Success in films was slow in coming. Sullivan could be seen in "The Sting" (1973), "Slap Shot" (1977) and "The Untouchables" (1987), but his status as a character player was confirmed when Barbra Streisand cast him as Henry Wingo, the sometimes brutal husband and father, in "The Prince of Tides" (1991). Sullivan subsequently played a variety of supporting roles, including a tough priest who comes through for Whoopi Goldberg and the nuns in "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (1993).
On TV, Sullivan is best remembered as Mr. Zollicofer, the ex-Marine turned wrestling coach on "I'll Fly Away" (NBC, 1991-93). In addition, he was General Artemus Ward in the miniseries "George Washington" (CBS, 1989), and added local flavor as Fog Martin in "Home Fires Burning" (CBS, 1989), a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation. Sullivan recreated his stage role opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the TNT adaptation of "Orpheus Descending" (1990) and portrayed Judge Roy Bean in "Luck of the Draw: The Gambler Returns" (CBS, 1991). More recently, he was Father Leo, the avuncular older priest who offers guidance to his younger colleagues, in the ABC drama series "Nothing Sacred" (1997-98).