Fred Rogers logged hundreds of TV appearances in his persona as Mister Rogers — and not just on his long-running series Mister Rogers Neighborhood. But he only played another character on screen one time — and that rare acting role came 30 years ago, in an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
In the CBS drama’s fourth season episode “Deal with the Devil” — which aired on February 17, 1996 — Rogers played Reverend Thomas. The role was familiar territory for the children’s TV star, since he was an ordained Presbyterian minister in real life. And, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rogers made the decision to take up an acting role for a very simple reason: Dr. Quinn was one of his favorite TV shows.
