Karl Swenson
Karl Swenson | |
---|---|
Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Died | October 8, 1978 Torrington, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 70)
Resting place | Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut |
Years active | 1954–1978 |
Spouse(s) | Virginia Hanscom Swenson (1930–1960) Joan Tompkins (?–1978, his death) |
Children | 4 sons |
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.[1][2]
Biography
Early years
Swenson was born in
Stage
Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on
Radio
Swenson appeared on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s in such programs as
Film
Swenson entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime
Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in
(1972).Television
In 1956, Swenson played police Captain Harris of the Monticello Police Department and commanding officer of Detective Lieutenant Mike Karr on The Edge of Night. Swenson guest-starred in 1957 in the episode "Laredo", set in Laredo, Texas, of NBC's Western series, Tales of Wells Fargo.
Also in 1956, he played townsman and gossiper Hank Lutz in the episode “Fingered” on the TV Western Gunsmoke; he later appeared as Raff in the 1959 episode "Kitty’s Injury" and the father of Jena Engstrom in the 1962 episode "Chester's Indian"[citation needed] and as an immigrant barber in the 1966 episode "The Newcomers".
In 1958, Swenson appeared as
In the same year, Swenson was cast as Ansel Torgin, with
Swenson was cast in a 1959 episode of the police drama Lock Up. In the series pilot "The Failure", Swenson is cast as Ed Reed, a man who is accused of arson and murder. The series ran from 1959 to 1961, starring Macdonald Carey. He appeared in 1959 in an episode of The Man from Blackhawk.[citation needed]
In 1960, Swenson appeared in an episode ("Odyssey of Hate") of the CBS adventure/action drama series
In 1961, Swenson appeared with John Lupton in the episode "Doctor to Town" of the Robert Young series Window on Main Street.[citation needed]
In 1962, Swenson made a one-time appearance on CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as Mr. McBeevee, a lineman for the phone company who became Opie's mystery friend. In 1964, he appeared as Colonel Harper on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in season one, episode ten, "A Date for the Colonel's Daughter". He guest-starred in NBC's Laramie Western series and in the science-fiction series Steve Canyon, with Dean Fredericks in the title role. In 1963, he portrayed Nelson in the episode "Beauty Playing a Mandolin Underneath a Willow Tree" episode of the NBC medical drama, The Eleventh Hour. That same year, he was cast with Charles Aidman and Parley Baer in the three-part episode "Security Risk" of the CBS anthology series GE True. In 1962, he took the role of Theodore Roosevelt in the first-season episode "Riff-Raff" of The Virginian.
From 1962 through 1973, Swenson made guest appearances on the TV series Lassie in the episodes "The Nest" (1962), "Crossroad" (1964), "In the Eyes of Lassie" (1965), "The Homeless" (1967), "A Time for Decision" (1967), "Hanford's Point" (1968), and "Other Pastures, Other Fences" (1971), and later became a regular playing Karl Burkholm in seasons 18 and 19.
Swenson made guest appearances on Perry Mason, as defendant Axel Norstaad in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark", an ex-convict in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Bigamous Spouse", and as Unk in the 1965 episode "The Case of the 12th Wildcat".
From 1959 through 1967, Swenson made guest appearances on the TV series Bonanza in the episodes "Death on Sun Mountain" (1959), "Day of Reckoning" (1960), "A Natural Wizard" S7 E13 as veterinarian Dr. Woods (1965), and "Showdown at Tahoe" (1967).
Swenson appeared in the 1967 Hogan's Heroes episode "How to Win Friends and Influence Nazis" as a Swedish scientist, Dr. Karl Svenson, persuaded to join the Allied war effort.
Among his other television series, he is best known for his performance as Lars Hanson in NBC's Little House on the Prairie. He appeared in 40 episodes of the show from 1974 to 1978.
Voice acting
Swenson also worked as a voice actor. He voiced the character of Merlin in Walt Disney's 1963 animated classic, The Sword in the Stone. In 1969, he was cast as the Roman emperor Nero, sent by the Devil to assassinate Santa Claus in a KCET television reading of Norman Corwin's 1938 radio play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.
