Harry Townes

For the U.S. Marine, see Harry Towne.

Harry Rhett Townes (September 18, 1914 – May 23, 2001) was an American television and movie actor.

Early life

Townes was born in Huntsville, the seat of Madison County in northern Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, developing his acting skills in the university's drama club.

Career

He performed in several New York and Broadway stage productions, including summer stock. During World War II he left the stage to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Discharged in 1946, he returned to the stage before moving on to perform in Hollywood.

As a character actor, Townes was a familiar face to TV viewers in the 1950s and '60s. His expanded range led him to fill a variety of roles, and he avoided being typecast. Besides appearing in 29 movies, he is credited with more than 200 television roles. He gained a cult following with a younger audience^{[citation needed]} for a guest shot on "The First", a two-part episode of The Incredible Hulk. He played Dell Frye, a man who also had the ability to transform into a Hulk-like creature. "The First" is one of the most popular episodes from the TV series^{[citation needed]} largely due to Townes' performance.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Townes was ordained as an Episcopal priest in St. Paul's Cathedral on March 16, 1974. He served at St. Mary of the Angels Church in Hollywood, California. He retired from acting in 1989 and returned to his hometown of Huntsville where he lived the remainder of his life.

At age 86, he died in Huntsville and was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Selected film and television appearances

• Westinghouse Studio One - "Success Story" (1952)
• Operation Manhunt (1954)
• Justice (1954)
• Gunsmoke - 7 episodes, 1956–1971
  • "Spring Term" as Bill Lee (15 December 1956)
  • "Monopoly" as Ivy (4 October 1958)
  • "Tail to the Wind" as Pezzy Neller (17 October 1959)
  • "Tobe" as Tobe Hostader (19 October 1963)
  • "Two Tall Men" as Abihu Howell (8 May 1965)
  • "Malachi" as Malachi Harper (13 November 1965)
  • "Lijah" as Hale Parker (8 November 1971)
• The Mountain - (1956)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents - episodes "The Creeper" (June 17, 1956) and "My Brother Richard" (January 20, 1957)
• The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
• Have Gun Will Travel - episode "The Bostonian" as Henry Prince: Season 1, Episode 21 (1958)
• Perry Mason (5 episodes, 1958–1966)
• The Troubleshooters - episode "Moment of Terror" as Verne Lewis (1959)
• The DuPont Show with June Allyson - episode "The Opening" as Falk (1959) and episode "The Visitor" as Rudolph Miller (1960)
• Rawhide (4 episodes, 1959–1964)
• Bonanza - "The Mill" (1960)
• One Step Beyond - Volume #4 - (1960)
• Thriller - "The Cheaters" (1960), "Dark Legacy" (1961)
• The Law and Mr. Jones - two episodes as Fowler (1961)
• Target: The Corruptors! - episode "The Fix" (1961)
• The Investigators (1961)
• The Outlaws - three episodes as Frank Wagner (1960–1962)
• The Littlest Hobo (1963)
• The Eleventh Hour as Mr. Lauderback in the episode "The Wings of the Morning" (1963)
• Kentucky Jones (1965) as Charles Caldwell in "The Big Shot"
• The Wild Wild West (2 episodes, 1965–1967)
• The Fugitive - episodes "Fear in a Desert City" (1963), "Tug of War" (1964), "Scapegoat" (1965), "When the Wind Blows" (1965), and "Joshua's Kingdom (1966)
• Dr. Kildare (2 episodes, 1965–1966)
• The Monroes - episode "The Friendly Enemy" as Joe Smith (1966)
• Fitzwilly - (1967)
• Disneyland - 2 episodes as Mr. Barlowe (1967)
• Star Trek - episode "The Return of the Archons" (1967)
• The Mod Squad - Episode "A Time To Love - A Time To Cry" (1968)
• Emergency! - episode "Rip-Off" (1973) as Barney Olsen
• Ark II (episode "Omega") - (1976) (a story and role very similar to those of his Star Trek appearance)
• The Incredible Hulk - episode "The First" as Dell Frye (1981)
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - episode "The Guardians" as The Guardian (1981)
• Angel of H.E.A.T. - (1982)
• Voyagers! - episode "The Trial of Phineas Bogg" as Professor Garth (1983)
• The Warrior and the Sorceress - (1984)

External links

• Harry Townes at the Internet Movie Database
• Harry Townes at Find a Grave
• Harry Townes at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Obituary in The New York Times