Warren Stevens obit

Warren Stevens, Busy Character Actor, Dies at 92

 

He was not on the list.

Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens entered the United States Naval Academy in 1937 but was medically discharged in 1940. During World War II he served in the United States Army Air Forces as a pilot.

A founding member of The Actor's Studio in New York, Stevens received notice on Broadway in the late 1940s, and thereafter was offered a Hollywood contract at 20th Century Fox. His first Broadway role was in The Life of Galileo (1947) and his first movie role followed in The Frogmen (1951). As a young studio contract player, Stevens had little choice of material, and he appeared in films that included Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952), and Gorilla at Large (1954). A memorable movie role was that of the ill-fated "Doc" Ostrow in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956). He also had supporting roles in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) with Humphrey Bogart and Intent to Kill (1958).

Despite occasional parts in big films, Stevens was unable to break out consistently into A-list movies, so he carved out a career in television as a journeyman dramatic actor.

Stevens was a Democrat who supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.

He co-starred as Lt. William Storm in Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (NBC, 1956–1957), a prime time adventure series set in India. Stevens also provided the voice of John Bracken in season one of Bracken's World (NBC, 1968–1970). He played the role of Elliot Carson in the daytime series Return to Peyton Place during its two-year run (1972-1974).

He appeared in over 150 prime time shows from the 1950s to the early 1980s, including:

    Golden Age anthology series (Actors Studio, Campbell Playhouse, The Web, Justice, Philco Television Playhouse, Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Route 66),

    Mysteries Hawaiian Eye (4 episodes), Perry Mason, The Untouchables, Climax!, Checkmate (2 episodes), Surfside 6 (2 episodes), 77 Sunset Strip (2 episodes), Behind Closed Doors, I Spy, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ironside (3 episodes), The Mod Squad, Mannix, Cannon (3 episodes), Griff, Mission: Impossible (4 episodes).

    Horror and Sci Fi Inner Sanctum (3 episodes), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (2 episodes), The Twilight Zone (episode "Dead Man's Shoes"), One Step Beyond (episode "The Riddle"), The Outer Limits (episode "Keeper of the Purple Twilight"), Star Trek (episode "By Any Other Name"), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (3 episodes), The Time Tunnel, Science Fiction Theater, Land of the Giants (2 episodes)

    Comedies The Donna Reed Show (2 episodes, 1965 and 1966), M*A*S*H (1 episode, Season 4, episode 13, The Gun, Dec2. 1975)

    Westerns (Laramie, The Rebel, The Man Called Shenandoah), Wagon Train (2 episodes), The Alaskans, Tales of Wells Fargo (1 episode), Gunsmoke (3 episodes), Bonanza (4 episodes), Daniel Boone (3 episodes), The Virginian (3 episodes), Rawhide, and Have Gun, Will Travel (3 episodes). Tombstone Territory (1 episode), Stoney Burke (1 episode). In 1970 he appeared as Paul Carson on "The Men From Shiloh" (rebranded name for The Virginian in the episode titled "Hannah."

Stevens' appearance in the 1955 movie Robbers' Roost introduced him to Richard Boone, who hired him for a continuing television role on The Richard Boone Show, an award-winning NBC anthology series which lasted for the 1963–1964 season.

Stevens was a close friend of actor Richard Basehart and helped him through a difficult divorce in the early 1960s. Stevens guest-starred in a few episodes of Basehart's ABC series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He also had a supporting role on another Irwin Allen production, The Return of Captain Nemo in 1978.

In his later years, Stevens' appearances were infrequent. He guest-starred in ER in March 2006 and had two roles in 2007.

For the DVD release of Combat! he provided audio commentary for “The Gun” (S5, E1) an episode in which he’d guest-starred (he also guest-starred in “The Imposter” (S3, E10).

Stevens died on March 27, 2012, from complications of lung disease in his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. He had three children.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1951      Follow the Sun    Radio Announcer             Uncredited

1951      The Frogmen     Hodges

1951      Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell        Reporter             

1952      Phone Call from a Stranger           Marty Nelson    

1952      Red Skies of Montana     Steve Burgess   

1952      Deadline – U.S.A.             George Burrows              

1952      Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie    McCauley            Uncredited

1952      O. Henry's Full House     Druggist               (segment "The Last Leaf"), Uncredited

1952      Something for the Birds                 Beer Commercial Announcer      Voice, Uncredited

1953      The I Don't Care Girl        Lawrence            

1953      Shark River          Clay Webley      

1954      Gorilla at Large Joe, Detective   

1954      The Barefoot Contessa Kirk Edwards     

1954      Black Tuesday    Joey Stewart     

1955      Women's Prison               Glen Burton       

1955      The Man from Bitter Ridge           Linc Jackman     

1955      Robbers' Roost Smokey               

1955      Duel on the Mississippi Hugo Marat       

1956      The Price of Fear              Frankie Edare    

1956      Forbidden Planet              Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow               

1956      On the Threshold of Space           Capt. Mike Bentley         

1956      Accused of Murder          Stan 'Scarface' Wilbo     

1958      Man or Gun        Mike Ferris         

1958      Hot Spell              Wyatt Mitchell - Virginia's Boyfriend       

1958      The Case Against Brooklyn           Rudi Franklin     

1958      Intent to Kill       Finch    

1959      No Name on the Bullet Lou Fraden         

1962      Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock       Jess Dollard       

1962      40 Pounds of Trouble     Swing   

1966      Madame X          Michael Spalding             

1966      Gunpoint             Nate Harlan       

1966      An American Dream        Johnny Dell        

1966      Cyborg 2087       Dr. Carl Zellar    

1968      Madigan              Capt. Ben Williams          

1968      The Sweet Ride Brady Caswell   

1976      The Student Body            Dr. Blalock          

1980      High Ice                Sgt. Lomax          Television film

1983      Stroker Ace         Jim Catty             

1991      Samurai Cop       Film Lab Owner                

2007      Carts      Fred Tait              (final film role)

 

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1950      Robert Montgomery Presents                   "The Champion" 

1950-1953          The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse            Various roles      4 episodes 

1953      Suspense             Bernard Frank   "Mr. Matches" 

1953-1554          Studio One          Various roles      2 episodes 

1954      The U.S. Steel Hour         Paul Dane            "The End of Paul Dane" 

1955      Medic   Dr. Robert Alan Parker                   "Breath of Life" 

1955-1956          Alfred Hitchcock Presents             Various roles      2 episodes 

1956      Four Star Playhouse        Dan        "Dark Meeting" 

1956-1957          Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers               Lt. William Storm             26 episodes 

1957      Climax!                 Various roles      2 episodes 

1957-1963          Gunsmoke          Various roles      3 episodes 

1957-1963          Have Gun-Will Travel      Various roles      3 episodes 

1958      Perry Mason      Alan Neil              "The Case of the Empty Tin" 

1959-1962          Wagon Train      Various roles      2 episodes 

1959      Tales of Wells Fargo        Clay Allison         "Clay Allison" 

1959      Men Into Space                 Dr. Randolph      "Quarantine" 

1960-1962          Hawaiian Eye     Various roles      4 episodes 

1962      The Twilight Zone            Nathan 'Nate' Bledsoe   "Dead Man's Shoes" 

1963-1964          The Richard Boone Show              Various roles      25 episodes  

1964      The Outer Limits               Eric Plummer     "Keeper of the Purple Twilight"

1964      Combat!              Sgt Walter           "The impostor"

1965      Rawhide              Talbot   "Clash at Broken Bluff"

1965      Bonanza               Paul Mandel       "The Ballerina" 

1965      The Man from U.N.C.L.E.               Capt. Dennis Jenks           "The Children's Day Affair" 

1966      The Rat Patrol   Sgt. Frank Griffin              "The Do or Die Raid" 

1966      Death Valley Days            Doc Holiday        "Doc Holidays Gold Bars" 

1966      The Time Tunnel              Dr. Harlow           "One Way To The Moon" 

1966      Combat!              Sgt. Higgin           "The Gun" 

1967      Bonanza               Count Alexis       "The Prince" 

1967      Mission Impossible          Karl de Groot     "The Slave" 

1967      Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea               Van Wyck            "Cave of the Dead" 

1968      Star Trek              Rojan   "By Any Other Name" 

1968      Bonanza               Sam Bragan        "The Trackers" 

1970      Bonanza               Owen Driscoll   "El Jefe" 

1975      M*A*S*H            Colonel Chaffey                "The Gun" 

1978      Wonder Woman               Beal       "The Murderous Missile" 

1980      Quincy, M.E.       Wayne Fields     "Last Rites"