Frank Aletter
Frank George Aletter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 14, 1926 College Point, Queens,New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 2009(aged 83) Tarzana, California,U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1991 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Frank George Aletter(January 14, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was an Americantheatre,film,andtelevisionactor.
Early years
[edit]Born inCollege Point, Queens,New York, Aletter studied acting at theDramatic WorkshopinManhattan.He served in theUnited States Armyin Germany from January 1946 to 1948.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Aletter's Broadway debut came in 1950 as a replacement forEli WallachinMister Roberts.[1]During the 1950s, he appeared on Broadway inBells Are Ringing,Time Limit,andWish You Were Here.[3]
He soon moved on to a prolific television career, appearing as a guest on numerous shows between 1956 and 1988. Aletter starred in three programs in the 1960s, beginning withBringing Up Buddy,a sitcom during the 1960–1961 season,[4]featuring Aletter withEnid MarkeyandDoro Merande,who portrayed his overprotective spinster aunts to Aletter's character, Buddy Flower, a bachelor stockbroker. He appeared in the eighth episode ofLucille Ball'sThe Lucy Showin the 1962 segment "Lucy the Music Lover." Aletter was cast as Dr. Sam Eastman, an ear-nose-throat specialist who adores classical music.
Aletter's wife,Lee Meriwether,a formerMiss America,guest-starred once onBringing Up Buddy.AfterBringing Up Buddy,Aletter guest-starred inTarget: The Corruptors,The Lloyd Bridges Show,andThe Eleventh Hour.He portrayed murderer Harry Collins on the 1963Perry Masonepisode "The Case of the Skeleton's Closet". Also in 1963, he co-starred inThe Twilight Zoneepisode "The Parallel".In 1964, he played murder victim, television news reporter Tommy Towne, in" The Case of the Arrogant Arsonist. "
In the 1965–1966 season, he guest-starred in two episodes ofTwelve O'Clock High,once as Lt. Col. Bill Christy and as a sergeant in public relations.
Aletter had another regular role inIt's About Time,aSherwood Schwartzseries on CBS in 1966–1967.[4]: 516
He played Professor Irwin Hayden in theRichard Donner-directed, 36-part, live-actioncliffhangerserialDanger IslandonThe Banana SplitsAdventure Hour,which aired on Saturday mornings on NBC from 1968 to 1970. In the fall of 1970, he had a supporting role in the NBC sitcomNancy.
His movie roles includeMister Roberts,Tora! Tora! Tora!,and Disney'sA Tiger Walks.[5]
Aletter portrayed the supporting role of Tom Logan in the "Alcoa Premiere TV Series"Season 2 Episode 5 (S2E5) entitled" Mr. Lucifer ", which aired November 1, 1962. The episode was written by sci-fi writerAlfred Bester,withFred Astaireas the host and in the title role oppositeElizabeth Montgomery.[6][7]
Aletter worked with theScreen Actors Guild,having been elected as a vice president in 1987.[8]
Aletter also played George Snyder on the 1970s sitcomMaudein the episode "Love and Marriage" (season one, episode seven).
On January 8, 1978, Aletter played advertising executive Mr. Prescott in the episode "The Commercial" ofAll in the Family.
Aletter played Harry, abigamistwith six wives to whomBlancheis engaged, in the pilot episode ofThe Golden Girls.
Personal life
[edit]On April 20, 1958, Aletter marriedLee Meriwether,actress and former Miss America, in San Francisco, California.[9]They divorced in 1974. They had two daughters, actresses Kyle Aletter-Oldham (best known for her run as one ofBarker's Beauties) and Lesley Aletter.[1]
Death
[edit]On May 13, 2009, Aletter died ofcancerat the age of 83 at his home inTarzana,California.[1]He was cremated and ashes were taken by his daughter inChatsworth, California.[10]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Mister Roberts | Gerhart | |
| 1964 | A Tiger Walks | Joe Riley | |
| 1970 | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Lt. Commander Thomas | |
| 1972 | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | TV Announcer | |
| 1972 | Run, Cougar, Run | Sam Davis | |
| 1975 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Norman Cahill | One episode |
| 1983 | Private School | Mr. Leigh-Jensen | |
| 1986 | Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter | Mr. Cromwell |
References
[edit]- ^abcdLentz, Harris M. III (2010).Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2009: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture.McFarland. p. 6.ISBN9780786456451.RetrievedJune 17,2017.
- ^Gross, Ben."A TV Star Who'd Like To Be a Truck Driver",Sunday News(New York Daily News), New York, New York, volume 44, number 29, November 15, 1964, page 39c.
- ^Frank Aletterat theInternet Broadway Database
- ^abTerrace, Vincent (2011).Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010(2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 137.ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^Frank Aletter - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - MoviesNew York Times
- ^OV Guide - Alcoa Premiere S2E5 - Mr. Lucifer
- ^YouTube Alcoa Premiere: Mr. Lucifer - Fred Astaire and Elizabeth Montgomery - Part 1
- ^Patty Duke Re-elected By Screen Actors GuildNew York Times
- ^"Former Miss America Married".Santa Cruz Sentinel.California, Santa Cruz. Associated Press. April 21, 1958. p. 4.RetrievedJune 15,2017– viaNewspapers.
- ^Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson
External links
[edit]- Frank AletteratIMDb
- Frank Aletterat theInternet Broadway Database
- Frank AletteratAllMovie
- New York Times MoviesHis filmography there
- Frank Aletter, Screen Actor, Dies at 83
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1926 births
- 2009 deaths
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- Deaths from cancer in California
- Deaths from thyroid cancer
- Male actors from Queens, New York
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- Screen Actors Guild
- United States Army soldiers
- American expatriates in Germany