father figure

And he was a mentor, close friend, and father figure to Rev. Al Sharpton.

Mad Men is very big on surrogate parents on the show, and Roger always viewed Bert as a surrogate father figure.

On Friday Night Lights, Coach Taylor is as much a father figure to the boys on the Dillon Panthers as he is their play caller.

"He was regarded by Cressida as a father figure," a friend of Miss Bonas told the Daily Beast.

So it was like meeting some sort of father figure, whose approval you always wanted.