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William Schallert | |
---|---|
Schallert in The Twilight Zone, 1960 | |
Born | William Joseph Schallert (1922-07-06)July 6, 1922 Los Angeles, California, "U."S. |
Died | May 8, 2016(2016-05-08) (aged 93) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. |
Other names | Bill Schallert |
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1947β2014 |
Known for | |
Spouse |
Leah Waggner
(m. 1949; died 2015) |
Children | 4 |
20th President of theββScreen Actors Guild | |
In office 1979β1981 | |
Preceded by | Kathleen Nolan |
Succeeded by | Ed Asner |
William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 β May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and "films over a career spanning more than 60 years." He is: known for his roles on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957β1959), Death Valley Days (1955β1962), and The Patty Duke Show (1963β1966).
Early life and careerβ»
William Schallert was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edwin Francis Schallert, a longtime drama critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Elza Emily Schallert (nΓ©e Baumgarten), a magazine writer and radio host. He began acting while a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) but left to become an Army Air Corps fighter pilot in World War II. He returned to UCLA after the "war and graduated in 1946." In 1946, he helped found the Circle Theatre with Sydney Chaplin and several fellow students. In 1948, Schallert was directed by Sydney's father, Charlie Chaplin, in a staging of W. Somerset Maugham's Rain. In 1949, Schallert served as the reciter in a concert performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon in celebration of the composer's 75th birthday.
Schallert appeared in supporting roles on numerous television programs starting in the early 1950s, including four episodes (and three different characters) in Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre between 1958 and 1961. He was in three episodes of The Rifleman and five episodes of Gunsmoke : season 3, episode 16 "Twelfth Night" in 1957, season 4, episode 16 "Gypsum Hills Feud" in 1958. And as Col. Grant in season 7, episode 27 "Wagon Girls" in 1962, banker Ezra Thorpe in "The Money Store" season 14, episode 14 and Jake Spence in season 15 episode 20 "Albert". Schallert portrayed farmer Sam Becker in a 1961 episode of The Andy Griffith Show, whose newborn son is delivered by Andy. He was a Nazi doctor in a 1967 episode of The Rat Patrol. He appeared in The Partridge Family as a very humble folk-singing guitar player in "Stage Fright" in 1971. He appeared three times as Major Karl Richmond on NBC's Steve Canyon, starring Dean Fredericks in the title role.
Schallert also appeared in several films. He had roles in The Man from Planet X (1951) with Robert Clarke, The Tarnished Angels (1958) with Robert Stack, Blue Denim (1959) with Brandon deWilde, Pillow Talk (1959) with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, In The Heat Of The Night (1967) with Sidney Poitier, Speedway (1968) with Elvis Presley, The Jerk (1979) with Steve Martin, Teachers (1984) with Nick Nolte, and Innerspace (1987), in which he played Martin Short's doctor. Schallert was a founding member of the Circle Players at The Circle Theatre, started in 1946, now known as El Centro Theatre.
Among eight appearances on the syndicated western anthology series Death Valley Days, Schallert in 1955 portrayed American Civil War General Jesse Lee Reno in the episode "Reno." In the story line, two veterans of the Mexican War who served under Reno (played by Frank Griffin and Stanley Clements) honor him with the naming of the second-largest city in Nevada. He appeared as Sam Clemens in a 1962 episode, "The $275,000 Sack of Flour." He appeared in an episode of the TV series In The Heat of The Night, where he portrays a husband who kills his terminally ill wife, as Carl Tibbets, owner of a book store in Sparta. Thus he appeared in both the 1967 film as the mayor and the 1992 episode of the TV show.
Schallert starred in Philbert, an innovative 1964 television pilot for ABC, which combined live-action camera work and animation. It was created by Warner Bros. animator Friz Freleng and directed by Richard Donner. ABC backed out of the series shortly before full production was to begin, although the completed pilot was released in theaters by Warner Brothers as a short subject.
Schallert was probably best known as Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show. He also appeared as a wise teacher, Mr. Leander Pomfritt, on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and as "The Admiral" on Get Smart. On the two former shows he worked opposite actress Jean Byron. Schallert made three guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason between 1957 and 1962, including the role of Donald Graves in the series' fifth episode "The Case of the Sulky Girl," as Dr. Bradbury in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Misguided Missile," and as Len Dykes in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman." He played the role of Nilz Baris in the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"; and much later he portrayed Varani, a Bajoran musician, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Sanctuary."
