Fred Clark

Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor.

Career

Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included nearly seventy films and numerous television appearances. As a supporting player, with his gruff voice, intimidating build, bald head and small moustache beneath an often scowling visage, he was often cast as a testy film producer, crime boss, landlord, employer, doctor, or general. In 1942 during World War II Clark joined the United States Navy and served as a pilot. He later transferred to the United States Armyand served with the Third Army in Europe until the end of the war.

Among his films were Ride the Pink Horse (1948), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Flamingo Road (1949), White Heat (1949), Sunset Boulevard(1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell(1955), How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Auntie Mame (1958), and Visit to a Small Planet (1960).

Although he continued making films during the 1960s (most notably a large role in Hammer Film Productions' The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb in 1964 and John Goldfarb, Please Come Home in 1965) he was more often seen on television, as a regular on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as neighbor Harry Morton (until 1953) and guest roles on The Twilight Zone, The Beverly Hillbillies, Going My Way, The Addams Family, and I Dream of Jeannie. In 1962, he and Bea Benaderet, another Burns and Allen veteran, played Mr. and Mrs. Springer in the episode "Continental Dinner," the series finale of the CBS sitcom Pete and Gladys, starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams. Clark had a regular but short-lived role in the 1966 ABC sitcom The Double Life of Henry Phyfe as the "Central Intelligence Service" boss of a hapless conscripted spy played by comedian Red Buttons.

Personal life

Clark was married to actress Benay Venuta from 1952–1962, then model Gloria Glaser from 1966 until his death from liver disease in Santa Monica, California.

Clark has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television, at 1713 Vine Street.

Partial filmography

• The Unsuspected (1947)
• Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
• Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
• Cry of the City (1948)
• Alias Nick Beal (1949)
• Flamingo Road (1949)
• Task Force (1949)
• White Heat (1949)
• Sunset Boulevard (1950)
• Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950)
• The Jackpot (1950)
• Hollywood Story (1951)
• The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
• A Place in the Sun (1951)
• Three for Bedroom "C" (1952)
• Dreamboat (1952)
• The Caddy (1953)
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
• Living It Up (1954)
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
• Daddy Long Legs (1955)
• The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
• How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955)
• Miracle in the Rain (1956)
• The Birds and the Bees (1956)
• The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
• Back from Eternity (1956)
• The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957)
• Don't Go Near the Water (1957)
• Auntie Mame (1958)
• The Mating Game (1959)
• It Started with a Kiss (1959)
• The Passionate Thief (1960)
• Visit to a Small Planet (1960)
• Bells Are Ringing (1960)
• Behind Closed Doors (1962)
• Boys' Night Out (1962)
• Zotz! (1962)
• Move Over, Darling (1963)
• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
• Miracle in the Rain (1964)
• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
• Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
• When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
• Sergeant Deadhead (1965)
• The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (television, 1966)
• War Italian Style (1967)
• Eve (1968)
• Skidoo (1968)
• The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)