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
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
- The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights as Martin Lane
- Harvey as Judge Gaffney
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
- Shake, Rattle and Rock! as Judge Boone
- Rebel Highway as Judge Boon
- The Good Life as Judge Milligan
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
1991
- Dinosaurs as Wesayso Scientist (voice)
- Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Sheriff
- The Torkelsons as Wesley "Boarder" Hodges
- House Party 2 as Dean Kramer
- Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story as Landrum Bolling
1990
- Dream On as Judith's Father
- The Incident as Wallace
1989
- Quantum Leap as Judge Eugene Haller
- Coach as Bert Wilkins
- 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
- The Smurfs: 'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy as Willem (voice)
- A Year in the Life as Larry
1986
- Matlock
- Under the Influence as Cade
- The New Gidget as Russ Lawrence
1985
- The Twilight Zone as (segment "Shadow Play")
- North and South as Gen. Robert E. Lee
- Gidget's Summer Reunion as Russ Lawrence
1984
- Gremlins as Father Bartlett (uncredited)
- Highway to Heaven
- Teachers as Horn
- Amazons as Congressman Stanford Barstow
1983
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Grace Kelly as Father Tucker
- Twilight Zone: The Movie as Father
- Through Naked Eyes as Terry Parrish
1982
- Hotel
- St. Elsewhere as Olan Standley
- 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
- Legends of the Super Heroes as Retired Man
- Blind Ambition as Herbert Kalmbach
- Ike as Gen. Mark Clark
- Legends of the Superheroes as Retired Man/Scarlet Cyclone
- Doomsday Chronicles as Host
1978
- Grandpa Goes to Washington
- Little Women as Jonathan March
- The Stableboy's Christmas as The Innkeeper
- Confessions of the D.A. Man
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
- Tunnel Vision as Francis X. Cody
- All's Fair
- Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway as Harry
- The Nancy Walker Show as Teddy Futterman
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
- Death Sentence as Tanner
- The Manhunter
- Remember When as Dick Hodges
1973
- Charley Varrick as Bill Horton
- Police Story
- Hijack! as Frank Kleiner
- Partners in Crime as Oscar
1972
- The Waltons
- Banacek as Leo Osburn
- Man on a String as William Connaught
- The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
- Delphi Bureau as Maury Stapleton
- Kung Fu as Willis Roper
1971
- Escape as Senator Lewis Harrison
- The Man and the City
- Funny Face
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
- Sam Whiskey as Mr. Perkins
- The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes as Professor Quigley
- The Debbie Reynolds Show
1968
- Hawaii Five-O as Defense Counsel Herbert
- Land of the Giants as Dr. Arno
- The Mod Squad
- Speedway as Abel Esterlake
- Here Come the Brides
1967
- Ironside
- The Guns of Will Sonnett as Lawyer
- Judd for the Defense
- Hour of the Gun as Judge Herman Spicer
- Will Penny as Dr. Fraker
- In the Heat of the Night as Mayor Schubert
1966
- Star Trek as Nilz Baris
- Mission: Impossible as Dr. Harrison Selby
- That Girl
- The Rat Patrol as Dr. Schneidermann
- CBS Playhouse
- Pistols 'n' Petticoats
1965
- Get Smart
- The Wild Wild West as Rufus Kraus
- The F.B.I. as Paul Ganz
1964
1963
- Shotgun Wedding as Preacher Parsons
- The Patty Duke Show as Martin Lane
- Philbert (Three's a Crowd) as Griff M.
