Between 1962 and 1995, Swofford's film credits included Thelma & Louise, Skyjacked, Black Roses and The Andromeda Strain, while his TV career during the same period was prolific: he appeared on such television series as Gunsmoke, Police Story, The Rockford Files, Simon & Simon, Fame, Switch, The Oregon Trail, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, Murder, She Wrote, and as a cast member of the mystery series Ellery Queen.
[3] In an interview in 1976 the distinctive, red-headed actor described the advantages of an acting career as spending more time with his children and having the freedom to do any job.
[5] In 1989, Swofford was convicted of felony drunk driving and sentenced to 28 months in prison,[6] after which he made a comeback and continued to work steadily until retiring in 1995.
[7] In 2001, he supplied the voice of the coach in Recess: School's Out, and played Officer White in Teacher's Pet (2004), which was his last role before retiring permanently.
Nonetheless, in 2018 he voiced the title character of Happy the Angry Polar Bear in a film written and directed by his grandson, Brandon.