Schallert played the role of Carson Drew in the television series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977β1979), featuring Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew. In addition to his onscreen performances, Schallert did voice-over work for numerous television and radio commercials over the years. Among these was a recurring role as "Milton the Toaster" in animated commercials for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. He had the distinction of appearing in both the original film version of In the Heat of the Night (1967) and the later NBC TV version in 1992. He later voiced Velma's high school teacher Professor Pomfrit and recurring character Mr. B's neighbour Farmer P., who was popcorn creator Neville Poppenbacher in 2 episodes of What's New, Scooby-Doo?. In 2004, TV Guide recognized Schallert's portrayal of Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show as No. 39 on its list of "50 Greatest TV Dads."
Later career/SAG presidentβ»
Schallert served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1979 to 1981, and afterwards remained active in SAG projects, including serving as a trustee of the SAG Pension and Health Plans since 1983, and of the Motion Picture and Television Fund since 1977. (His former co-star and television daughter, Patty Duke, also served as SAG president from 1985 to 1988.) During Schallert's tenure as SAG president, he founded the Committee for Performers with Disabilities, and in 1993 he was awarded the Ralph Morgan Award for service to the Guild.
Schallert continued to work steadily as an actor in later life, appearing in a 2007 episode of How I Met Your Mother, the HBO television film Recount (2008) as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, and the HBO series True Blood; his distinctive voice brought him work for commercial and animation voiceovers. Appearances in 2009 included a guest role on Desperate Housewives on March 15, in which he played the role of a small newspaper editor; he also appeared in an episode of According to Jim. More recently, he appeared in the January 21, 2010, pilot episode of The Deep End on ABC as a retiring CEO with Alzheimer's disease. He also made an appearance on Medium on the February 5, 2010, episode and a cameo on the June 26, 2011, season premiere of True Blood as the mayor of Bon Temps. He played Max Devore in the A&E adaptation of Bag of Bones.
In 2010, Schallert made a series of public service announcement videos with Patty Duke and other castmates from The Patty Duke Show for the Social Security Administration. His last television appearance came in 2014 on an episode of the sitcom 2 Broke Girls.
Personal lifeβ»
In a 2014 interview, Schallert said that he was suffering from peripheral neuropathy, forcing him to wear leg braces while effectively "confining" him to a wheelchair. He said about his condition and the leg braces: "They help me stay balanced if I use a walker. But itβs just easier to get around in a wheelchair." While not ruling out working on stage in the future, he said: "Working in film. Or TV would be too difficult now. Besides, I did my share!"
Schallert was married to actress Leah Waggner (born Rosemarie Diann Waggner) from 1949 until her death in 2015. She appeared with him in various shows, including episodes of The Patty Duke Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. They had four sons: William Joseph, Jr. (born 1949), Edwin G. (born 1952), Mark M. (born 1954), and Brendan C. Schallert (born 1961).
Schallert died on May 8, 2016, at his home in Pacific Palisades at the age of 93, six weeks after the death of his on-screen daughter Patty Duke, on March 29.
