William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957–1959), Death Valley Days (1955–1962), and The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966). Schallert was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edwin Francis Schallert, a longtime drama critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Elza Emily Schallert (née Baumgarten), a magazine writer and radio host. He began acting while a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) but left to become an Army Air Corps fighter pilot in World War II. He returned to UCLA after the war and graduated in 1946. After graduating from UCLA, Schallert began his acting career in the theater. He appeared in several productions at the Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, including a staging of W. Somerset Maugham's Rain in 1948, which was directed by Charlie Chaplin. Schallert made his television debut in 1951, and he quickly became a familiar face on the small screen. He appeared in numerous guest roles on shows such as The Adventures of Superman, The Twilight Zone, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also had recurring roles on The Patty Duke Show, The Nancy Drew Mysteries, and The Torkelsons. In addition to his work on television, Schallert also appeared in several films, including The Bridges of Toko-Ri (1954), The Apartment (1960), and The Sting (1973). Schallert died in Pacific Palisades, California, in 2016, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Leah Waggner, and their four children.

Filmography

• Bag of Bones — Max Devore
• The Deep End — Hal Douglas
• 2009Green Lantern: First Flight — Appa Ali Apsa (voice)
• 2008Recount — Justice John Paul Stevens
• True Blood — Maire Norris, Mayor Norris
• 2007Sweetzer — Barnaby
• Close to Home — Harold Jensen
• How I Met Your Mother — Brady
• Medium — J. Donald Kessinger
• My Name Is Earl — Dr. Rudin
• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody — David
• Desperate Housewives — Ken
• What's New, Scooby-Doo? — Professor Pomfrit (voice), Farmer P. / Neville Popenbacher (voice)
• The Zeta Project
• Son of the Beach
• Family Law — Manager
• Harvey — Judge Gaffney
• 1999The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights — Martin Lane
• The Angry Beavers
• 1997The Second Civil War — Secretary of Defense
• 1997To Dance with Olivia — Judge Shelton
• 1996Harvey — Judge Gaffney
• Pacific Blue — Walter
• ER — Mitchell Jennings
• Rebel Highway — Judge Patrick Eugene Boone
• 1994Shake, Rattle and Rock! — Judge Boone
• The Good Life — Judge Milligan
• 1993Beethoven's 2nd — Steve - M.C. at Pet & Owner Burger Binge (uncredited)
• Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman — Al
• 1993Matinee — Dr. Grabow (uncredited)
• 1993Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's — Judge
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Varani, Nilz Baris
• Fish Police — Additional Voices (voice)
• Melrose Place — Dr. Curtis
• Dinosaurs — Wesayso Scientist (voice)
• 1991Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story — Landrum Bolling
• 1991House Party 2 — Dean Kramer
• 1991Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love — Sheriff
• The Torkelsons — Wesley "Boarder" Hodges
• Dream On — Judith's Father
• 1990The Incident — Wallace
• Coach — Bert Wilkins
• Cross of Fire — Reverend
• Quantum Leap — Judge Eugene Haller
• 1988Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis — Mr. Pomfritt
• Murphy Brown — Ken Hamilton
• War and Remembrance — Harry Hopkins
• A Year in the Life — Larry
• 1987Innerspace — Dr. Greenbush
• 1987The Smurfs: 'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy — Willem (voice)
• 1986Houston: The Legend of Texas — Narrator (voice)
• Matlock — Judge Elliot Franklin
• The New Gidget — Russ Lawrence
• 1986Under the Influence — Cade
