Richard Erdman obit

Richard Erdman, star of Twilight Zone and Community, dies at 93

He was not on the list.

Richard Erdman, prolific and longtime character actor of film and TV, has died according to a report

Erdman had nearly 200 film credits to his name (like Stalag 17, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Perry Mason, to name just a few) since beginning his career in the 1940s, but became a genre staple early with his performance in one of the more memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone.

“A Kind of Stopwatch,” from 1963, saw Erdman star as a man that can stop time with a magical watch — but who is so boring and awful that the watch's abilities only serve to punish his personality defects. The range needed to go from that performance to countless one-off guest-star slots and ‘80s cartoon voice-acting gigs continued to serve him when he landed his most famous modern role: Leonard from Community.

The perpetual student was a walking punchline who still managed to steal scenes, which was a testament to Erdman’s unwavering talents.

Erdman started his career at Warner Bros. where he signed a studio contract. Two of his first roles were in the films Mr. Skeffington, starring Bette Davis and Claude Rains and Janie, starring Joyce Reynolds. After a few smaller roles he achieved success as a character actor in supporting roles. In a career that spanned seven decades, his best-known roles are that of the barracks chief Hoffy in Stalag 17, and the garrulous, tedious barfly McNulty in the Twilight Zone episode "A Kind of a Stopwatch" ("...you think about that now!"). He also appeared in The Men (1950) with Marlon Brando and the film noir Cry Danger (1951) with Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming. In Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) he played Colonel Edward F. French, the officer who responded to the failure to transmit the warning to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

He played Walt Dabbett in the Disney film Rascal and was the voice of the Pirate in the animated film The Pagemaster.

He directed the 1971 TV film Mooch Goes to Hollywood. From 2009 to 2015, Erdman had a recurring role as the old student Leonard Rodriguez on Community.
by Variety. He was 93.

Erdman’s last role was on an episode of Dr. Ken as a fictionalized version of himself.

 

Filmography 

Film 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1944, Mr. Skeffington, Western Union Boy, uncredited  

