William Schallert
Born: 1922-07-06 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died: 2016-05-08
Known For: Acting
Biography
William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957–1959), Death Valley Days (1955–1962), and The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966). Schallert was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edwin Francis Schallert, a longtime drama critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Elza Emily Schallert (née Baumgarten), a magazine writer and radio host. He began acting while a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) but left to become an Army Air Corps fighter pilot in World War II. He returned to UCLA after the war and graduated in 1946. After graduating from UCLA, Schallert began his acting career in the theater. He appeared in several productions at the Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, including a staging of W. Somerset Maugham's Rain in 1948, which was directed by Charlie Chaplin. Schallert made his television debut in 1951, and he quickly became a familiar face on the small screen. He appeared in numerous guest roles on shows such as The Adventures of Superman, The Twilight Zone, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also had recurring roles on The Patty Duke Show, The Nancy Drew Mysteries, and The Torkelsons. In addition to his work on television, Schallert also appeared in several films, including The Bridges of Toko-Ri (1954), The Apartment (1960), and The Sting (1973). Schallert died in Pacific Palisades, California, in 2016, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Leah Waggner, and their four children.
Filmography
2011
- Bag of Bones as Max Devore
2010
- The Deep End as Hal Douglas
2009
- Green Lantern: First Flight as Appa Ali Apsa (voice)
2008
- True Blood as Maire Norris
- Recount as Justice John Paul Stevens
2007
- Sweetzer as Barnaby
2005
- How I Met Your Mother as Brady
- Medium as J. Donald Kessinger
- My Name Is Earl as Dr. Rudin
- The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as David
- Close to Home as Harold Jensen
2004
- Desperate Housewives as Ken
- Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen as Self
2002
- What's New, Scooby-Doo? as Professor Pomfrit (voice)
2001
2000
1999
- Family Law as Manager
- Harvey as Judge Gaffney
- The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights as Martin Lane
1997
- The Angry Beavers
- The Second Civil War as Secretary of Defense
- To Dance with Olivia as Judge Shelton
1996
- Pacific Blue as Walter
- A Century of Science Fiction as Self
- Harvey as Judge Gaffney
1994
- ER as Mitchell Jennings
- Rebel Highway as Judge Patrick Eugene Boone
- The Good Life as Judge Milligan
- Shake, Rattle and Rock! as Judge Boone
1993
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Varani
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as Al
- Beethoven's 2nd as Steve - M.C. at Pet & Owner Burger Binge (uncredited)
- Matinee as Dr. Grabow (uncredited)
- Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's as Judge
1992
- Melrose Place as Dr. Curtis
- Fish Police as Additional Voices (voice)
1991
- Dinosaurs as Wesayso Scientist (voice)
- The Torkelsons as Wesley "Boarder" Hodges
- House Party 2 as Dean Kramer
- Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story as Landrum Bolling
- Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Sheriff
1990
- Dream On as Judith's Father
- The Incident as Wallace
1989
- Coach as Bert Wilkins
- Quantum Leap as Judge Eugene Haller
