Lonny Chapman

Lonny Chapman
Born	Lon Leonard Chapman (1920-10-01)October 1, 1920 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	October 12, 2007(2007-10-12) (aged 87) North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Joplin High School Joplin Junior College University of Oklahoma
Occupation(s)	Actor, playwright
Years active	1951–2001
Spouse	Erma Dean (1944–2007, his death)
Children	Wyley Dean

Lon Leonard "Lonny" Chapman (October 1, 1920 – October 12, 2007) was an American actor best known for his numerous guest star appearances on television drama series.

Early years

The son of Elmer and Eunice Chapman, Chapman was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but lived thereafter in Joplin, Missouri. He graduated from Joplin High School and, in 1940, from Joplin Junior College. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, Chapman graduated from the University of Oklahoma at Norman. Then in 1947 he hitchhiked with Dennis Weaver, his best friend at the university, to New York City, where he landed the role of Turk in Come Back, Little Sheba.

Television

Chapman's first role on television was in 1951 on the series Starlight Theatre, playing the part of an arrogant high-school football player in an episode titled "Miss Bruell". Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, he continued to be cast in other series and gain experience in supporting roles. In 1958 he portrayed detective Jeff Prior in the NBC series The Investigator. Seven years later, he played another detective, Frank Malloy, in the CBS series For the People.

Some of the other series in which Chapman appeared in supporting roles or as a guest star include Gunsmoke, Harbourmaster, The Rifleman, The Lloyd Bridges Show, The Everglades, Decoy, Dundee and the Culhane, Storefront Lawyers, Quincy, M.E., The A-Team, The Virginian, Matlock, NYPD Blue, and Murder, She Wrote. In 1964 he also performed on Perry Mason, portraying a murderer, Jack Talley, in "The Case of the Tandem Target". He appeared as well in the 1966 episode "Lone Woman" of The Road West. Between 1972 and 1975, he guest-starred too in three episodes of NBC's McCloud, which starred his friend Dennis Weaver, whom Chapman had originally urged to go into show business. In the late 1970s, he appeared in the episode "The Waterhole" on The Oregon Trail (1977), the episode "Now You see Her..." on The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978), and as the character L. Patrick Gray in the miniseries Blind Ambition (1979).

Film

Chapman played "Ernie the plumber" in the 1954 movie Young at Heart, starring Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. He appeared in East of Eden (1955), Baby Doll (1956), and The Birds (1963). His other film roles included appearances in A Covenant with Death (1967), Hour of the Gun (1967), The Stalking Moon (1968), Take the Money and Run (1969), The Reivers (1969), I Walk the Line (1970), Welcome Home, Soldier Boys (1971), The Cowboys (1972), Run, Cougar, Run (1972), Where the Red Fern Grows (1974), The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976), Moving Violation (1976), The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Hanging by a Thread (1979), When Time Ran Out (1980), Running Scared (1980), Amy (1981), The Border (1982), Cave-In! (1983), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Reindeer Games (2000), and The Hunted (2001).

Stage

In 1972, Chapman founded the Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles and was named artistic director, a title he held until his death. Under his direction, the nonprofit 99-seat theater staged more than 350 productions and at least 45 premieres of original works. He was also a playwright; his works The Buffalo Skinner and Cry of the Raindrop were both produced Off-Broadway.

Recognition

In the fall of 2005, Chapman was named "Outstanding Alumnus" at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.

Personal life and death

In 1944, Chapman married the former Erma Dean Gibson of Joplin, Missouri. The couple remained married for 63 years and had two children: a daughter, Linda Dean, and a son, Wyley. On October 12, 2007, at the age of 87, Chapman died of complications from heart disease at a care facility in North Hollywood. He was survived by his wife Erma and their son. His ashes were sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Young at Heart	Ernie Nichols
1955	East of Eden	Roy Turner - Automobile Mechanic	Uncredited
1956	Baby Doll	Rock
1963	The Birds	Deke Carter - Diner Owner
1967	A Covenant with Death	Musgrave
1967	Hour of the Gun	Turkey Creek Johnson
1968	The Stalking Moon	Purdue
1969	Take the Money and Run	Jake - Convict
1969	The Reivers	Maury McCaslin
1970	I Walk the Line	Bascomb
1971	Welcome Home, Soldier Boys	Danny's Father
1972	The Cowboys	Homer's Father
1972	Run, Cougar, Run	Harry Walker
1973	Running Wild	Senator Frank Coombs
1973	Cotter
1974	Where the Red Fern Grows	Sheriff
1974	Hurricane	Pappy
1974	Earthquake	L.A.P.D. Captain	Uncredited
1976	The Witch Who Came from the Sea	Long John
1976	Moving Violation	Sheriff Rankin
1978	The Bad News Bears Go to Japan	Louis the Gambler
1979	Norma Rae	Gardner
1979	Hanging by a Thread	Charles Minton
1980	When Time Ran Out	Kelly
1980	Running Scared	Pa Beecher
1981	Amy	Virgil Goodloe
1982	The Border	Andy
1983	Cave-In!	Walt Charles
1986	52 Pick-Up	Jim O'Boyle
1997	Nightwatch	Old Watchman
2000	Reindeer Games	Old Timer
2001	The Hunted	Zander	(final film role)

External links

• TV Tome site on Lonny Chapman
• Lonny Chapman at IMDb
• Lonny Chapman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Lonny Chapman at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Theater Mania Obituary
• LA Times Obituary