1944, Janie, Scooper Nolan,  

1944, Musical Movieland, Sailor with Tour, uncredited  

1944, The Very Thought of You, Soda Jerk,  

1944, Hollywood Canteen, Soldier on Deck, uncredited  

1945, Objective, Burma, Pvt. Nebraska Hooper,  

1945, The Horn Blows at Midnight, Joe Smith, scenes deleted  

1945, Star in the Night, Cowboy,  

1945, Danger Signal, Bunkie Taylor,  

1945, Too Young to Know, Tommy,  

1946, Janie Gets Married, Lt. 'Scooper' Nolan,  

1946, Night and Day, Music Store Customer, uncredited  

1946, Shadow of a Woman, Joe,  

1946, So You Want to Play the Horses, Eddie, uncredited  

1946, Deception, Jerry Spencer, uncredited  

1946, Nobody Lives Forever, Bellboy, The Marwood Arms,  

1947, That Way with Women, Eddie,  

1947, Wild Harvest, Mark Lewis,  

1948, The Time of Your Life, Willie (the pinball machine maniac),  

1949, Easy Living, Buddy Morgan,  

1950, Swiss Tour, Eddy,  

1950, The Men, Leo,  

1950, The Admiral Was a Lady, Oliver 'Ollie' Bonelli,  

1951, Cry Danger, Delong,  

1951, You're in the Navy Now, Ens. Chuck Dorrance,  

1951, The Stooge, Ben Bailey,  

1951, The Wild Blue Yonder, Cpl. Frenchy,  

1952, Aladdin and His Lamp, Mirza,  

1952, The San Francisco Story, Shorty,  

1952, Jumping Jacks, Pvt. Dogface Dolan,  

1952, The Happy Time, Alfred Grattin,  

1953, The Blue Gardenia, Al,  

1953, Stalag 17, Sgt. 'Hoffy' Hoffman,  

1953, Mission Over Korea, Pvt. Swenson,  

1953, The Steel Lady, Jim Evans,  

1955, Francis in the Navy, Murph,  

1955, Bengazi, Selby,  

1956, Anything Goes, Ed Brent,  

1956, The Power and the Prize, Lester Everett,  

1958, The Rawhide Trail, Rupe Pardee,  

1958, Saddle the Wind, Dallas Hanson,  

1959, Face of Fire, Al Williams,  

1961, Marines, Let's Go, MP, uncredited  

1964, The Brass Bottle, Seymour Jenks,  

1966, Namu, the Killer Whale, Deke,  

1969, Rascal, Walt Dabbett,  

1970, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Col. Edward F. French,  

1973, The Brothers O'Toole, Judge Quincey P. Trumbell,  

1974, Mr. Majestyk, Dick Richard, uncredited  

1982, Heidi's Song, Herr Sessman, voice  

1984, Trancers, Drunken Wise Man,  

1985, Tomboy, Chester,  

1986, Stewardess School, Attorney,  

1987, Beverly Hills Car Park, Waiter,  

1994, The Pagemaster, Pirate, voice  

1999, The Learning Curve, Ralph,  

2008, Empire State Building Murders, Eddie Walker,  

2010, The Bag, John Harper,  

 

Television 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1952, Rebound, Mason, Episode: The Girl  

1953, The George Burns and  
Gracie Allen Show, Various Roles, 3 episodes  

1953–55, Where's Raymond?, Pete Morrisey, 35 episodes  

1955, Cavalcade of America, Harry Jordan, Episode: The Gift of Dr. Minot  

1955, Medic, Dick Hopper, Episode: Glass of Fear  

1955, Schlitz Playhouse, Eddie McGuire, Episode: The Last Out  

1955–57, NBC Matinee Theater, Performer, 3 episodes  

1955, Science Fiction Theatre, Seth Turner, Episode: Are We Invaded?  

1956, The Ford Theatre, Pepper, Episode: Double Trouble  

1956, Star Stage, Performer, Episode: Career  

1956, Crossroads, Performer, Episode: Man on the Totem Pole  

1957, West Point, Cap. Don Prickette, Episode: Jet Flight  

1958–66, Perry Mason, Various Roles, 6 episodes  

1958, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Charlie Brown, Episode: The Crooked Road  

1959, Disneyland, Sergeant Jasper, 2 episodes  

1959, The David Niven Show, Bobo, Episode: Life Line  

1960, The Danny Thomas Show, Joe Forbes, Episode: Danny, The Handyman  

1960, Alcoa Theatre, Matt Brent, Episode: Forced Landing  

1960–61, The Tab Hunter Show, Richard Fairfield III, 32 episodes  

1962–63, Saints and Sinners, Klugie, 18 episodes  

1963, The Twilight Zone, McNulty, Episode: A Kind of a Stopwatch  

1965, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Buck Brown, Episode: Baby Fat  

1966, Green Acres, Dillwell Pinkley, Episode: A Home Isn't Build for a Day  

1967, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., P.T. Barkley, Episode: The Suburbia Affair  

1967, Gomer Pyle USMC, Sergeant Gilroy, Episode: Go Blow Your Horn  

1968, Premiere, Murphy, Episode: Out of the Blue  

1968, Hogan's Heroes, Walter Hobson, Episode: No Names Please  

1969, I Dream of Jeannie, Store Manager, Episode: Ride 'Em Astronaut  

1969, The Wild Wild West, Mordecai Krone, Episode: The Night of the Bleak Island  

1970, The Beverly Hillbillies, Whitehouse Guard, Episode: The Clampetts in Washington  