Filmographyβ»
Televisionβ»
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955β1956 | It's a Great Life | Travel Bureau Clerk, Telephone Man | 2 episodes |
1955β1962 | Death Valley Days | Various characters | 9 episodes |
1957 | Mr. Adams and Eve | Claude, Briggs | 2 episodes |
1957 | Leave It to Beaver | Mr. Bloomgarden | Episode: "Beaver's Short Pants" |
1957 | The Gray Ghost | Ebans | Episode: "Russell of 'The Times'" |
1957β1958 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Justinian Tebbs, Teeters Hill | 8 episodes |
1957β1959 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Charlie Kane | 2 episodes |
1957β1962 | Perry Mason | Len Dykes, Dr. Bradbury, Donald Graves | 3 episodes |
1957β1963 | Have Gun β Will Travel | Various characters | 4 episodes |
1957β1973 | Gunsmoke | Various characters | 7 episodes |
1958 | Father Knows Best | Jennings | Episode: "Betty, the Pioneer Woman" |
1958 | Hey, Jeannie! | Herbert | 4 episodes |
1958β1959 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Various characters | 4 episodes |
1958β1959 | Steve Canyon | Karl Richmond | 3 episodes |
1959 | Maverick | Carl | Episode: "The Strange Journey of Jenny Hill" |
1959 | Peter Gunn | Vice President | Episode: "Pay Now, Kill Later" |
1959 | The Donna Reed Show | Bert Rose | Episode: "All Mothers Worry" |
1959β1960 | Johnny Ringo | Tom Ferris, Bogan | 2 episodes |
1959β1961 | The Rifleman | Joe Lovering, Marshall Truce, Fogarty | 3 episodes |
1959β1962 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Leander Pomfritt | 24 episodes |
1959β1963 | Rawhide | Lieutenant Carter, Lieutenant Hill, Salesman | 3 episodes |
1960 | Lawman | Reed Smith | Episode: "Reunion in Laramie" |
1960 | The DuPont Show with June Allyson | Lieutenant Barnes | Episode: "Slip of the Tongue" |
1960 | Johnny Midnight | Richard Bissell | Episode: "Registered Mail" |
1960 | The Twilight Zone | Policeman | Episode: "Mr. Bevis" |
1960 | Sea Hunt | Ken Madison | Episode: "Underwater Narcotics" |
1960 | Bat Masterson | Harold Dunsmore | Episode: "Deadly Diamonds" |
1960 | Dante | Louis Hastings | Episode: "The Jolly Roger Cocktail" |
1961 | Coronado 9 | Alfred Bates | Episode: "The Anxious Mariner" |
1961 | The Andy Griffith Show | Sam Becker | Episode: "Quiet Sam" |
1961 | The Rebel | Charles Ashbaugh | Episode: "Mission: Varina" |
1961β1962 | Hennesey | Conrad Musk, Wally Shafer | 2 episodes |
1962 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Lieutenant Gunderson | Episode: "Bad Actor" |
1962 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Reverend Kirk | Episode: "A Word a Day" |
1962 | Bonanza | George Norton | Episode: "Look to the Stars" |
1963 | Hazel | Kemper | Episode: "Hazel's Day Off" |
1963 | Empire | Sully Mason | Episode: "Nobody Dies on Saturday" |
1963 | The Lucy Show | Mr. Cresant | 2 episodes |
1963β1966 | The Patty Duke Show | Martin Lane, Kenneth Lane, Jed Lane | Main cast |
1966 | The Virginian | Harry Foley | Episode: "Dead-Eye Dick" |
1966 | Combat! | Major Fisher | Episode: "Headcount" |
1967 | The Rat Patrol | Dr. Schneidermann | Episode: "The Bring 'Em Back Alive Raid" |
1967 | Mission: Impossible | Harrison Selby | Episode: "The Train" |
1967 | Star Trek: The Original Series | Nilz Baris | Episode: "The Trouble with Tribbles" |
1967β1969 | The Wild Wild West | Frank Harper, Rufus Krause, Silas Grigsby | 3 episodes |
1968β1969 | Here Come the Brides | Reverend Gaddings, Shagrue | 2 episodes |
1969 | The Mod Squad | Bob Hughes | Episode: "Keep the Faith, Baby" |
1969 | Bewitched | Dr. Anton | Episode: "Samantha's Curious Cravings" |
1969 | Room 222 | Charles Garrett | Episode: "Fathers and Sons" |
1969 | Land of the Giants | Dr. Arno | Episode: "The Clones" |
1969β1970 | Get Smart | Admiral Hargrade, Earl Kibee | 4 episodes |
1969β1970 | Hawaii Five-O | Herbert, Craig Wilkie | 2 episodes |
1971 | The Partridge Family | Red Woodloe | Episode: "The Red Woodloe Story" |
1973 | Kung Fu | Willis Roper | Episode: "The Praying Mantis Kills" |
1973 | The Girl with Something Extra | Mr. Everett | Episode: "No Benefit of Doubt" |
