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Steve Conte (actor)

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This article is about the actor. For the musician, see Steve Conte.

Steve Conte
Conte in Teenage Zombies (1960)
Born(1920-01-16)January 16, 1920
Gagliato, Calabria, Italy
DiedApril 28, 1997(1997-04-28) (aged 77)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Resting placeSouthern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery
NationalityItalian
Other namesSteve Conti
OccupationActor
Years active1950–1987
Spouse(s)Shirley Conte
(m. 1945; div. 1950s)
Children2

Steve Conte (January 16, 1920 – April 28, 1997) was an Italian-born American actor who immigrated with his family to the United States in the early 1920s. He often played henchmen, thugs, and criminal types, besides playing ethnicities. His career lasted nearly thirty-seven years in both film and television. He appeared in approximately fifty different television series and more than thirty films. He worked at least a half dozen times with B Grade director Jerry Warren.

Background

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Conte was born in Gagliato, Italy. He came with his family via boat to New York. His adolescent years were spent in New York as well. During World War II, he was based in Europe as part of the United States Army Air Corps, the forerunner of the United States Air Force. After the war, he married his wife Shirley, by whom he had two children. Their marriage lasted until their divorce in the 1950s.[1] In 1992, he was reunited with his son Steve, who was born in 1960 and placed for adoption.[citation needed] He died of Alzheimer's disease on April 28, 1997, at the age of 77. He was buried at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.[2][3]

As a character actor, he was able to have a good run of work for some time.[4] Many of the roles that he played were of the rugged type.[5]

Career

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1950s

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One of Conte's earliest roles was in 1950 as the road agent in "Shotgun Messenger", the first episode of The Marshal of Gunsight Pass.[6] Also the same year he played Matt Riley in the Western film Gunfire.[7] The following year he played the Apache kid in the "Ten Thousand Reward" episode of The Range Rider.[8][9] Also that year he played Henchman Mac in Cattle Queen.[10] In 1959, he played Whorf in Teenage Zombies.[11][12]

In 1952, Conte was cast as a villain, Jerry, in the 1952 episode, "Self Made Man," of Death Valley Days.

1960s

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In 1960, Conte guest starred in the M Squad episode, "The Man Who Lost His Brain". He appeared that same year in Overland Trail in the episode, "All the O'Mara Horses." In 1962, he played Cabot in Terror of the Bloodhunters.[13][14] In 1966, he appeared in The Wild World of Batwoman (1966).[15]

1970s to 1980s

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The early 1970s, Conte appeared in such films as The Gatling Gun in the role of Private Mitchell,[16] and in the Sci-Fi The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler as a radio operator.[citation needed] In the late 1970s, he played a prison guard in the Harold Becker-directed The Onion Field.[17]

One of his last appearances is credited as an orderly in the Jeffrey Obrow/Stephen Carpenter-directed horror film, The Kindred, in 1987.[18]

Role types

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Thugs and criminals

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Throughout Conte's career, he played some twenty-three roles as henchman, thug, and criminal types.

He played the part of Henchman Mac in the 1951 film, Cattle Queen of Montana, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan,[19] and Henchman Lait in the television series, Hopalong Cassidy.[20]

In 1954, Conte played a bandit in the Wild Luke's Boy episode of General Electric Theater.[21] In 1955, he played a henchman in the Dick Ross directed film, Wiretapper,[22] and Cyclops, "One-Eyed Henchman" in the Guns Below the Border episode of The Gene Autry Show. He had also played a henchman in two previous episodes of the show. He played henchmen in three episodes of Batman which were, Penguin Is a Girl's Best Friend, Penguin Sets a Trend, and Penguin's Disastrous End.

Filmography (selective)

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Television

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Title Episode # Role Director Aired Year Notes #
The Marshal of Gunsight Pass Shotgun Messenger The Road Agent 1950
The Range Rider Ten Thousand Reward Apache Kid David R. Lederman 1951
The Gene Autry Show Trouble at Silver Creek Henchman Buzz George Archainbaud March 9 1952
The Gene Autry Show The Trail of the Witch 'Breed' – Lead Henchman George Archainbaud 1952
Death Valley Days Self-Made Man Barfly Stuart E. McGowan December 12 1952 As Steve Conti
Death Valley Days Cynthy's Dream Dress First Robber Stuart E. McGowan March 3 1953 As Steve Conti
Ramar of the Jungle Mark of Shaitan Luku – Head Porter Paul Landres June 27 1953
The Gene Autry Show Outlaw Stage Jim, 3rd Robber Wallace Fox July 21 1953
The Gene Autry Show Border Justice Ralph, Cleanshaven Henchman Wallace Fox August 18 1953
Hopalong Cassidy The Jinx Wagon Henchman Lait George Archainbaud November 12 1953
Mayor of the Town Happy Birthday Benson John Rawlins 1954
General Electric Theater Wild Luke's Boy Bandit Alfred E. Green 16 May 1954
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Blushing Brides Tawshonie Don McDougall March 18 1955
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Ghost Town Stannard Robert G. Walker April 29 1955
Damon Runyon Theater Tobias the Terrible Leslie H. Martinson 21 May 1955
Death Valley Days I Am Joaquin Henchman Garcia Stuart E. McGowan June 7 1955
The Gene Autry Show Stage to San Dimas Bert Nixon George Archainbaud October 8 1955
Cheyenne The Argonauts Acuna Richard L. Bare November 1 1955
The Gene Autry Show Guns Below the Border Cyclops – One-Eyed Henchman George Archainbaud November 5 1955
My Friend Flicka Wind from Heaven Robert Gordon Tim Connell February 3 1956
The 20th Century-Fox Hour Crack-Up Announcer Ted Post February 8 1956
Death Valley Days Nevada's Plymouth Rock Plug Bailey Stuart E. McGowan February 13 1956
The Adventures of Champion The Real Unfriendly Ghost Fred Hackett John English 1956
The Adventures of Champion Calhoun Rides Again Rapp John English March 3 1956
Star Stage The Sainted General Herschel Daugherty April 6 1956
Superman Jimmy the Kid Thug No. 2 Philip Ford April 28 1956
Buffalo Bill, Jr. Secret of the Silverado George Archainbaud 21 May 1956
Buffalo Bill, Jr. Angelo Goes West George Archainbaud 29 May 1956
Dragnet The Big Steal January 17 1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Dual Control Snake Paul Henreid November 1 1957
Batman (TV Series) Penguin is a Girl's Best Friend/ Penguin Sets a Trend/ Penguin's Disastrous End Second henchman Stanford Sherman January 26, February 1, February 2 1967

