Kenneth E. Lynch (July 15, 1910 â€" February 13, 1990) was an American
radio, film, and television actor with more than 180 credits to his
name. He was generally known for portraying law enforcement officers
and detectives. He may have been best known for his starring role as
"the Lieutenant" on Dumont detective series The Plainclothesman
(49â€"1954), on which his face was never seen, and for his co-starring
role as Sergeant Grover on McCloud.Lynch made his acting debut in 1940
on The Bishop and the Gargoyle radio series. He played the Gargoyle,
replacing Milton Herman. From 1942 to 1946, he provided the voice of
"Tank", the mechanic, who aides the title character in Hop Harrigan.
In 1950, he starred in One Thousand Dollars Reward, a rare crime
drama, where after the crime play had ended, the host would place a
telephone call to a random listener, who would then try to solve the
mystery. Lynch also appeared on the radio shows The Falcon, 21st
Precinct, and Gunsmoke. Later, in 1952, he played both Christopher
Gard and Steve Lacey in Cafe Istanbul on CBS radio.From 1949 to 1954,
Lynch starred in The Plainclothesman on the DuMont Television Network.
He appeared in numerous television series. He made three guest
appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Wallace Lang in "The
Case of the Stuttering Bishop" in 1959, Robert Hayden in "The Case of
the Irate Inventor" in 1960 and Customs Inspector Wendel in "The Case
of the Floating Stones" in 1963. Some of the other series in which
Lynch appeared are Peter Gunn, Zorro, Have Gun - Will Travel ("Love of
a bad woman"), Checkmate ("Cyanide Touch"), woman"), Checkmate ("Born
To Hang"), The Asphalt Jungle, Straightaway, The Honeymooners, The
Fugitive, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Blue Light,
Adam-12, Star Trek ("The Devil in the Dark"), Maverick, All In The
Family (in the famous episode, "Archie and the Lockup", where he
played Guard Callaghan), The Twilight Zone ("Mr. Denton on Doomsday"),
The Rifleman, and The Wild Wild West. In 1960 Lynch appeared as Al
Killmer in the TV western series Lawman in the episode titled "The
Escape of Joe Killmer." Between 1972 and 1977, he made 16 guest
appearances on McCloud, performing as a police sergeant and later a
detective named Grover on the series. He previously appeared in 12
episodes of Gunsmoke, 10 episodes of The F.B.I., nine episodes of
Bonanza, and six episodes in both The Virginian and Gomer Pyle, USMC.
Among the feature films in which he appeared are I Married a Monster
from Outer Space, North By Northwest, The Lawbreakers, Pork Chop Hill,
Anatomy of a Murder and Tora! Tora! Tora!. Lynch's last credited
performance was in the role of Rear Admiral Talbot Gray in the 1983
seven-part miniseries The Winds of War.Even though Lynch still had a
very successful career as an actor by the 1970s, he began looking for
another, more steady source of income. He explained in a 1975
newspaper interview: "In acting you just can't predict the jobs that
will come along. If you could, you could budget." With such income
uncertainty in mind as he grew older, Lynch bought a flower shop in
North Hollywood a "few years" before the noted interview. He began
studying floriculture, taking courses in the art of floral arranging
and design, and then providing flowers for local weddings, receptions,
and other events. According to Lynch, his many years of experience
performing on decorated sets for movies and television series proved
to be a benefit to him in his new business. "Actually," he observed,
"servicing a wedding is like ordering flowers for a studio set".
radio, film, and television actor with more than 180 credits to his
name. He was generally known for portraying law enforcement officers
and detectives. He may have been best known for his starring role as
"the Lieutenant" on Dumont detective series The Plainclothesman
(49â€"1954), on which his face was never seen, and for his co-starring
role as Sergeant Grover on McCloud.Lynch made his acting debut in 1940
on The Bishop and the Gargoyle radio series. He played the Gargoyle,
replacing Milton Herman. From 1942 to 1946, he provided the voice of
"Tank", the mechanic, who aides the title character in Hop Harrigan.
In 1950, he starred in One Thousand Dollars Reward, a rare crime
drama, where after the crime play had ended, the host would place a
telephone call to a random listener, who would then try to solve the
mystery. Lynch also appeared on the radio shows The Falcon, 21st
Precinct, and Gunsmoke. Later, in 1952, he played both Christopher
Gard and Steve Lacey in Cafe Istanbul on CBS radio.From 1949 to 1954,
Lynch starred in The Plainclothesman on the DuMont Television Network.
He appeared in numerous television series. He made three guest
appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Wallace Lang in "The
Case of the Stuttering Bishop" in 1959, Robert Hayden in "The Case of
the Irate Inventor" in 1960 and Customs Inspector Wendel in "The Case
of the Floating Stones" in 1963. Some of the other series in which
Lynch appeared are Peter Gunn, Zorro, Have Gun - Will Travel ("Love of
a bad woman"), Checkmate ("Cyanide Touch"), woman"), Checkmate ("Born
To Hang"), The Asphalt Jungle, Straightaway, The Honeymooners, The
Fugitive, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Blue Light,
Adam-12, Star Trek ("The Devil in the Dark"), Maverick, All In The
Family (in the famous episode, "Archie and the Lockup", where he
played Guard Callaghan), The Twilight Zone ("Mr. Denton on Doomsday"),
The Rifleman, and The Wild Wild West. In 1960 Lynch appeared as Al
Killmer in the TV western series Lawman in the episode titled "The
Escape of Joe Killmer." Between 1972 and 1977, he made 16 guest
appearances on McCloud, performing as a police sergeant and later a
detective named Grover on the series. He previously appeared in 12
episodes of Gunsmoke, 10 episodes of The F.B.I., nine episodes of
Bonanza, and six episodes in both The Virginian and Gomer Pyle, USMC.
Among the feature films in which he appeared are I Married a Monster
from Outer Space, North By Northwest, The Lawbreakers, Pork Chop Hill,
Anatomy of a Murder and Tora! Tora! Tora!. Lynch's last credited
performance was in the role of Rear Admiral Talbot Gray in the 1983
seven-part miniseries The Winds of War.Even though Lynch still had a
very successful career as an actor by the 1970s, he began looking for
another, more steady source of income. He explained in a 1975
newspaper interview: "In acting you just can't predict the jobs that
will come along. If you could, you could budget." With such income
uncertainty in mind as he grew older, Lynch bought a flower shop in
North Hollywood a "few years" before the noted interview. He began
studying floriculture, taking courses in the art of floral arranging
and design, and then providing flowers for local weddings, receptions,
and other events. According to Lynch, his many years of experience
performing on decorated sets for movies and television series proved
to be a benefit to him in his new business. "Actually," he observed,
"servicing a wedding is like ordering flowers for a studio set".
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