Who Plays Bob Hart Raise the Sheriff and Gunsmoke a Family of Killers

Birth Place

Louisville, Kentucky

Built-in

September 27, 1920

Died

February 11, 1994

Crusade of Death

Heart Attack

With his imposing physical presence and sonorous baritone vocalization, role player-manager-producer William Conrad enjoyed a vibrant career on and off screens across several mediums, spanning more than five decades. Although he made early on onscreen appearances in noirs like "The Killers" (1946), Conrad achieved early on fame as the voice of Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running radio prove "Gunsmoke" ...

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Notes

We accept found three unlike starting dates for the CBS Radio "Gunsmoke" series: 1954 (from "Radio's Golden Years" by Vincent Terrace); 1952 (from "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network Boob tube Shows" by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh); and 1949 (from Marquis' "Who's Who in Entertainment"). We have called the latter as information technology seems to jibe all-time with his other credits.

Biography

With his imposing physical presence and sonorous baritone voice, player-director-producer William Conrad enjoyed a vibrant career on and off screens across several mediums, spanning more than five decades. Although he made early onscreen appearances in noirs like "The Killers" (1946), Conrad achieved early fame equally the voice of Align Matt Dillon on the long-running radio show "Gunsmoke" (CBS Radio, 1949-1960), helping to define the role after portrayed by James Arness for 20 years on telly. His resonant voice made Conrad a favorite for narration piece of work in efforts as diverse equally the enduring cartoon classic "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (ABC/NBC, 1959-1964) and the wartime docudrama "The Battle of the Bulge" (1965). A deal with Warner Bros. also allowed Conrad to produce and direct B-movie potboilers like "Begin" (1965), likewise as executive produce managing director Robert Altman's characteristic debut, "Inaugural" (1968). It was, however, a pair of late-career roles for which the portly performer would be virtually fondly remembered. First equally the hard-nosed private eye "Cannon" (CBS, 1971-75) and so every bit the larger half of the investigative squad of "Jake and the Fatman" (CBS, 1987-88; 1989-1992), Conrad at last achieved the fame denied him after losing out to Arness all those years before. One of the hardest working professionals in the entertainment business for decades, Conrad more than than made his mark in Hollywood by the time of his 1994 passing.

Born John William Cann, Jr. on Sept. 27, 1920 in Louisville, KY, he was the son of a local theater possessor. William was nevertheless quite young when the family moved to California, where he quickly grew enamored with literature and drama while attending school. After graduation, Conrad enrolled at nearby Fullerton College and began his early on career with work on Los Angeles radio station KMPC as a writer-director-announcer in the belatedly 1930s. In 1943, at the pinnacle of World State of war II, he enlisted with the Usa Regular army Air Corps, merely not before marrying his sweetheart, June Nelson. Serving as a fighter pilot, Conrad eventually rose to the rank of captain and also performed duties as a producer-managing director with the Armed forces Radio Service. Upon his return to noncombatant life, he returned to radio and, thanks to his deep, resonant baritone voice, quickly became 1 of the medium's busiest actors. Conrad appeared on the hugely popular mystery-thriller series "Suspense" (CBS Radio, 1942-1962) and was one of the more regularly featured players on the similarly themed adventure program "Escape" (CBS Radio, 1947-1952). And then ubiquitous a presence was the actor, that a fear of overexposure on the part of the producers most prevented Conrad from landing his showtime iconic part – that of Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running Western "Gunsmoke" (CBS Radio, 1949-1960). Regardless of their concerns, the actor'south audition for the function was stiff enough to win him the part and his authoritative, stoic characterization set the tone for a show considered ane of the best of its kind in whatsoever format.

Unfortunately, Conrad's considerable girth and balding pate did not lend themselves to what the producers visualized for the graphic symbol of Marshall Dillon when "Gunsmoke" made the transition to tv set in 1955. Although that coveted role may have gone to James Arness, Conrad had all the same already made substantial gains as an onscreen player in both moving picture and boob tube past that time. Every bit an actor he made his first notable appearance as i of the titular gunmen sent to take out Burt Lancaster in the archetype film noir "The Killers" (1946). Conrad's subsequent credits spanned various genres, although he tended to gravitate toward shady character roles in crime dramas like "Body and Soul" (1947), "Distressing, Wrong Number" (1948) and "Cry Danger" (1951). He appeared contrary Charlton Heston – who played the lead role originated by Conrad in a radio serial version of the tale – in the man-vs.-nature hazard "Naked Jungle" (1954). A few years afterwards, he graduated to co-starring condition alongside Anthony Quinn in the Western "The Ride Back" (1957), a feature which too marked Conrad's debut as a film producer.

