Ovid Springer Victor Slezak Mr. Springer, a traveling salesman, is a frequent guest at the Beluah Hotel and an ardent admirer of Edna Earle. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, actor Victor Slezak is a familiar face both on television and at the movies. His film work includes roles in The Trade, Lost Souls, One Tough Cop, The Devil's Own, and The Bridges of Madison County. On television, he has guest starred on Law & Order, Hyperion Bay, and Miami Vice. In Welty's words: I used to say Mr. Springer was the perfect listener. A drug salesman with a wide, wide territory in seldom enough to forget between times, and knowing us well enough not to try to interrupt. And too tired to object to hearing something over. If anything, he laughed too soon. He used to sit and beg for Uncle Daniel's favorite tale, the one about the time he turned the tables on Grandpa. The Ponder Heart, chapter 1