Biography
He is best remembered for his role of 'Army Private Littlejohn' in the World War II television series, "Combat!" (1962 to 1967). Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1942, during World War II, he joined the United States Army, and was discharged in 1945 as an Electronic Technician. Using his GI Bill, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Kansas City, but switched to acting because he wanted fame and attention. After graduation, he held a series of jobs producing screen advertising and making television commercials, until he was noticed by director Robert Altman, who recommended he be hired to make educational and industrial films. He moved to Kansas City, where he worked as the news anchor, then moved to Denver, where he worked as a radio show host and later, as a television producer. Bored with what he was doing, despite being successful, he decided it was time to move to Hollywood, and quickly found work two days after arriving in Hollywood, when Director Robert Altman offered him a role in a new television series, "Combat!" (1962-1967), and he quickly signed on. After this role, he continued to act in a series of prime-time television shows and in six movies, including "MacKenna's Gold" (1969), "Support Your Local Sheriff" (1969), and "Your Money or Your Wife" (1972). At six feet, six inches tall, he enjoyed playing villains, and reported that leading actors liked having him as a villain because they would not look like bullies when they beat him up in a screen fight. In 1985, back pain ended his television career, and he moved to El Dorado County, California, where he resumed his writing career, writing a weekly column, "Peabody's Place," for the Placerville, California, Mountain Democrat newspaper. His columns would cover reminiscences of Hollywood, as well as various social and political topics. In 1996, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and continued to remain active until his death. He died in his home in Camino, California, from prostate cancer.
