Robert Dowdell obit

Robert Dowdell, Actor on ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,’ Dies at 85

Earlier, he appeared as Jack Lord's sidekick on 'Stoney Burke,' a TV Western.

 

He was not on the list.

Robert Dowdell, the versatile actor who had supporting roles on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Stoney Burke, two ABC series of the 1960s, has died. He was 85.

Dowdell died Tuesday of natural causes in Coldwater, Michigan, family spokeswoman Diane Kachmar told The Hollywood Reporter. 

On 109 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea from 1964-68, Dowdell portrayed Chip Morton, the lieutenant commander on the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart). The series was created by Irwin Allen, based on his 1961 movie of the same name.

The filmmaker later would cast Dowdell in another underwater adventure — City Beneath the Sea (1971) — and on the TV series Land of the Giants and in the 1986 CBS telefilm Outrage.

Stoney Burke ran for 32 episodes in the 1962-63 season. It featured future Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord in the title role as a rodeo rider, with Dowdell as his sidekick, Cody Bristol, who follows him around the rodeo circuit. (Bruce Dern and Warren Oates also were regulars on the show.) Dowdell received $750 a week for his role.

Dowdell was born on March 10, 1932, in Park Ridge, Illinois. His early jobs were as a pinsetter at a Chicago bowling alley, a mail carrier for the ABC network, a hunting guide in Mexico and a railroad brakeman.

He enlisted with the Army Corps of Engineers, and it was then that he discovered his passion for acting. Dowdell appeared on Broadway opposite Joanne Woodward and Hurd Hatfield in The Lovers, a 1956 play that was written by Leslie Stevens; he later would produce and direct for Stoney Burke, and he encouraged Dowdell to audition for the TV show.

Dowdell polished his skills under noted acting coach Wynn Handman. His subsequent theater appearances included Love Me Little opposite Susan Kohner; Viva Madison Avenue! with Buddy Hackett; Five Finger Exercise opposite Jessica Tandy (with direction by John Gielgud); and The Midnight Sun, helmed by John Frankenheimer, who later cast Dowdell in the 1960 telefilm Fifth Column opposite Richard Burton and Maximilian Schell.

The actor also popped up on the 1950s anthology series Studio One in Hollywood and Buick-Electra Playhouse and on shows including Moment of Fear, Adam-12, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and CHiPs.

Dowdell was married to actress Sheila Connolly for 14 years until their 1979 divorce.

Survivors include his cousins Harry, Linda and Ted, who noted that Dowdell was “truly amazed so many of you were his fans and told him so, with posts, signed picture requests and cards.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1970      Macho Callahan                Blind man           

1984      The Initiation     Jason Randall    

1987      Assassination     Capt. Ogilvie - Cappy      

1989      Wicked Stepmother        Judge   

1989      Skin Deep            Traffic Judge

               

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1956      Studio One                          Episode: "American Primitive"

1959      Deadline              Beene   Episode: "The Neon Touch"

1960      The Fifth Column                              Television film

1960      Buick-Electra Playhouse                                Episode: "The Fifth Column"

1960      Moment of Fear                                Episode: "The Accomplice"

1962      Surfside 6            Eric Hirsh             Episode: "Masquerade"

1962–1963          Stoney Burke     Cody Bristol        32 episodes

1964–1968          Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea               Lt. Comdr. Chip Morton                 109 episodes

1969      Land of the Giants            Policeman           Episode: "Brainwash"

1970      Storefront Lawyers          Philip Evers         Episode: "The Law Can't Touch Him"

1971      City Beneath the Sea       Young Officer     Television film

1971      O'Hara, U.S. Treasury      Maj. Tony Puller USMC Episode: "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury"

1971      Terror in the Sky               Tower Radar Operator   Television film

1971–1972          Adam-12              Lt. Tom Ashton / Sgt. Wade / Sgt. Prescott            3 episodes

1972      McMillan & Wife              Pilot       Episode: "The Face of Murder"

1972      The F.B.I.             Dan Bransfield   Episode: "Arrangement with Terror"

1975      S.W.A.T.               Peter Sedley       Episode: "Strike Force"

1977      Most Wanted     Dr. Andrews       Episode: "The Ritual Killer"

1979      240-Robert         Dr. Lewis              Episode: "Oil and Water"

1979      Buck Rogers in the 25th Century                Galen    Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls"

1979      CHiPs     Mr. Adams          Episode: "Second Chance"

1982      Hart to Hart                        Episode: "Hart of Diamonds"

1983      Fame     Air Force Major                 Episode: "Hail to the Chief"

1984      Masquerade      Captain                 Episode: "Caribbean Holiday"

1984      The Master         Senator Clayton                Episode: "Hostages"

1984–1986          Capitol Sen. Joshua Harrington 3 episodes

1985      V             Visitor Doctor    Episode: "The Betrayal"

1985      Dynasty                Butler    Episode: "The Titans"

1986      Outrage!              District Attorney Curran                Television film

1986      Hotel     Cameron Russell               Episode: "Restless Nights"

1987      Max Headroom                 Doctor Episode: "Body Banks"

1990      Freddy's Nightmares       Victor Hall           Episode: "Funhouse"

1991      Hunter Motel Manager                 Episode: "Under Suspicion"

1995      American Masters            Minister               Episode: "Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul"