Actor. In a career of close to 50 years, he appeared in a large number of television episodes and Hollywood movies, often as either a villain, soldier, or policeman. Raised originally in suburban New York, he made his silver screen debut in "The Family Ford" (1930); begining in the 1940s, he was kept busy in Hollywood, mostly for Columbia and Republic, attracting notice as a detective in the 1949 "White Heat", with James Cagney. Among his other films were "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), the 1957 "Hellcats of the Navy", with Ronald Reagan, and 1971's "Escape From the Planet of the Apes". From the 1950s on, Lauter amassed numerous television credits, with his only starring role being that of 'Clay Morgan' in "Tales of the Texas Rangers", which ran from 1955 until 1958; his other appearances, often in reoccuring parts, included "Dragnet", "Maverick", "Gunsmoke", "The Gene Autry Show", "Cheyenne", "Bonanza", "Rawhide", "Laramie", and "State Trooper", as well as such lighter fare as "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" and "My Little Margie". Lauter retired from show business following his turn as Marshal Charlie Benton in the 1979 "How the West Was Won". His final years were spent painting and running a California art gallery.
Actor. In a career of close to 50 years, he appeared in a large number of television episodes and Hollywood movies, often as either a villain, soldier, or policeman. Raised originally in suburban New York, he made his silver screen debut in "The Family Ford" (1930); begining in the 1940s, he was kept busy in Hollywood, mostly for Columbia and Republic, attracting notice as a detective in the 1949 "White Heat", with James Cagney. Among his other films were "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), the 1957 "Hellcats of the Navy", with Ronald Reagan, and 1971's "Escape From the Planet of the Apes". From the 1950s on, Lauter amassed numerous television credits, with his only starring role being that of 'Clay Morgan' in "Tales of the Texas Rangers", which ran from 1955 until 1958; his other appearances, often in reoccuring parts, included "Dragnet", "Maverick", "Gunsmoke", "The Gene Autry Show", "Cheyenne", "Bonanza", "Rawhide", "Laramie", and "State Trooper", as well as such lighter fare as "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" and "My Little Margie". Lauter retired from show business following his turn as Marshal Charlie Benton in the 1979 "How the West Was Won". His final years were spent painting and running a California art gallery.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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