Sturdy character actor and character lead of American stage, TV and film, Ed Flanders is best recalled as Dr. Westphall, the doctor who cared too diligently for his patients in the NBC series "St. Elsewhere." Fans of the show will forever recall that when Flanders decided to leave the series after five seasons, the producers eliminated his character by having Dr. Westphall moon the money-grubbing hospital executive, a move that caused one NBC affiliate to decline to air the episode. Flanders began as a stage actor, toiling amidst the footlights in Manitoba, Milwaukee, San Diego, and even the