Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis | |
---|---|
Born | Wapato, Washington, U.S.[1] | February 20, 1936
Died | September 9, 2003 Austin, Texas, U.S.[2] | (aged 67)
Alma mater | University of Houston |
Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
Spouse |
Ann Corrigan
(m. 1955; died 1995) |
Children | 4 |
Larry Hovis (February 20, 1936 – September 9, 2003) was an American singer and actor best known for the 1960s television sitcom Hogan's Heroes.
Early life and career
Hovis was born in
Television
Hovis moved to California in 1963, where he performed comedy and tried to break into television. In 1964, he was discovered by Andy Griffith's manager and was hired to appear on the TV series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., where he played "Pvt. Larry Gotschalk". He also appeared on The Andy Griffith Show.
In 1965, when another actor backed out of the television show Hogan's Heroes, Hovis was cast as "Sgt. Andrew Carter", a POW in a German prison camp who was an expert on explosives. In the pilot episode, Carter was a lieutenant, and was only going to appear in that one episode. For the series, the character became Sgt. Carter, replacing a character played by Leonid Kinskey in the pilot. (Kinskey decided after the pilot that he did not want to stay with a show that had actors pretending to be Nazis.) In the series, Carter was of Sioux ancestry. A few sources say that Hovis was partly of Yakama Indian ancestry, but no documentation supports his membership within the Yakama Nation. Later, in an episode of the comedy Alice, Hovis played an American Indian police detective who arrests a fake American Indian conman.
While Hovis was a regular on Hogan's Heroes, he also did other work in the entertainment industry, including writing the screenplay for the 1966 spy-spoof Out of Sight. He also co-wrote Mitzi Gaynor's 1968 and 1969 television specials, and appeared in and wrote comedy bits for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
After Hogan's Heroes
Even before Hogan's Heroes was canceled in 1971, Hovis had already made appearances on other TV shows.
In the mid-1970s, Hovis made appearances on the game show
From 1979 to 1981, Hovis toured in the musical
Hovis was hired as a co-producer for the hidden-camera television show Totally Hidden Video, but was fired by Fox executives who conducted an investigation of the pilot episode’s segments and found that 3 of 4 taped segments included paid actors and scripted content. The investigation was initially prompted by a lawsuit filed by Candid Camera creator Allen Funt, alleging that the new series was copying old Candid Camera situational contrivances.[7][8]
Beginning in the 1990s, Hovis taught drama at
Death
Hovis died of esophageal cancer in Austin, Texas, on September 9, 2003. He was 67 years old.[2]
Partial filmography
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–1965, TV series) – Larry
- The Andy Griffith Show (1965, TV series, episodes "The Case of the Punch in the Nose" and "Goober Takes a Car Apart") – Gilly Walker
- Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971, TV series) – Sgt. Andrew Carter
- Wild in the Sky (1972) – Capt. Breen
- McMillan and Wife(1972) – Mr. O’Day S2 E4
- Liar's Club (1976–1979, TV game show) – producer, regular panelist
- Alice (1977, TV series, episode "The Indian Taker") – Detective Fred Scott
- Hello, Larry (1981, TV series)
- Shadow Force (1992) – Frank Bergmann
- Yorick (2002) – Archbishop
- Lone Star State of Mind (2002) – Doctor (final film role)
References
Notes
- ^ Wilson, Earl (November 27, 1969). "Small Towns Have Produced Many Big Stars". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. A33. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Staff (September 10, 2003). "Larry Hovis". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Spring Branch Senior High School Foundation, Class of 1952 obituaries
- ^ "Larry Hovis: Broadway" on the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (September 12, 2003). "Larry Hovis, 67; Played Sgt. Carter on 'Hogan's Heroes'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Larry Hovis: Touring" on the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Staff (July 13, 1989). "Fox Fires Coproducer Of 'Totally Hidden Video'". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Hodges, Ann (July 13, 1989). "Fox exposes phony segments on its 'Totally Hidden Video'". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2007) |
External links
- Larry Hovis at IMDb
- Larry Hovis at AllMovie
- Larry Hovis discography at Discogs