• 1985Gidget's Summer Reunion — Russ Lawrence
• North and South — Gen. Robert E. Lee
• The Twilight Zone — (segment "Shadow Play")
• 1984Amazons — Congressman Stanford Barstow
• 1984Gremlins — Father Bartlett (uncredited)
• Highway to Heaven
• 1984Teachers — Horn
• The Duck Factory — Skip's Father
• 1983Grace Kelly — Father Tucker
• Scarecrow and Mrs. King
• 1983Through Naked Eyes — Terry Parrish
• 1983Twilight Zone: The Movie — Father
• Hotel
• Matt Houston
• St. Elsewhere — Olan Standley
• Simon & Simon
• 1980Hangar 18 — Professor Mills
• Magnum, P.I. — Bob
• Blind Ambition — Herbert Kalmbach
• 1979Doomsday Chronicles — Host
• 1979Ike — Gen. Mark Clark
• Ike — Gen. Mark Clark
• 1979Legends of the Super Heroes — Retired Man
• Legends of the Superheroes — Retired Man/Scarlet Cyclone
• 1979The Jerk — Judge M.A. Loring
• 1978Confessions of the D.A. Man
• Grandpa Goes to Washington
• Little Women — Jonathan March
• 1978The Stableboy's Christmas — The Innkeeper
• CHiPs — Rev. Warmer
• Lou Grant — Larry Hill, Mark Worth
• 1977Tail Gunner Joe — Gen. Zwicker
• The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries — Carson Drew
• All's Fair
• 1976Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway — Harry
• The Bionic Woman
• The Nancy Walker Show — Teddy Futterman
• 1976Tunnel Vision — Francis X. Cody
• Ellery Queen
• 1975Promise Him Anything — Silver
• Switch — Wayne Buford
• 1975The Strongest Man in the World — Prof. Quigley
• 1974Death Sentence — Tanner
• Little House on the Prairie — Snell, Dean Russell Harmon
• 1974Remember When — Dick Hodges
• The Manhunter
• The Six Million Dollar Man — Lorin Sandusky
• Barnaby Jones — Mr. Freels
• 1973Charley Varrick — Bill Horton
• 1973Hijack! — Frank Kleiner
• 1973Partners in Crime — Oscar
• Police Story
• Banacek — Leo Osburn
• Delphi Bureau — Maury Stapleton
• Kung Fu — Willis Roper
• 1972Man on a String — William Connaught
• 1972The Trial of the Catonsville Nine — Judge
• The Waltons
• 1971Escape — Senator Lewis Harrison
• Funny Face
• The Man and the City
• 1970Colossus: The Forbin Project — CIA Director Grauber
• The Partridge Family — Red Woodloe
• Hawaii Five-O — Defense Counsel Herbert, Craig Wilkie
• Marcus Welby, M.D. — Brian Cullen
• Room 222
• 1969Sam Whiskey — Mr. Perkins
• 1969The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes — Professor Quigley
• The Debbie Reynolds Show
• Here Come the Brides
• Land of the Giants — Dr. Arno
• 1968Speedway — Abel Esterlake
• The Mod Squad
• 1967Hour of the Gun — Judge Herman Spicer
• 1967In the Heat of the Night — Mayor Schubert
• Ironside
• Judd, for the Defense
• The Guns of Will Sonnett — Lawyer
• 1967Will Penny — Dr. Fraker
• CBS Playhouse — Mr. Meridian
• Mission: Impossible — Dr. Harrison Selby
• Pistols 'n' Petticoats
• Star Trek — Nilz Baris
• That Girl
• The Rat Patrol — Dr. Schneidermann
• Get Smart — Admiral Hargrade, Earl Kibbee
• The F.B.I. — Paul Ganz, Ed Crawford
• The Wild Wild West — Rufus Kraus, Silas Grigsby, Frank Harper
• 1964Archie — Fred Andrews
• Bewitched — Dr. Anton
• 1963Philbert (Three's a Crowd) — Griff M.
• 1963Shotgun Wedding — Preacher Parsons
• The Patty Duke Show — Martin Lane
• Combat! — Maj. Fisher
• Ensign O'Toole — Douglas Harper
• 1962Lonely are the Brave — Harry
• 1962Paradise Alley — Jack Williams
• Sam Benedict — Neil Carlson
• Stoney Burke
• The Lloyd Bridges Show — The Ballad Singer
• The Lucy Show — Mr. Cresant
• The Virginian — Harry Foley
• 87th Precinct
• 1961Alcatraz Express
• Dr. Kildare — Inspector, Tom Scola
• Gunslinger — Lieutenant Gilmore
• Hazel — Kemper
• The Dick Van Dyke Show — Mr. Kirk
• The New Breed — Gilbert Condon
• Coronado 9 — Alfred Bates
• Stagecoach West — Aeneas Longbridge
• Surfside 6 — Marty Kemp
• The Andy Griffith Show — Sam Becker
• 1960The Gallant Hours — Thomas G. Lamphier Jr.
