Barry Primus role on the CBS TV series "Cagney and Lacey" (1982 — 1988) as Christine Cagney's (Sharon Gless) boyfriend Sergeant Dory McKenna, whose drug problem compromises his value as a police officer. He also guest starred in "Murder, She Wrote". After working as director Mark Rydell's assistant on "The Rose" (1979), Primus increased his behind-the-camera activities; in 1992, he directed his first theatrical feature, the "inside" Hollywood comedy/drama "Mistress". A member of the Actors Studio, Primus has taught acting and directing classes at the American Film Institute, The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, the UCLA campus, and at The Maine Media Workshops
Sharon Gless had a large clientele of major film studio executives and actors. Wanting to become an actress, she sought her grandfather's advice and he told her, "Stay out of it, it's a filthy business!" A few years later, though, when she spoke to him again about acting, he encouraged her, and gave her money for acting classes. She worked as a secretary for the advertising agencies Grey Advertising and Young & Rubicam, and then for the independent movie production companies Sassafras Films and General Film Corporation. While she worked as a production assistant, Gless studied drama with acting coach Estelle Harman,