- Cross of Fire as Reverend
1988
- Murphy Brown as Ken Hamilton
- War and Remembrance as Harry Hopkins
- Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis as Mr. Pomfritt
1987
- Innerspace as Dr. Greenbush
- A Year in the Life as Larry
- The Smurfs: 'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy as Willem (voice)
1986
- Matlock as Judge Elliot Franklin
- The New Gidget as Russ Lawrence
- Under the Influence as Cade
- Houston: The Legend of Texas as Narrator (voice)
1985
- The Twilight Zone as (segment "Shadow Play")
- North and South as Gen. Robert E. Lee
- Gidget's Summer Reunion as Russ Lawrence
1984
- Highway to Heaven
- Gremlins as Father Bartlett (uncredited)
- The Duck Factory as Skip's Father
- Teachers as Horn
- Amazons as Congressman Stanford Barstow
1983
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Twilight Zone: The Movie as Father
- Through Naked Eyes as Terry Parrish
- Grace Kelly as Father Tucker
1982
- St. Elsewhere as Olan Standley
- Hotel
- Matt Houston
1981
1980
- Magnum, P.I. as Bob
- Hangar 18 as Professor Mills
1979
- The Jerk as Judge M.A. Loring
- Ike as Gen. Mark Clark
- Blind Ambition as Herbert Kalmbach
- Ike as Gen. Mark Clark
- Legends of the Superheroes as Retired Man/Scarlet Cyclone
- Doomsday Chronicles as Host
- Legends of the Super Heroes as Retired Man
1978
- Grandpa Goes to Washington
- Little Women as Jonathan March
- Confessions of the D.A. Man
- The Stableboy's Christmas as The Innkeeper
1977
- Lou Grant as Larry Hill
- The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries as Carson Drew
- CHiPs as Rev. Warmer
- Tail Gunner Joe as Gen. Zwicker
1976
- The Bionic Woman
- All's Fair
- The Nancy Walker Show as Teddy Futterman
- Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway as Harry
- Tunnel Vision as Francis X. Cody
1975
- Switch as Wayne Buford
- Ellery Queen
- The Strongest Man in the World as Prof. Quigley
- Promise Him Anything as Silver
1974
- Little House on the Prairie as Snell
- The Six Million Dollar Man as Lorin Sandusky
- The Manhunter
- Death Sentence as Tanner
- Remember When as Dick Hodges
1973
- Barnaby Jones as Mr. Freels
- Police Story
- Charley Varrick as Bill Horton
- Partners in Crime as Oscar
- Hijack! as Frank Kleiner
1972
- The Waltons
- Banacek as Leo Osburn
- Delphi Bureau as Maury Stapleton
- The Trial of the Catonsville Nine as Judge
- Kung Fu as Willis Roper
- Man on a String as William Connaught
1971
- Funny Face
- The Man and the City
- Escape as Senator Lewis Harrison
1970
- The Partridge Family as Red Woodloe
- Colossus: The Forbin Project as CIA Director Grauber
1969
- Marcus Welby, M.D. as Brian Cullen
- Room 222
- The Debbie Reynolds Show
- The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes as Professor Quigley
- Sam Whiskey as Mr. Perkins
1968
- Hawaii Five-O as Defense Counsel Herbert
- Land of the Giants as Dr. Arno
- The Mod Squad
- Here Come the Brides
- Speedway as Abel Esterlake
1967
- Ironside
- Judd, for the Defense
- The Guns of Will Sonnett as Lawyer
- In the Heat of the Night as Mayor Schubert
- Will Penny as Dr. Fraker
- Hour of the Gun as Judge Herman Spicer
1966
- Star Trek as Nilz Baris
- Mission: Impossible as Dr. Harrison Selby
- That Girl
- The Rat Patrol as Dr. Schneidermann
- CBS Playhouse as Mr. Meridian
- Pistols 'n' Petticoats
1965
- Get Smart as Admiral Hargrade
- The Wild Wild West as Rufus Kraus
- The F.B.I. as Paul Ganz
1963
- The Patty Duke Show as Martin Lane
- Shotgun Wedding as Preacher Parsons
- Philbert (Three's a Crowd) as Griff M.
