Actor. For over fifty years, he had a prestigious career as a versatile character performer in films and television. At age 14 he began in vaudeville companies on Broadway and made his big screen debut in “Her Urban Child” (1930). Cast as villains and gangsters, his role as "Wilmer" in the "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), made him a main stay in Hollywood. A veteran of over 100 feature films his credits included “Born to Kill“ (1947), “Shane” (1953), “The Indian Fighter” (1955), “Day of the Outlaw” (1959), “Emperor of the North” (1973), “Tom Horn” (1980) and “Harry’s War” (1981). For television he was best remembered for his role as 'Ice Pick' on the “Magnum, P.I.” series. He also appeared on “Gunsmoke”, “Perry Mason”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Star Trek”, “The Odd Couple” and many more. In his later years he lived far from Hollywood in the high desert near Bishop, California and would only perform when someone took the trouble to track him down.
Actor. For over fifty years, he had a prestigious career as a versatile character performer in films and television. At age 14 he began in vaudeville companies on Broadway and made his big screen debut in “Her Urban Child” (1930). Cast as villains and gangsters, his role as "Wilmer" in the "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), made him a main stay in Hollywood. A veteran of over 100 feature films his credits included “Born to Kill“ (1947), “Shane” (1953), “The Indian Fighter” (1955), “Day of the Outlaw” (1959), “Emperor of the North” (1973), “Tom Horn” (1980) and “Harry’s War” (1981). For television he was best remembered for his role as 'Ice Pick' on the “Magnum, P.I.” series. He also appeared on “Gunsmoke”, “Perry Mason”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Star Trek”, “The Odd Couple” and many more. In his later years he lived far from Hollywood in the high desert near Bishop, California and would only perform when someone took the trouble to track him down.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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