• Thriller — Prof. John MacFarland ('Friend of the Dead')
• Black Saddle — Chet Mallet
• 1959Blue Denim — George - Bank Vice President (uncredited)
• 1959Day of the Outlaw
• Johnny Ringo — Mr. Ferris, Bogan
• Lock-Up
• One Step Beyond — Doctor Sanders, Lenny
• Philip Marlowe
• 1959Pillow Talk — Hotel Clerk
• Rawhide — The Salesman, Lt. Hill, Lieutenant Carter
• 1959The Beat Generation — Father Dinelli
• The DuPont Show with June Allyson — Lt. Barnes
• The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis — Prof. Leander Pomfritt, Mr. Leander Pomfritt
• The Rebel — Charles Ashbaugh
• The Twilight Zone — Policeman
• The Untouchables — Edward Garth
• Wichita Town
• 77 Sunset Strip — Steve Alexander
• Bat Masterson — Dr. Harold Dunsmore, George Winston
• 1958Cry Terror! — Henderson, Bank Representative
• Lawman
• Peter Gunn
• Sea Hunt
• 1958Some Came Running — Al (Jewelry Store Clerk) (uncredited)
• Steve Canyon — Major Karl Richmond
• The Rifleman — Joe Lovering, Fogarty
• The Texan
• 1958Torpedo Run — Captain of the Bluefin
• Wanted: Dead or Alive — Hotel Clerk, James Hendricks, Craig the Bartender, Link Damon
• 1957Circle of the Day — Reporter
• Have Gun, Will Travel — Cavalry Corporal
• Leave It to Beaver — Mr. Bloomgarden
• 1957Man in the Shadow — Jim Shaney
• 1957Man on Fire — Charles (uncredited)
• Maverick
• Perry Mason — Graves, Dr. Bradbury, Len Dykes
• Richard Diamond, Private Detective — Johnny Prescott (uncredited), Charlie Kane
• Sugarfoot — Cole
• 1957The Girl in the Kremlin — Jacob Stalin
• 1957The Hired Man — Mr. Clay
• 1957The Incredible Shrinking Man — Doctor Arthur Bramson
• 1957The Monolith Monsters — Weatherman
• 1957The Tarnished Angels — Ted Baker
• 1957The Tattered Dress — Court Clerk
• Wagon Train — Miles Van Vander
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre — Yarbrough, Tom Baird, John Scott
• 1956Forbidden Area — TV Announcer
• 1956Friendly Persuasion — Young Husband (uncredited)
• 1956Gunslinger — Marshal Scott Hood
• 1956Massacre at Sand Creek — Defense Attorney
• 1956Raw Edge — Missionary
• The Adventures of Jim Bowie
• 1956The Lone Ranger — Clive - Secretary (uncredited)
• 1956Written on the Wind — Reporter
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Lt. Gunderson
• 1955Bobby Ware Is Missing — Police Radio Dispatcher (uncredited)
• Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe — Ted Richards
• Gunsmoke — Eben Hakes, Alben Peavy, Capt. Grant, Jess, Ezra Thorpe, Jake Spence, Judge Ray Cordelius
• 1955Hell's Horizon — Capt. Ben Morgan
• Matinee Theater
• 1955Smoke Signal — Private Livingston
• 1955Top of the World — Harding
• 1954Black Tuesday — Collins (uncredited)
• 1954Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl — Priest (uncredited)
• Climax! — David
• 1954Down Three Dark Streets — Ben
• 1954Gog — Engle
• Lassie
• 1954Riot in Cell Block 11 — Reporter
• 1954Shield for Murder — Asst. Dist. Atty. Andy Tucker
• 1954The High and the Mighty — Dispatcher
• 1954The Raid — Rebel Soldier (uncredited)
• The Whistler
• 1954Them! — Ambulance Attendant
• 1954Tobor the Great — Johnston - a Reporter
• 1953Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe — Ted Richards
• General Electric Theater — Red Myers
• Letter to Loretta — Roy Smith
• 1953Port Sinister — Collins
• 1953Sword of Venus — Valmont
• 1953The Jazz Singer — Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)
• 1952Captive Women — Carver, the Mutate traitor
• Death Valley Days — Ellis Higby, Dave Meiser
• 1952Flat Top — Ens. Longfellow
• Four Star Playhouse — Airline Clerk, Johnson
• 1952Hoodlum Empire — Inquiry Clerk
• Mr. & Mrs. North
• 1952Paula — Reporter
• 1952Rose of Cimarron — Gold Bullion Guard
• 1952Singin' in the Rain — Messenger on Screen (uncredited)
• 1952Storm Over Tibet — Aylen
• The Ford Television Theatre — Union Official
• 1951Bannerline — Cass
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Dr. Janeway
• 1951M — Rorschach Test Subject (uncredited)
• 1951The Man from Planet X — Dr. Mears
• 1951The People Against O'Hara — Intern with Ambulance (uncredited)
• 1951The Red Badge of Courage — Union Soldier (uncredited)
• 1950Lonely Heart Bandits — Dave Clark
• Lux Video Theatre — Sam Carter, Thompson, Ferguson, Hall
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show — Pete
• 1949Mighty Joe Young — Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
• 1949The Reckless Moment — Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
• 1947Doctor Jim — George Brant

Appearances as themselves (4)

• 2021Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! — Self
• 2014Monster Madness: Mutants, Space Invaders, and Drive-Ins — Self
• 2004Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen — Self
• 1996A Century of Science Fiction — Self