Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 â€" January 17, 2008) was an
American character actor, voice actor and impressionist, who was cast
in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s,
often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of those
roles and series include portraying various characters on The Andy
Griffith Show, as real estate salesman Pete Dudley in My Favorite
Martian, as Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show, Sergeant Hacker
on Gomer Pyle, USMC, Alice's boyfriend Sam the Butcher on The Brady
Bunch, and as Archie Bunker's friend Barney Hefner on both All in the
Family and Archie Bunker’s Place.Melvin was born in Kansas City,
Missouri, to Marie and Richard Melvin but lived part of his childhood
in New York City with his paternal grandparents, Helen (née Campbell)
and Frank Melvin. Allan attended Columbia University, and after his
graduation he served in the United States Navy during World War II. In
1944, he married Amalia Faustina Sestero in New York City.While
working at a job in the sound effects department of NBC Radio, he did
a nightclub act and appeared and won on the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent
Scouts radio show. While appearing on Broadway in Stalag 17, he got
his break into television by getting the role of Corporal Steve
Henshaw on the popular The Phil Silvers Show program. U.S. Television
fans of this era usually best remember his role as Henshaw, Sgt.
Bilko’s right-hand man on that show. “He was proudest of that
show,†Amalia Melvin said. “I think the camaraderie of all those
guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They were so
relaxed.†During this period, in addition to his role on The Phil
Silvers Show, Melvin was often cast in slightly loud, occasionally
abrasive, but generally friendly second banana roles. Melvin was also
adept at “tough guy†roles; in an example of his range as an
actor, one episode of The Phil Silvers Show featured Melvin doing a
recognizable impersonation of Humphrey Bogart.
American character actor, voice actor and impressionist, who was cast
in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s,
often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of those
roles and series include portraying various characters on The Andy
Griffith Show, as real estate salesman Pete Dudley in My Favorite
Martian, as Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show, Sergeant Hacker
on Gomer Pyle, USMC, Alice's boyfriend Sam the Butcher on The Brady
Bunch, and as Archie Bunker's friend Barney Hefner on both All in the
Family and Archie Bunker’s Place.Melvin was born in Kansas City,
Missouri, to Marie and Richard Melvin but lived part of his childhood
in New York City with his paternal grandparents, Helen (née Campbell)
and Frank Melvin. Allan attended Columbia University, and after his
graduation he served in the United States Navy during World War II. In
1944, he married Amalia Faustina Sestero in New York City.While
working at a job in the sound effects department of NBC Radio, he did
a nightclub act and appeared and won on the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent
Scouts radio show. While appearing on Broadway in Stalag 17, he got
his break into television by getting the role of Corporal Steve
Henshaw on the popular The Phil Silvers Show program. U.S. Television
fans of this era usually best remember his role as Henshaw, Sgt.
Bilko’s right-hand man on that show. “He was proudest of that
show,†Amalia Melvin said. “I think the camaraderie of all those
guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They were so
relaxed.†During this period, in addition to his role on The Phil
Silvers Show, Melvin was often cast in slightly loud, occasionally
abrasive, but generally friendly second banana roles. Melvin was also
adept at “tough guy†roles; in an example of his range as an
actor, one episode of The Phil Silvers Show featured Melvin doing a
recognizable impersonation of Humphrey Bogart.
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