Fred Clark
Clark in 1950
Born
Frederick Leonard Clark

(1914-03-19)March 19, 1914
Lincoln, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 1968(1968-12-05) (aged 54)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1952; div. 1962)​
  • Gloria Glaser
    ​
    (m. 1966)​

Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor, often cast in authoritative roles.

Early years

Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become a doctor, but participation in a college production of Yellow Jack diverted his attention to acting. He changed his major to drama and later received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While there, he was elected his class's most promising actor.[1]

Career

Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included nearly seventy films and numerous television appearances. As a supporting player, with his gruff voice, intimidating build, bald head and small moustache beneath an often scowling visage, he was often cast as a testy film producer, crime boss, landlord, employer, doctor, or general. In 1942 during World War II Clark joined the United States Navy and served as an aviator. He later transferred to the United States Army and served with the Third Army in Europe until the end of the war.

Clark with Gene Kelly in the Going My Way television episode, "A Matter of Principle" (1962)

Among his films were Ride the Pink Horse (1947), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Flamingo Road (1949), White Heat (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Auntie Mame (1958), and Visit to a Small Planet (1960).

Although he continued making films during the 1960s (most notably a large role in Hammer Film Productions' The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb in 1964 and John Goldfarb, Please Come Home in 1965) he was more often seen on television, as a regular on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as neighbor Harry Morton (until 1953) and guest roles on The Twilight Zone, The Beverly Hillbillies, Going My Way, The Addams Family, and I Dream of Jeannie. In 1962, he and Bea Benaderet, another Burns and Allen veteran, played Mr. and Mrs. Springer in the episode "Continental Dinner," the series finale of the CBS sitcom Pete and Gladys, starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams. Clark had a regular but short-lived role in the 1966 ABC sitcom The Double Life of Henry Phyfe as the "Central Intelligence Service" boss of a hapless conscripted spy played by comedian Red Buttons.

Clark's Broadway credits included Absence of a Cello (1964), Viva Madison Avenue! (1960), Romanoff and Juliet (1957), Ringside Seat (1938), What a Life (1938), and Schoolhouse on the Lot (1938).[2]

Personal life

Clark was married to actress Benay Venuta from 1952–1962, then model Gloria Glaser from 1966 until his death from liver disease in Santa Monica, California.[3]

Clark has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television, at 1711 Vine Street.[4]

Complete filmography

References

  1. ↑ McManus, Margaret (July 17, 1966). "Fred Clark Desperately Desired Being Fired But Somehow It Never Happened". The Kansas City Star. p. 97. Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Fred Clark". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Fred Clark, 54, Versatile Actor On Television and in Films, Dies; Became Typed as Indignant, Exasperated Character --- on Burns and Allen". The New York Times. December 7, 1968. p. 47.
  4. ↑ "Fred Clark Profile". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
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