1970, Nancy, Pruitt, Episode: Going, Going, Going  

1970, Here's Lucy, Supermarket Clerk, Episode: Lucy Loses Here Cool  

1971, That Girl, Milton, Episode: The Russians Are Staying  

1975, Police Story, Det. Eddie Samuels, Episode: The Witness  

1975, Kate McShane, Frederick De Fernando, Episode: Kate McShane  

1975–76, The Six Million Dollar Man, Vernon/Slayton, 2 episodes  

1977, The Bionic Woman, Terrence Quinn, Episode: Over the Hill Spy  

1978, Alice, Gene Crowley, Episode: The Reporter  

1979, Time Express, Horace Hilling, Episode: Rodep/Cop  

1979, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Additional Voices, Television Series  

1979, The Amazing Spider-Man, Mr. Zeider, 2 episodes  

1980, One Day at a Time, Charlie, Episode: The Amarillo Connection  

1981, Space Stars, Additional Voices, 11 episodes  

1978–82, Lou Grant, Various Roles, 4 episodes  

1982, Quincy, M.E., Miles' Attorney, Episode: Expert in Murder  

1983, The Dukes, Additional voices, 20 episodes  

1986, Johnny Quest, Additional Voices, Television Series  

1986, Cheers, Duncan Fitzgerald, Episode: Money Dearest  

1986, Pound Puppies, Angry Neighbor, Episode: The Fairy Dogmother  

1987, She's the Sheriff, Performer, Episode: A Little Romance  

1987, DuckTales, Mayor Rufus B. Pinfeathers  
King Arty (voice), 2 episodes  

1987, Popeye and Son, Additional Voices, 13 episodes  

1987, It's a Living, Ernie, Episode: A Pen Pal for Your Thoughts  

1988, Jessie, Dr. Adams, Television Movie  

1988, The New Yogi Bear Show, Additional Voices, 4 episodes  

1988, Snorks, Additional Voices, 3 episodes  

1984–89, Murder, She Wrote, Jonathan/Eggman, 2 episodes  

1988–89, Fantastic Max, Additional Voices, 3 episodes  

1989, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, Additional Voices, 13 episodes  

1989–90, Paddington, Additional Voices, 2 episodes  

1990, Wings, Howard Banks, Episode: Around the World in 80 Days  

1990, Timeless Tales from Hallmark, voice, Episode: The Emperor's New Clothes  

1990, Out of This World, Judge, Episode: Forget Your Troubles  

1991, The New Adam-12, Man with Dementia, Episode: Dementia  

1991–93, The Pirates of Dark Water, Additional Voices, 9 episodes  

1993, Batman: The Animated Series, Elliot, Episode: See No Evil  

1994, Picket Fences, Justice Stevens, Episode: May it Please the Court  

1995, Hudson Street, Judge Broadnax, Episode: Contempt  

1995, Capitol Critters, Voice, Episode: The Bug House  

1997, Beverly Hills, 90210, Mr. Perl, Episode: Pride and Prejudice  

2000, Felicity, Howie, Episode: A Good Egg  

2002, Boomtown, Kevin's Dad, Episode: Reelin' in the Years  

2002, Judging Amy, Mr. Callahan, Episode: Cause for Alarm  

2002, The Bernie Mac Show, Frank, Episode: The Sweet Life  

2004, Joan of Arcadia, Mr. Hanson, Episode: No Bad Guy  

2006, Viagra Falls, Pete, Television Movie  

2008, Empire State Building Murders, Eddie Walker, Television Movie  

2009, Operating Instructions, Henry, Television Movie  

2009–15, Community, Leonard, 53 episodes  

2015, Weird Loners, Carl's Grandfather, Episode: Weird Knight  

2017, Dr. Ken, Richard Erdman, Episode: Ken's Big Audition  

 

As a director 

Year , Title , Notes , Ref.  

1966, The Dick Van Dyke Show, 2 episodes,  

1971, Teenage Tease, Feature Film,  

1971, Mooch Goes to Hollywood, Television Film,  

1973, The Brothers O'Toole, Feature Film,