thinnes spent several lean years "between engagements," working as a hotel clerk, vitamin salesman and copy boy to Chicago columnist Irv Kupcinet. His first regular TV work was as Phil Brewer on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital" (1963); during this period, the young actor became the television equivalent of a matinée idol, sparking a barrage of protest mail when he briefly left GH in pursuit of other acting jobs. Aggressively campaigning for the starring role of Ben Quick on the 1965 weekly TV version of the 1958 film "Long, Hot Summer, The" (1965), Thinnes won the part, as well as a whole new crop of adoring female fans. While "Summer" was unsuccessful, Thinnes enjoyed a longer run as David Vincent on the Fugitive-like sci-fi series "Invaders, The" (1967). Success with this popular sci-fi also led to marriage to first wife Lynn Loring, who acted with him in the show as well as in the movie Doppelgänger (1969) [aka Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun]; she is now a CBS film executive. They parted in 1984. Though he'd occasionally show up in such theatrical features as Hindenburg, The (1975), Airport 1975 (1974) and Blue Bayou (1990) (TV), Thinnes has remained essentially a TV star. Among his post-Invaders TV-series roles was Dr. James Whitman on "Psychiatrist, The" (1971), Capt (and later Major) Holms on "From Here to Eternity" (1980), Nick Hogan on "Falcon Crest" (1981) (who, in 1983, married Victoria Gioberti [Jamie Rose] in a highly-rated ceremony), and the dual role of Roger Collins and Reverend Trask in the 1991 prime-time revival of "Dark Shadows" (1991). Roy's more recent appearances on the "X Files, The" (1993) put him back in the forefront. He revived his role as the enigmatic alien Jeremiah Smith, a turnabout role Chris Carter renewed for Roy in the February 25, 2001 episode (#8.14) of The X-Files, called "This Can't Be Happening."