Film

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Title Year Role Director Notes #
Gunfire 1950 Matt Riley William Berke (as Steve Conti)
Cattle Queen 1951 Henchman Mac Robert Emmett Tansey
Hiawatha 1952 Minor Role Kurt Neumann Uncredited
Goldtown Ghost Riders 1953 Blackwell George Archainbaud
Appointment in Honduras 1953 Stranger Jacques Tourneur Uncredited
Trader Tom of the China Seas 1954 First Rebel on Horseback Franklin Adreon Uncredited
Wiretapper 1955 Henchman Dick Ross
A Day of Fury 1956 Mugg Harmon Jones Uncredited
I Was a Teenage Werewolf 1957 Gene Fowler Jr. Uncredited
Gun Battle at Monterey 1957 Posseman Sidney Franklin
Carl K. Hittleman 		Uncredited
The Book of Acts Series 1957 Agrippa II Eddie Dew
Vertigo 1958 Burglar Alfred Hitchcock Uncredited
The Black Orchid 1958 Hood Martin Ritt Uncredited
Teenage Zombies 1960 Whorf Jerry Warren
Terror of the Bloodhunters 1962 Cabot Jerry Warren
Dangerous Charter 1962 Goon Robert Gottschalk Shot in 1958
The Violent and the Damned 1962 Convict Carl Christensen
Jerry Warren
Face of the Screaming Werewolf 1964 The Hired Thief Gilberto Martínez Solares
Rafael López Portillo
Jerry Warren
Attack of the Mayan Mummy 1964 The Hired Thief Rafael Portillo
Jerry Warren 		TV movie
The Wild World of Batwoman 1966 Bruno Jerry Warren
Flareup 1969 Lt. Franklin James Neilson
Change of Habit 1969 Man in Scene 166 William Graham Uncredited
The Gatling Gun 1971 Pvt. Mitchell Robert Gordon
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler 1971 Radio Opr.#2 Bob Wynn
The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 1978 Wrangler Larry Peerce
Fast Break 1979 Man on Bus Jack Smight
The Onion Field 1979 Prison Guard No. 1 Harold Becker
Hamburger: The Motion Picture 1986 Security Guard No. 3 Mike Marvin
The Kindred 1987 Orderly Jeffrey Obrow
Stephen Carpenter 		(final film role)

References

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  1. ^ Celebrity Images – Steve Conte
  2. ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d edition by Scott Wilson, Foreword by Gregory William Mank – Page 153 2645. Conte, Steve
  3. ^ Ovguide – Steve Conte
  4. ^ Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, By Bill Warren, Bill Thomas – Teenage Zombies * 1959
  5. ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d edition by Scott Wilson, Foreword by Gregory William Mank – Page 153 2645. Conte, Steve
  6. ^ TV Acres – Westerns > The Marshal of Gunsight Pass
  7. ^ Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed., By Michael R. Pitts – 138 1713 Gunfire
  8. ^ TV Buzer – The Range Rider
  9. ^ Television Westerns Episode Guide: All United States Series, 1949–1996, Harris M. Lentz – Page 328 The Range Rider
  10. ^ moviefone – Cattle Queen (1951), full cast & crew
  11. ^ Motion Picture Herald, Volumes 218–219 – Page 151
  12. ^ Cue, Volume 40, Issues 27–39 – Page 52
  13. ^ Cue: The Weekly Magazine of New York Life, Cue Publishing Company, 1971 – Page 62
  14. ^ Digitally Obsessed, March 8, 2005 – Terror of the Bloodhunters / Liane Jungle Goddess, Review By: Rich Rosell
  15. ^ Quadrinhos no Cinema 2, By ALEXANDRE CALLARI, BRUNO ZAGO, DANIEL LOPES – Page 164
  16. ^ Aveleyman.com – The Gatling Gun
  17. ^ Academy Awards Oscar 1980 Annual, Art Sarno – Page 93
  18. ^ BFI – Films, TV and people, Steve Conte
  19. ^ Theiapolis.com – Cast of "Cattle Queen" (1951), a film by Robert Emmett Tansey
  20. ^ Social TV – Hopalong Cassidy, Personajes
  21. ^ Aveleyman.com – Steve Conte
  22. ^ moviefone – Wiretapper (1955), full cast & crew
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