1962
- The Virginian as Harry Foley
- Combat! as Maj. Fisher
- The Lucy Show as Mr. Cresant
- Sam Benedict as Neil Carlson
- Paradise Alley as Jack Williams
- Lonely are the Brave as Harry
- Stoney Burke
- Ensign O'Toole as Douglas Harper
- The Lloyd Bridges Show as The Ballad Singer
1961
- The Dick Van Dyke Show as Mr. Kirk
- Dr. Kildare as Inspector
- Hazel as Kemper
- The New Breed as Gilbert Condon
- 87th Precinct
- Gunslinger as Lieutenant Gilmore
1960
- The Andy Griffith Show as Sam Becker
- Thriller as Prof. John MacFarland ('Friend of the Dead')
- Surfside 6 as Marty Kemp
- The Gallant Hours
- Stagecoach West as Aeneas Longbridge
- Coronado 9
1959
- The Twilight Zone as Policeman
- The Untouchables as Edward Garth
- Rawhide as The Salesman
- The Rebel as Charles Ashbaugh
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
- Blue Denim as George - Bank Vice President (uncredited)
- Pillow Talk as Hotel Clerk
- One Step Beyond as Doctor Sanders
- Lock-Up
- Black Saddle as Chet Mallet
- Johnny Ringo as Mr. Ferris
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Lt. Barnes
- The Beat Generation as Father Dinelli
- Day of the Outlaw
- Wichita Town
- Philip Marlowe
1958
- The Rifleman
- Wanted: Dead or Alive as Hotel Clerk
- Lawman
- Sea Hunt
- The Texan
- 77 Sunset Strip
- Bat Masterson as Dr. Harold Dunsmore
- Peter Gunn
- Torpedo Run as Captain of the Bluefin
- Some Came Running as Al (Jewelry Store Clerk) (uncredited)
- Steve Canyon as Major Karl Richmond
- 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
- Sugarfoot as Cole
- The Incredible Shrinking Man as Doctor Arthur Bramson
- The Monolith Monsters as Weatherman
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Johnny Prescott (uncredited)
- The Tarnished Angels as Ted Baker
- Man in the Shadow as Jim Shaney
- The Tattered Dress as Court Clerk
- The Hired Man as Mr. Clay
- Circle of the Day as Reporter
- The Girl in the Kremlin as Jacob Stalin
- Man on Fire as Charles (uncredited)
1956
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as Yarbrough
- Gunslinger as Marshal Scott Hood
- Written on the Wind as Reporter
- The Adventures of Jim Bowie
- Raw Edge as Missionary
- The Lone Ranger as Clive - Secretary (uncredited)
- Friendly Persuasion as Young Husband (uncredited)
- Massacre at Sand Creek as Defense Attorney
- Forbidden Area as TV Announcer
1955
- Gunsmoke as Eben Hakes
- Matinee Theater
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Lt. Gunderson
- Smoke Signal as Private Livingston
- Top of the World as Harding
- Hell's Horizon as Capt. Ben Morgan
- Bobby Ware Is Missing as Police Radio Dispatcher (uncredited)
- Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe as Ted Richards
1954
- Lassie
- Climax! as David
- The Whistler
- The Raid as Rebel Soldier (uncredited)
- Them! as Ambulance Attendant
- Black Tuesday as Collins (uncredited)
- The High and the Mighty as Dispatcher
- Gog as Engle
- Shield for Murder as Asst. Dist. Atty. Andy Tucker
- Tobor the Great as Johnston - a Reporter
- Riot in Cell Block 11 as Reporter
- Down Three Dark Streets as Ben
- Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl as Priest (uncredited)
1953
- Port Sinister as Collins
- Sword of Venus as Valmont
- The Jazz Singer as Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)
- Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe as Ted Richards
- Letter to Loretta as Roy Smith
- General Electric Theater as Red Myers
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Airline Clerk
- Singin' in the Rain as Messenger on Screen (uncredited)
- The Ford Television Theatre as Union Official
- Captive Women as Carver, the Mutate traitor
- Hoodlum Empire as Inquiry Clerk
- Mr. & Mrs. North
- Paula as Reporter
- Storm Over Tibet as Aylen
- Rose of Cimarron as Gold Bullion Guard
- Flat Top as Ens. Longfellow
- Death Valley Days as Ellis Higby
1951
- The Man from Planet X as Dr. Mears
- The People Against O'Hara as Intern with Ambulance (uncredited)
- The Red Badge of Courage as Union Soldier (uncredited)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Dr. Janeway
- Bannerline as Cass
1950
- Lux Video Theatre as Sam Carter
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Pete
- 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