Personal life
Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins.[9]
Death
Swenson died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978,[9] shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies.[10] The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. Swenson was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut.[citation needed]
As Peter Wayne
For nearly two years, Karl Swenson adopted the name "Peter Wayne" for use as a professional actor.[2] Though he had used his own name when playing the part of Thompson in the Laboratory Theatre’s 1930 production of A Glass of Water, he had thereafter assumed the stage name "Peter Wayne" by the time he played Andre Verron in the Theatre Guild’s production of The Miracle at Verdun, which opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in March 1931. It was during Verdun that Swenson became acquainted with Bretaigne Windust, who was assistant stage manager for that production and one of the founding directors of the University Players, a summer stock company in West Falmouth on Cape Cod. As a principal player with University Players during its summer seasons of 1931 and 1932, and during its 18-week winter season in Baltimore, Maryland, in between, Swenson, as Peter Wayne, acted alongside such other unknowns as Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan, Joshua Logan, James Stewart, Barbara O'Neil, Mildred Natwick, Kent Smith, Myron McCormick, and Charles Arnt. In the summer of 1932, under its new name The Theatre Unit, Inc., University Players mounted an original production entitled Carry Nation. After its October preview in Baltimore, during which "Peter Wayne" was listed as playing the part of the Leader of the Vigilantes, Swenson reverted to his own name for Carry Nation's 30-performance run on Broadway.
Filmography
- Strangers All (1935) as Protester at Communist Meeting (uncredited)
- December 7th (1943) as Machine-Gunner (uncredited)
- The Walter Winchell File "Thou Shall Not Kill" (1957) as Marish Smallman
- Four Boys and a Gun (1957) as Mr. Badek
- That Night! (1957) as McAdam
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958) (Season 3 Episode 20: "On the Nose") as Ed Holland
- Kings Go Forth (1958) as The Colonel
- The Badlanders (1958) as The Marshal (uncredited)
- No Name on the Bullet (1959) as Stricker
- The Hanging Tree (1959) as Tom Flaunce
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) (Season 6 Episode 3: "Very Moral Theft") as John
- Ice Palace (1960) as Scotty Ballantyne
- The Gallant Hours (1960) as Captain Bill Bailey
- One Foot in Hell (1960) as Sheriff Ole Olson
- North to Alaska (1960) as Lars Nordquist
- Flaming Star (1960) as Dred Pierce
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) as Dr. Heinrich Geuter
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1962) (Season 1 Episode 8: "House Guest") as George Sherston
- Walk on the Wild Side (1962) as Schmidt / Courtney
- Lonely Are the Brave (1962) as Reverend Hoskins
- The Spiral Road (1962) as Inspector Bevers
- "The Andy Griffith Show" (1962) as Mr. McBeevee
- How the West Was Won (1962) as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- The Birds (1963) as Drunken Doomsayer in Diner
- The Man from Galveston(1963) as Sheriff
- The Prize (1963) as Hilding
- The Sword in the Stone (1963) as Merlin (voice)
- Major Dundee (1965) as Captain Waller
- The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) as Doc Isdell
- The Cincinnati Kid (1965) as Mr. Rudd
- Seconds (1966) as Dr. Morris
- The Rat Patrol (1967) as Colonel Seidner
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1967) as Theodore Roosevelt
- Hour of the Gun (1967) as Dr. Charles Goodfellow
- ...tick...tick...tick...(1970) as Frank Braddock Sr.
- The Wild Country (1970) as Jensen
- Vanishing Point (1971) as Sam, Clerk at Delivery Agency
- Ulzana's Raid (1972) as Willy Rukeyser
Listen to
References
- ^ Peter Wayne (stage name of Karl Swenson, 1908-78) at IBDB
- ^ a b Houghton, Norris (1951). But Not Forgotten: The Adventure of the University Players. New York: William Sloan Publishers. p. 181.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 257.
- ^ "("Karl Swenson" search)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- ISBN 0-7864-0351-9.
- ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ a b "Actor Karl Swenson Dies". Lakeland Ledger. October 9, 1978. p. 2A. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ "'Little House on the Prairie' Cast: Where Are They Now?". Yahoo! News. October 15, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
External links
- Karl Swenson at IMDb
- Karl Swenson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Peter Wayne at the Internet Broadway Database (early stage name of Swenson)
- Memorial Page