Douglas Fowley(1911-1998)

He was born in the Bronx, New York. As a young man, he moved to Los Angeles and studied at Los Angeles City College. He served in the Navy during World War II. Fowley played everything from cowboys to gangsters, appearing alongside stars likeClark Gable,Ava Gardner,Esther Williams, Gene KellyandFrank Sinatra.He debuted inThe Mad Game (1933),withSpencer TracyandClaire Trevor. In his best-known performance, the 1952 musicalSingin' in the Rain (1952),he played a film director trying to ease a silent-film star into her first talking picture. His best-known television role was as Doc Holliday in the popular ABC western seriesThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955)during the 1950s and early '60s. His last film wasThe North Avenue Irregulars (1979)in 1979. He played Grandpa Hanks in the CBS comedyPistols 'n' Petticoats (1966)in 1966-67. Other television credits includedThe Streets of San Francisco (1972), Perry Mason (1957)andThe Rockford Files (1974).He died at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital, aged 86.