The ambitious Conrad soon embarked upon a robust directing career on such popular idiot box programs as the Western "The Rifleman" (ABC, 1958-1963) and the offense drama "Naked Metropolis" (ABC, 1958-1963). Over the decade or more that followed, he would helm dozens of episodes for various networks. Not surprisingly, Conrad's commanding vocal abilities also led to a profitable sideline as a narrator and announcer. For v years Conrad lent colorful commentary to the cartoon adventures of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (ABC/NBC, 1959-1964) and introduced many of producer Quinn Martin's television productions, almost notably "The Fugitive" (CBS, 1963-67). Every bit a producer-director nether contract with Warner Bros. for 15 years, Conrad competently churned out a number of low-to-medium upkeep genre programmers similar the Western "The Human being from Galveston" (1964). Over the course of a unmarried twelvemonth, the indefatigable filmmaker produced and directed a trio of thrillers – "Brainstorm" (1965), "My Blood Runs Common cold" (1965) and "Ii on a Guillotine" (1965). Other behind the scenes duties included narrating the big-upkeep, star-studded World War II docudrama "The Battle of the Burl" (1965) and executive producing the realistic sci-fi drama "Countdown" (1968), the feature film debut of managing director Robert Altman.

Of all of Conrad's many onscreen roles, however, he was all-time remembered every bit the star of 2 pop offense-dramas, beginning with "Cannon" (CBS, 1971-75). Every bit onetime police detective-turned-private investigator, Conrad'due south Cannon solved crimes in sunny Fifty.A. while indulging his gustation for good food and fine automobiles. When the occasion called for it, tough guy Cannon could have a chirapsia or dish ane out, sometimes delivering a accident to the bad guy with his substantial belly. Far less taxing were the multiple voice roles Conrad continued to pick upward throughout the decade. During this time he narrated the nature program "Wild Wild Earth of Animals" (syndicated, 1973-78), introduced the first season of the sci-fi adventure "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (NBC, 1979-1981), and voiced Denethor, the ruler of Gondor, in the Rankin-Bass animated adaption of Tolkien'south "Return of the King" (ABC, 1980). Equally steady as his professional life remained, Conrad's personal life underwent a series of changes most the end of the decade when, after thirty years of union, he lost his wife June in 1977. Although he quickly remarried to erstwhile mode model Susan Randall, that marriage ended within a few brusk years when she too passed away. Conrad returned to the chantry one last time to wednesday Tipton "Tippy" Stringer – the widow of famed NBC newscaster Chet Huntley – in 1980.

Looking to return to regular series work, Conrad starred as the wealthy, eccentric crime solver "Nero Wolfe" (NBC, 1981) for a short-lived detective testify based on the characters created past prolific criminal offence novelist King Stout. And while that endeavor failed to accept hold with audiences, the thespian remained busy with supporting piece of work and invitee turns until his next successful testify presented itself. That project came to Conrad in the form of "Jake and the Fatman" (CBS, 1987-88; 1989-1992), as the eponymous portly district attorney who loved his pet bulldog almost equally much as he seemed to enjoy bickering with his freewheeling, younger acquaintance (Joe Penny). By the fourth dimension "Jake and the Fatman" concluded its five-year run, Conrad had effectively retired, the exception beingness his narration of the opening and closing sequences of the much-maligned Bruce Willis comedic take a chance, "Hudson Hawk" (1991). A few years subsequently, Conrad died of heart failure in Los Angles in February 1994 at the age of 73. On a historical side note, at some point in the 1960s, Jack Warner gifted Conrad with ane of the 2 original Maltese Falcons used in the iconic 1941 film as a token of appreciation for his years of piece of work at Warner Bros. The leaden statuette sat on Conrad's part shelf until after his death, when his widow auctioned it off at Christie's, where it reportedly sold for nearly $400,000 in 1994. A long overdue honor was finally bestowed upon the late thespian when he was posthumously elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.

By Bryce Coleman

Life Events

1946

Feature interim debut, "The Killers"

1950

Tv set debut, narrated the CBS-TV version of the album radio series, "Escape"

1957

Feature producing debut, "The Ride Back", a Western

1964

Characteristic directing debut, "The Human being From Galveston", a Western

1965

Last directing credit, "Two on a Guillotine", a Gothic melodrama (also produced)

1966

Characteristic executive producing debut, "An American Dream", based on a Norman Mailer novel

1968

Final producing credit, executive produced "Countdown", the first studio-backed fiction film directed past Robert Altman

1977

Hosted and narrated "Tales of the Unexpected", a QM-produced suspense anthology

1980

Recreated his about celebrated role for "The Return of Frank Cannon", a CBS Television set-picture show

1981

Starred as Rex Stout's literary detective "Nero Wolfe" on an NBC detective series

1986

Played the recurring role of Art Patterson on "Hotel"

1986

Played the recurring function of District Attorney Brackett on "Matlock"

1991

Terminal feature credit, narrator of "Hudson Militarist"

1991

Final TV voice credit, provided the narration for "Of Moose and Men: The Rocky and Bullwinkle Story", a PBS special

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

We have establish iii dissimilar starting dates for the CBS Radio "Gunsmoke" serial: 1954 (from "Radio's Aureate Years" by Vincent Terrace); 1952 (from "The Complete Directory to Prime number Time Network Television Shows" past Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh); and 1949 (from Marquis' "Who's Who in Entertainment"). We have chosen the latter as it seems to jibe best with his other credits.

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Source: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/38072%7C155372/William-Conrad/

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