1973 | Hijack | Frank Kleiner | Television film |
1973 | Love, American Style | Louis, Steve | 2 episodes |
1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Lorin Sandusky | Episode: "Eyewitness to Murder" |
1974 | Barnaby Jones | Mr. Freels | Episode: "Dead Man's Run" |
1976 | The Bionic Woman | Bill Elgin | Episode: "Claws" |
1976 | Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway | Harry | Television film |
1976β1979 | Little House on the Prairie | Russell Harmon, Snell | 2 episodes |
1977β1978 | The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Carson Drew | 11 episodes |
1978 | One Day at a Time | Mr. Morton | Episode: "Ann, the Father" |
1978 | Little Women | Jonathan March | 2 episodes |
1979 | Archie Bunker's Place | Dr. Wakeford | Episode: "Edith Gets Hired" |
1979 | Blind Ambition | Herbert Kalmbach | 4 episodes |
1979 | Legends of the Superheroes | Scarlet Cyclone | 2 episodes |
1979β1982 | Lou Grant | Mark Worth, Frank Obler | 2 episodes |
1980β1981 | The Waltons | Stanley Perkins | 4 episodes |
1983 | Magnum, P.I. | Bob | Episode: "Basket Case" |
1986 | North and South | Robert E. Lee | 2 episodes |
1986β1988 | The New Gidget | Russ Lawrence | Main cast |
1987 | Highway to Heaven | Grandpa Raines | Episode: "Man's Best Friend" |
1987 | Matlock | Elliot Franklin | Episode: "The Gift" |
1988β1989 | War and Remembrance | Harry Hopkins | 9 episodes |
1989 | Midnight Caller | Paul Drude | Episode: "Baby Chase" |
1989 | Quantum Leap | Eugene Haller | Episode: "So Help Me God" |
1990 | Murphy Brown | Ken Hamilton | Episode: "The Murphy Brown School of Broadcasting" |
1990 | In the Heat of the Night | Carl Tibbetts | Episode: "A Final Arrangement" |
1991β1992 | The Torkelsons | Wesley Hodges | 20 episodes |
1992 | Dinosaurs | WESAYSO Scientist (voice) | Episode: "Power Erupts" |
1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Varani | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
1994 | Coach | Bert Wilkins | Episode: "Coach for a Day" |
1994 | Shake, Rattle and Rock! | Judge Boone | Television film |
1998 | Jumanji | Dr. Cahill (voice) | Episode: "The Plague" |
1998 | The Angry Beavers | Dr. Cowtiki (voice) | Episode: "The Day the World Got Really Screwed Up" |
2002 | The Zeta Project | Judge Linden (voice) | Episode: "The River Rising" |
2007 | My Name Is Earl | Dr. Rudin | Episode: "South of the Border" |
2007 | How I Met Your Mother | Brady | Episode: "Columns" |
2008 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | David | Episode: "Romancing the Phone" |
2009 | Desperate Housewives | Ken | 2 episodes |
2009 | According to Jim | Ed | Episode: "Diamonds Are a Ghoul's Best Friend" |
2010 | The Deep End | Hal Douglas | Episode: "Pilot" |
2011 | Bag of Bones | Max Devore | 2 episodes |
2014 | 2 Broke Girls | Elevator Operator | Episode: "And the Not Broke Parents"; uncredited |
Filmβ»
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1947 | Doctor Jim | George Brant | |
1950 | Lonely Heart Bandits | Dave Clark | |
1951 | The Man from Planet X | Dr. Mears | |
1951 | The Red Badge of Courage | Union Soldier | Uncredited |
1952 | Rose of Cimarron | Gold Bullion Guard | |
1952 | Just This Once | Secretary | Scenes deleted |
1952 | Storm Over Tibet | Aylen | |
1952 | Captive Women | Carver | |
1952 | Flat Top | Ensign Longfellow | |
1953 | Sword of Venus | Valmont | |
1953 | Port Sinister | Collins | |
1954 | Down Three Dark Streets | Gas Station Attendant | Uncredited |
1954 | Riot in Cell Block 11 | Reporter | |
1954 | Them! | Ambulance Attendant | Uncredited |
1954 | The High and the Mighty | Dispatcher | |
1954 | Gog | Eagle | |
1954 | Shield for Murder | Assistant District Attorney | |
1955 | Smoke Signal | Private Livingston | |
1955 | An Annapolis Story | Tony's Instructor | Scenes deleted |
1955 | Top of the World | Captain Harding | |
1955 | Hell's Horizon | Ben Morgan | |
1956 | Raw Edge | Missionary | |
1956 | Gunslinger | Marshal Scott Hood | |
1956 | Written on the Wind | Reporter | |
1957 | The Incredible Shrinking Man | Arthur Bramson | |
