Richard Deacon (May , â€" August , ) was an American television and
motion picture actor, best known for playing supporting roles in
television shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It To Beaver,
and The Jack Benny Program along with minor roles in films such as
Invasion of the Body Snatchers () and Alfred Hitchcock's The
Birds.Deacon often portrayed pompous, prissy, and/or imperious figures
in film and television. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Program
as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel manager. He
made a brief appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (). He
played a larger role in Invasion of the Body Snatchers () as a
physician in the "book-end" sequences added to the beginning and end
of the film after its original previews.In Billy Wilder's film
adaptation of Charles Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis, Deacon
portrayed the chairman of the Columbia Aircraft Corporation, Charles
A. Levine.His best-known roles are milksop Mel Cooley (producer of The
Alan Brady Show) on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show (â€") and Fred
Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver (â€"), although Deacon played Mr.
Baxter in the Beaver pilot episode "It's a Small World".[citation
needed] He co-starred as Tallulah Bankhead's butler in an episode of
The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour called "The Celebrity Next Door". Deacon
played Roger Buell on the second season of TV's The Mothers-in-Law
(â€"), replacing Roger C. Carmel in the role. He played Principal
"Jazzbo" Conroy in The Danny Thomas Show (). He also appeared in the
Perry Mason episode The Case of the Red Riding Boots as Wilmer
Beaslee.
motion picture actor, best known for playing supporting roles in
television shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It To Beaver,
and The Jack Benny Program along with minor roles in films such as
Invasion of the Body Snatchers () and Alfred Hitchcock's The
Birds.Deacon often portrayed pompous, prissy, and/or imperious figures
in film and television. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Program
as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel manager. He
made a brief appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (). He
played a larger role in Invasion of the Body Snatchers () as a
physician in the "book-end" sequences added to the beginning and end
of the film after its original previews.In Billy Wilder's film
adaptation of Charles Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis, Deacon
portrayed the chairman of the Columbia Aircraft Corporation, Charles
A. Levine.His best-known roles are milksop Mel Cooley (producer of The
Alan Brady Show) on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show (â€") and Fred
Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver (â€"), although Deacon played Mr.
Baxter in the Beaver pilot episode "It's a Small World".[citation
needed] He co-starred as Tallulah Bankhead's butler in an episode of
The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour called "The Celebrity Next Door". Deacon
played Roger Buell on the second season of TV's The Mothers-in-Law
(â€"), replacing Roger C. Carmel in the role. He played Principal
"Jazzbo" Conroy in The Danny Thomas Show (). He also appeared in the
Perry Mason episode The Case of the Red Riding Boots as Wilmer
Beaslee.
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