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Sam Lloyd (1963–2020), played lawyer Ted Buckland on “Scrubs”

by Linnea Crowther

Sam Lloyd was an actor best known for playing lawyer Ted Buckland on the TV sitcom “Scrubs.”

Acting career

Lloyd’s sweaty sad-sack lawyer on “Scrubs” was a popular recurring character, appearing in almost half of the show’s episodes from 2001 to 2009. Lloyd also played Ted Buckland on three episodes of “Cougar Town” during its second and third seasons. He had a recurring role on “Desperate Housewives” as Dr. Albert Goldfine, and he made notable appearances on other shows including “Malcolm in the Middle,” “The West Wing,” “Modern Family,” and “Seinfeld,” where he played mannequin designer Ricky in two episodes. Lloyd’s movie appearances included “Galaxy Quest” and “Flubber.” He was also a singer with the a capella group the Blanks, who performed on “Scrubs” under the name the Worthless Peons. Lloyd was the nephew of “Back to the Future” star Christopher Lloyd.

Lloyd on developing his “Scrubs” character

“That first day of shooting, I thought, ‘Okay, this is a guy who is obviously inept, and he’s probably not comfortable speaking in front of crowds,’ so I asked them to make me pale and put sweat on me. And little did I know that that would be my life for the next eight years.” —from a 2011 interview with AV Club

What people said about him

Full obituary: The New York Times

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