1962
- The Lucy Show as Mr. Cresant
- The Virginian as Harry Foley
- Combat! as Maj. Fisher
- Stoney Burke
- Sam Benedict as Neil Carlson
- The Lloyd Bridges Show as The Ballad Singer
- Ensign O'Toole as Douglas Harper
- Lonely are the Brave as Harry
- Paradise Alley as Jack Williams
1961
- The Dick Van Dyke Show as Mr. Kirk
- Dr. Kildare as Inspector
- Hazel as Kemper
- 87th Precinct
- The New Breed as Gilbert Condon
- Gunslinger as Lieutenant Gilmore
- Alcatraz Express
1960
- The Andy Griffith Show as Sam Becker
- Thriller as Prof. John MacFarland ('Friend of the Dead')
- Surfside 6 as Marty Kemp
- Stagecoach West as Aeneas Longbridge
- Coronado 9 as Alfred Bates
- The Gallant Hours
1959
- The Twilight Zone as Policeman
- The Untouchables as Edward Garth
- Rawhide as The Salesman
- One Step Beyond as Doctor Sanders
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
- The Rebel as Charles Ashbaugh
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Lt. Barnes
- Lock-Up
- Johnny Ringo as Mr. Ferris
- Black Saddle as Chet Mallet
- Philip Marlowe
- Wichita Town
- Pillow Talk as Hotel Clerk
- Day of the Outlaw
- The Beat Generation as Father Dinelli
- Blue Denim as George - Bank Vice President (uncredited)
1958
- The Rifleman
- Peter Gunn
- Lawman
- Wanted: Dead or Alive as Hotel Clerk
- Bat Masterson as Dr. Harold Dunsmore
- 77 Sunset Strip
- The Texan
- Sea Hunt
- Steve Canyon as Major Karl Richmond
- Some Came Running as Al (Jewelry Store Clerk) (uncredited)
- Torpedo Run as Captain of the Bluefin
- Cry Terror! as Henderson, Bank Representative
1957
- Perry Mason as Graves
- Wagon Train as Miles Van Vander
- Have Gun, Will Travel
- Maverick
- Leave It to Beaver as Mr. Bloomgarden
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Johnny Prescott (uncredited)
- Sugarfoot as Cole
- The Incredible Shrinking Man as Doctor Arthur Bramson
- The Tarnished Angels as Ted Baker
- The Monolith Monsters as Weatherman
- The Tattered Dress as Court Clerk
- Man in the Shadow as Jim Shaney
- Man on Fire as Charles (uncredited)
- The Girl in the Kremlin as Jacob Stalin
- The Hired Man as Mr. Clay
- Circle of the Day as Reporter
1956
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as Yarbrough
- The Adventures of Jim Bowie
- Friendly Persuasion as Young Husband (uncredited)
- Written on the Wind as Reporter
- The Lone Ranger as Clive - Secretary (uncredited)
- Gunslinger as Marshal Scott Hood
- Raw Edge as Missionary
- Forbidden Area as TV Announcer
- Massacre at Sand Creek as Defense Attorney
1955
- Matinee Theater
- Gunsmoke as Eben Hakes
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Lt. Gunderson
- Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe as Ted Richards
- Smoke Signal as Private Livingston
- Hell's Horizon as Capt. Ben Morgan
- Top of the World as Harding
- Bobby Ware Is Missing as Police Radio Dispatcher (uncredited)
1954
- Lassie
- Climax! as David
- Them! as Ambulance Attendant
- The Whistler
- The High and the Mighty as Dispatcher
- Riot in Cell Block 11 as Reporter
- Black Tuesday as Collins (uncredited)
- Shield for Murder as Asst. Dist. Atty. Andy Tucker
- Down Three Dark Streets as Ben
- Gog as Engle
- Tobor the Great as Johnston - a Reporter
- The Raid as Rebel Soldier (uncredited)
- Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl as Priest (uncredited)
1953
- Letter to Loretta as Roy Smith
- General Electric Theater as Red Myers
- The Jazz Singer as Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)
- Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe as Ted Richards
- Port Sinister as Collins
- Sword of Venus as Valmont
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Airline Clerk
- The Ford Television Theatre as Union Official
- Singin' in the Rain as Messenger on Screen (uncredited)
- Death Valley Days as Ellis Higby
- Mr. & Mrs. North
- Paula as Reporter
- Rose of Cimarron as Gold Bullion Guard
- Flat Top as Ens. Longfellow
- Hoodlum Empire as Inquiry Clerk
- Captive Women as Carver, the Mutate traitor
- Storm Over Tibet as Aylen
1951
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Dr. Janeway
- The Red Badge of Courage as Union Soldier (uncredited)
- Bannerline as Cass
- The People Against O'Hara as Intern with Ambulance (uncredited)
- The Man from Planet X as Dr. Mears
1950
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Pete
- Lux Video Theatre as Sam Carter
- Lonely Heart Bandits as Dave Clark
1949
- Mighty Joe Young as Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
- The Reckless Moment as Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
1947
- Doctor Jim as George Brant