Commandant Eric Lassard is the fictional head of the Metropolitan Police Academy in the 1984 film ‘Police Academy,’ as well as its six sequels. He is portrayed by actor George Gaynes (b. 1917). Lassard is rather eccentric. He is rarely seen without his many goldfish, frequently travels by golf cart, and tends to destroy things while golfing in his office. He also often loses track of his thoughts, either by beginning to pace and proceeding to walk several yards away from the group he is addressing, or by repeating the word ‘very’ (e.g. ‘have a very, very, very good day’). The commandant is a skilled billiards player, once clearing an entire table in a single turn.
Comdt. Lassard’s younger brother, Captain Pete Lassard (played by Howard Hesseman) is head of a precinct that has one of the worst crime rates in the city until the a group of Eric’s graduates eventually snag a gang that’s been terrorizing the streets. A nephew (possibly Pete’s son), Nick Lassard, is with the Miami Police, but leaves to join Eric in ‘Police Academy 6.’
The Daily Omnivore 
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