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Paul Hartman was a flexible American dancer, vaudevillian, and character actor with deep roots in show business. His father, Ferris Hartman, an impresario, was dubbed "the Ziegfeld of the Pacific Coast." Between 1917 and 1921, Paul worked as a silent film director for Triangle in Culver City. He began performing in a family act at just six weeks old and toured Japan in the cast of "The Mikado" at age two. After high school, Paul briefly attended the University of California before working as a copy boy and reporter for a San Francisco newspaper. He soon left journalism to pursue a career in entertainment, gaining recognition as a nightclub dancer alongside future stars Ginger Rogers, Faye Emerson, and Nancy Walker. Together with his wife Grace Hartman (née Barrett), he formed a renowned ballroom-dancing duo, touring the U.S. vaudeville circuit and appearing on Broadway. In 1948, they achieved great success with the revue "Angel in the Wings," both receiving Tony Awards for Best Leading Players in a Musical.
At the height of their fame, the couple was invited to Hollywood to star in one of the earliest TV sitcoms, The Hartmans (1949). However, the show was unsuccessful due to weak scripting. After Grace passed away from cancer in 1955, Paul largely retired from the stage, making one last Broadway appearance in the comedy "Drink to Me Only" (1958). Drawn by the steady income from television, he continued acting in supporting roles on TV for the rest of his career, along with a few feature film appearances. Notable recurring roles included the family patriarch in The Pride of the Family (1953), handyman Emmett Clark in The Andy Griffith Show (1960), and barber Bert Smedley in Petticoat Junction (1963). Paul Hartman died in Los Angeles on October 2, 1973, at age 69.
