William D. Gordon (actor)
William D. Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Douglas Gordon January 4, 1918 Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 1991 (aged 73) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–1982 |
William Douglas Gordon (January 4, 1918 – August 12, 1991) was an American actor, writer, director, story editor, and producer. Although he is best known for his writing credits, he acted occasionally on numerous TV series.
Biography
[edit]Gordon was born in Santa Clara, California in 1918. He started his career as a writer in 1936, writing for radio shows like The Cisco Kid, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Tommy Dorsey Show.[1] In 1939, he began to direct TV shows, directing the first live television shows for the Don Lee Network and later he served as an infantry officer during World War II.[2] In 1958, he acted for the first time in Maverick,[3] appearing subsequently in TV series including Maverick, The Twilight Zone, Thriller, Peter Gunn, Law of the Plainsman, Riverboat, Rawhide, The Americans and The Virginian during the 1960s.[3] He also worked as a script writer for shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Fugitive, Bonanza, Ironside and Barbary Coast, in addition to writing the screenplay of the films Cotter[4] and Sergeant Ryker.[5]
As a director, he directed one episode of The Richard Boone Show titled "Death Before Dishonor" and another of The Fugitive titled "A.P.B.".[6][7] On March 31, 1965, he became the producer of Twelve O'Clock High, producing 47 episodes of the series, in addition to producing 32 episodes of The Fugitive between 1964 and 1966.[2] He worked as a story supervisor of The Richard Boone Show, Bonanza, Thriller and Alfred Hitchcock Presents and directed the television game show Queen for a Day. From 1977 to 1982, Gordon, along with James Doherty, helped to produce, write and edit the TV series CHiPs.[1] After retirement, Gordon began writing novels about the Civil War.[1]
Death
[edit]Gordon died in Thousand Oaks, California of lung cancer aged 73.[8]
Selected filmography
[edit]Actor
[edit]- Cimarron City - The Blood Line (1958) TV Episode .... Roy Rankin
- Maverick - Escape to Tampico (1958) TV Episode .... Sam Garth - Prey of the Cat (1958) TV Episode .... Fred Bender - Two Tickets to Ten Strike (1959) TV Episode .... Eddie Burke
- Peter Gunn - The Portrait (1959) TV Episode .... Maddox
- Law of the Plainsman - Prairie Incident (1959) TV Episode .... Deke - A Matter of Life and Death (1959) TV Episode .... Henchman
- Riverboat - Payment in Full (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Barrier (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - About Roger Mowbray (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - A Race to Cincinnati (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Unwilling (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Fight Back (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - Escape to Memphis (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - Witness No Evil (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - A Night at Trapper's Landing (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Faithless (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Boy from Pittsburgh (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - Strange Request (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - Guns for Empire (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis - The Face of Courage (1959) TV Episode .... Joe Travis
- Black Saddle - A Case of Slow (1960) TV Episode .... Dr. Tom Wall
- Rawhide - Incident of the Last Chance (1960) TV Episode .... Sid Gorman
- The Twilight Zone - Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room .... George - Eye of the Beholder .... Doctor
- The Americans - Harper's Ferry (1961) TV Episode .... Lt. Barnes - The Regular (1961) TV Episode .... Lt. Barnes
- Thriller - The Premature Burial (1961) TV Episode .... Doctor March
- Laramie - The Star Trail (1959) TV Episode .... Vic Stoddard - A Grave for Cully Brown (1962) TV Episode .... Giles
- The Virginian - West (1962) TV Episode .... Blench
- Bearcats! - Powderkeg (1971) TV Episode .... Fallon, Hotel Goon
- The Bold Ones: The Lawyers - The Strange Secret of Yermo Hill (1971) TV Episode .... Dr. Sinclair
- Alias Smith and Jones - What happened at the XST? (1972) TV Episode .... Reverend Siever
- Captains and the Kings - Chapter III (1976) TV Episode .... Doctor Gill
- Hunter - Blow-Up (1986) TV Episode .... Minister
Writer
[edit]- Startime (1960) TV Series (writer - 1 episode)
- The Americans (1961) TV Series (writer - 2 episodes) (teleplay - 1 episode)
- Thriller (1961-1962) TV Series (adaptation - 2 episodes)
- Outlaws (1961-1962) TV Series (writer - 3 episodes)
- Rodeo (1963) TV Series (writer - 1 episode)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962-1964) TV Series (teleplay - 6 episodes)
- Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963-1964) TV Series (writer - 1 episode) (teleplay - 4 episodes)
- The Richard Boone Show (1963-1964) TV Series (teleplay - 4 episodes) (writer - 1 episode) (written by - 1 episode)
- Breaking Point (1964) TV Series (written by - 1 episode)
- The Fugitive (1963-1965) TV Series (written by- 3 episodes) (teleplay - 2 episodes)
- 12 O'Clock High (1965-1966) TV Series (writer - 3 episodes)
- Sergeant Ryker (1968) (screenplay)
- The Name of the Game (1969-1970) TV Series (written by - 2 episodes)
- The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1970-1971) TV Series (teleplay - 2 episodes)
- Alias Smith and Jones (1971-1972) TV Series (writer - 1 episode) (teleplay - 1 episode)
- Bonanza (1972) TV Series (writer - 1 episode)
- Cotter (1973) (writer)
- Petrocelli (1974) TV Series (written by - 1 episode)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1975) TV Series (story - 1 episode)
- Ironside (1973-1975) TV Series (teleplay - 5 episodes) (written by - 5 episodes) (story - 3 episodes)
- Barbary Coast (1975-1976) TV Series (writer - 1 episode) (written by - 1 episode)
- Chips (1978-1981) TV Series (writer - 4 episodes) (teleplay - 2 episodes) (teleplay & story - 1 episode) (story - 1 episode)
Producer
[edit]- Twelve O'Clock High (1965–1967) TV Series (producer – 47 episodes)
- The Fugitive (1964–1966) TV Series (associate producer – 32 episodes)
Miscellaneous crew
[edit]- The Richard Boone Show (1963-1964) TV Series (story supervisor – 17 episodes)
- Bonanza (1972) TV Series (executive story consultant – 3 episodes)
- Barbary Coast (1975–1976) TV Series (story editor – 11 episodes)
- CHiPs (1978-1982) TV Series (story editor – 77 episodes) (story supervisor – 2 episodes)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "William D. Gordon Biography". Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ a b The 12 O'Clock High Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series. BearManor Media. 2005. p. 428. ISBN 9781593930332. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Riverboat: The Evolution of a Television Series, 1959-1961. BearManor Media. 2009. p. 300. ISBN 978-1593935054. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015. p. 464. ISBN 9781442240018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ "Sergeant Ryker's Back". The New York Times. March 21, 1968. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ "The Richard Boone Show: 11 actors in an infinite number of roles". April 21, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide And Handbook to the 1960s Television Series. McFarland & Company. 2006. p. 246. ISBN 0786426314. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ "* William D. Gordon; Radio and TV Actor, Director, Producer". The Los Angeles Times. August 21, 1991. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1918 births
- 1991 deaths
- Deaths from lung cancer in California
- 20th-century American male actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from California
- American television producers
- American television directors
- American television writers
- American radio writers
- American male television writers
- 20th-century American screenwriters
- 20th-century American male writers