William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 â€" May 8, 2016) was an
American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows
and movies over a career that spanned almost 60 years.William
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. In 1946, he helped found the Circle Theatre with
Sydney Chaplin and several fellow students. In 1948, Schallert was
directed by Sydney's father, Charlie Chaplin, in a staging of W.
Somerset Maugham's Rain. In 1949, Schallert served as the reciter in a
concert performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon in
celebration of the composer's 75th birthday.Schallert appeared in
supporting roles on numerous television programs starting in the early
1950s, including four episodes (and three different characters) in
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre between 1958 and 1961. He was in three
episodes of The Rifleman and four episodes of Gunsmoke : season 3,
episode 16 "Twelfth Night" in 1957, season 4, episode 16 "Gypsum Hills
Feud" in 1958, and as Col. Grant in season 7, episode 27 "Wagon Girls"
in 1962, and banker Ezra Thorpe in "The Money Store" season 14,
episode 14. Schallert portrayed farmer Sam Becker in a 1961 episode of
The Andy Griffith Show, whose newborn son is delivered by Andy. He
appeared in The Partridge Family as a very humble folk-singing guitar
player in "Stage Fright" in 1971. He appeared three times as Major
Karl Richmond on NBC's Steve Canyon, starring Dean Fredericks in the
title role.
American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows
and movies over a career that spanned almost 60 years.William
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. In 1946, he helped found the Circle Theatre with
Sydney Chaplin and several fellow students. In 1948, Schallert was
directed by Sydney's father, Charlie Chaplin, in a staging of W.
Somerset Maugham's Rain. In 1949, Schallert served as the reciter in a
concert performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon in
celebration of the composer's 75th birthday.Schallert appeared in
supporting roles on numerous television programs starting in the early
1950s, including four episodes (and three different characters) in
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre between 1958 and 1961. He was in three
episodes of The Rifleman and four episodes of Gunsmoke : season 3,
episode 16 "Twelfth Night" in 1957, season 4, episode 16 "Gypsum Hills
Feud" in 1958, and as Col. Grant in season 7, episode 27 "Wagon Girls"
in 1962, and banker Ezra Thorpe in "The Money Store" season 14,
episode 14. Schallert portrayed farmer Sam Becker in a 1961 episode of
The Andy Griffith Show, whose newborn son is delivered by Andy. He
appeared in The Partridge Family as a very humble folk-singing guitar
player in "Stage Fright" in 1971. He appeared three times as Major
Karl Richmond on NBC's Steve Canyon, starring Dean Fredericks in the
title role.
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