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William D. Gordon (actor)

William D. Gordon
Born
William Douglas Gordon

(1918-01-04)January 4, 1918
Santa Clara, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 12, 1991(1991-08-12) (aged 73)
Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1982

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

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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

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Gordon died in Thousand Oaks, California of lung cancer aged 73.[8]

Selected filmography

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Actor

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Writer

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Producer

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Miscellaneous crew

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "William D. Gordon Biography". Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b Riverboat: The Evolution of a Television Series, 1959-1961. BearManor Media. 2009. p. 300. ISBN 978-1593935054. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  4. ^ Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015. p. 464. ISBN 9781442240018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ^ "Sergeant Ryker's Back". The New York Times. March 21, 1968. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "The Richard Boone Show: 11 actors in an infinite number of roles". April 21, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide And Handbook to the 1960s Television Series. McFarland & Company. 2006. p. 246. ISBN 0786426314. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "* William D. Gordon; Radio and TV Actor, Director, Producer". The Los Angeles Times. August 21, 1991. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
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