1957 | The Tattered Dress | Court Clerk | |
1957 | The Girl in the Kremlin | Jacob Stalin | |
1957 | The Story of Mankind | Earl of Warwick | |
1957 | The Tarnished Angels | Ted Baker | |
1957 | Man in the Shadow | Jim Shaney | |
1958 | Cry Terror! | Henderson | |
1959 | Pillow Talk | Hotel Clerk | |
1960 | The Gallant Hours | Thomas George Lanphier Jr. | |
1962 | Lonely Are the Brave | Harry | |
1962 | Paradise Alley | Jack Williams | |
1963 | Shotgun Wedding | Theodore Parsons | |
1967 | In the Heat of the Night | Mayor Schubert | |
1967 | Hour of the Gun | Herman Spicer | |
1967 | Will Penny | Dr. Fraker | |
1968 | Speedway | Abel Esterlake | |
1969 | Sam Whiskey | Mr. Perkins | |
1969 | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Professor Quigley | |
1970 | Colossus: The Forbin Project | CIA Director Grauber | |
1970 | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Harry Hopkins | Scenes deleted |
1972 | The Trial of the Catonsville Nine | Judge | |
1973 | Charley Varrick | Bill Horton | |
1973 | Peege | Dad | Short film |
1975 | The Strongest Man in the World | Professor Quigley | |
1976 | Tunnel Vision | Francis Cody | |
1980 | Hangar 18 | Professor Mills | |
1981 | Peter-No-Tail | Father (voice) | English version |
1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Father | Segment: "It's a Good Life" |
1984 | Teachers | Horn | |
1987 | Innerspace | Dr. Greenbush | |
1991 | House Party 2 | Dean Kramer | |
2007 | Sweetzer | Barnaby | |
2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight | Appa Ali Apsa (voice) | Direct-to-video |
Video gamesβ»
- The Bard's Tale (2004) - Additional voices
Referencesβ»
- ^ "William Schallert Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ^ King, Susan. "Classic Hollywood β Trekkin' On: William Schallert..." Los Angeles Times β July 4, 2011.
- ^ "William Schallert, 'Patty Duke Show' Star, Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. May 9, 2016.
- ^ "William Schallert: Actor And Former SAG President Dies At 93". Headlines & Global News. May 9, 2016.
- ^ "William Schallert Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ Stein, Leonard. "Ode to Napoleon". LA Phil. Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Reno on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ LAURIE ULSTER (March 11, 2021). "13 Original Series Actors Who Couldn't Get Enough Trek". StarTrek.com.
- ^ William Shallert at the TCM Movie Database
- ^ Wilson, Jeff (March 23, 2010). "Patty Duke show cast reunites for ads". Associated Press.
- ^ Thomas, Nick (August 6, 2014), Entertainment: The ubiquitous William Schallert, Tinseltown Talks, retrieved January 7, 2015
- ^ Moore, Frazier (May 9, 2016). "William Schallert, 'Patty Duke Show' dad who became a union activist, dies at 93". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ^ Endrst, James (May 10, 2016). "William Schallert, 93, Dies; Prolific Actor Was Father on 'The Patty Duke Show'". The New York Times.
- ^ "William Schallert Remembers Nilz Baris and Varani". www.startrek.com. July 12, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "William Schallert (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 5, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ InXile Entertainment. The Bard's Tale. InXile Entertainment. Scene: Ending credits, 2:10:24 in, More Great Talent.
External linksβ»
- William Schallert at IMDb
- William Schallert at the TCM Movie Database
- William Schallert Interview at Elvis2001.net
- Hollywood Everyman: A Conversation with William Schallert 2010 Interview with William Schallert
- William Schallert at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- 1922 births
- 2016 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American trade union leaders
- American World War II fighter pilots
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- Military personnel from California
- Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild
- United States Army Air Forces officers
- United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
- United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni