Warren Stevens
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Warren Stevens | |
|---|---|
| File:Warren Stevens publicity photo.jpg Stevens circa 1950 | |
| Born | Warren Albert Stevens November 2, 1919 |
| Died | March 27, 2012 (aged 92) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications of lung disease |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | The Actor's Studio |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1947–2007 |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Tucker Huntington (1942 – ?; divorced), Barbara French (1969 – ?; divorced) |
| Children | With Huntington: 3 |
Warren Albert Stevens (November 2, 1919 – March 27, 2012) was an American stage, screen, and television actor.[1]
Early life and career
Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens began his acting career after serving in the United States Army Air Corps as a pilot during World War II. A founding member of The Actor's Studio in New York,[2] Stevens received notice on Broadway in the late 1940s, and thereafter was offered a Hollywood contract at 20th Century Fox. His first Broadway role was in The Life of Galileo (1947)[3] and first movie role followed in The Frogmen (1951). As a young studio contract player, Stevens had little choice of material, and he appeared in films that included Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952), and Gorilla at Large (1954). A memorable movie role was that of the ill-fated "Doc" Ostrow in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956). He also had a supporting role in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) with Humphrey Bogart.
Despite occasional parts in big films, Stevens was unable to break out consistently into A-list movies, so he carved out a career in television as a journeyman dramatic actor.
Television career
He co-starred as Lt. William Storm in Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (NBC, 1956–1957), a prime-time adventure series set in India. Stevens also provided the voice of John Bracken in season one of Bracken's World (NBC, 1968–1970).
He appeared in over 150 prime time shows from the 1950s to the early 1980s, including:
- Golden Age anthology series (Actors Studio, Campbell Playhouse, Justice, Philco Television Playhouse, Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Route 66),
- Mysteries Hawaiian Eye (4 episodes), Perry Mason, The Untouchables, Climax!, Checkmate (2 episodes), Surfside 6 (2 episodes), 77 Sunset Strip (2 episodes), Behind Closed Doors, I Spy, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ironside (3 episodes), The Mod Squad, Cannon (3 episodes), Griff, Mission: Impossible.
- Horror and Sci Fi Inner Sanctum (3 episodes), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (2 episodes), The Twilight Zone (episode "Dead Man's Shoes"), One Step Beyond (episode "The Riddle"), Mission: Impossible (4 episodes), The Outer Limits (episode Keeper of the Purple Twilight), Star Trek (episode By Any Other Name), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (3 episodes), The Time Tunnel, Science Fiction Theater, Land of the Giants (2 episodes)
- Comedies The Donna Reed Show (2 episodes, 1965 and 1966)
- Westerns (Laramie, The Rebel, Wagon Train (2 episodes), The Alaskans, Gunsmoke (3 episodes), Bonanza (4 episodes), Daniel Boone (3 episodes), The Virginian (3 episodes), Rawhide, and Have Gun, Will Travel (3 episodes)).
Stevens' appearances on CBS's Have Gun, Will Travel introduced him to Richard Boone, who hired him for a continuing television role in The Richard Boone Show, an award-winning NBC anthology series which lasted for the 1963–1964 season.
Stevens was a close friend of actor Richard Basehart and helped him through a difficult divorce in the early 1960s. Stevens guest starred on a few episodes of Basehart's ABC series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He also had a supporting role on another Irwin Allen production, The Return of Captain Nemo in 1978.
In his later years, Stevens' appearances were infrequent. He guest starred on ER in March 2006 and had two roles in 2007.[4]
Death
Stevens died on March 27, 2012, from complications of lung disease in his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. He was survived by his three children.[5]
Selected television credits
| Year | TV Series | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Gunsmoke | Rackmil | "Kitty Lost" |
| 1959 | Tales of Wells Fargo | The outlaw Clay Allison | Episode entitled "Clay Allison; Jeanne Cooper appears as "Duchess".[6] |
| 1961 | Have Gun-Will Travel | Mr. Costigan | "Squatter's Rights" |
| 1962 | The Twilight Zone | Nathan 'Nate' Bledsoe | "Dead Man's Shoes" |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Eric Plummer | "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" |
| 1965 | Bonanza | Paul Mandel | "The Ballerina" |
| 1964 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Capt. Dennis Jenks | "The Children's Day Affair" |
| 1966 | The Rat Patrol | Sgt. Frank Griffin | "The Do or Die Raid" |
| 1966 | The Time Tunnel | Dr. Harlow | "One Way To The Moon" |
| 1966 | Combat! | Sgt. Higgin | "The Gun" |
| 1967 | Bonanza | Count Alexis | "The Prince" |
| 1967 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Van Wyck | "Cave of the Dead" |
| 1968 | Star Trek | Rojan | "By Any Other Name" |
| 1968 | Bonanza | Sam Bragan | "The Trackers" |
| 1975 | M*A*S*H | Colonel Chaffey | "The Gun" |
| 1979 | The Rebels | Ambrose Waverly | Television mini-series |
References
- ^ "Warren Stevens, Busy Character Actor, Dies at 92". New York Times. March 30, 2012.
- ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947–1950". A Player's Place: The Story of the Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
Others [selected by Kazan] were Tom Avera, Edward Binns, Dorothy Bird, Rudy Bond, Annette Erlanger, Don Hanmer, Anne Hegira, Peg Hillias, Jennifer Howard, Robin Humphrey, Alicia Krug, Michael Lewin, Pat McClarney, Lenka Peterson, Warren Stevens, Joe Sullivan, and John Sylvester.
- ^ The Broadway League. "Galileo – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". ibdb.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ^ ""ER" Strange Bedfellows (TV Episode 2006)". IMDb. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ^ "Rest in Peace: Warren Stevens". Dread Central. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ^ "Clay Allison, Tales of Wells Fargo, June 15, 1959". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
1980, Episode of the TV Show, "Quincy"; "The Last Rites".
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1919 births
- 2012 deaths
- Actors Studio members
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- People from Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th Century Fox contract players
- American military personnel of World War II
- United States Army personnel
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- 21st-century American male actors
- Male actors from Pennsylvania
- Deaths from lung disease