Arthur Sofield Franz (February 29, 1920 – June 17, 2006) was an American actor whose most notable feature film role was as

Lieutenant, Junior Grade Lieutenant junior grade is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both ab ...

H. Paynter Jr. in ''

The Caine Mutiny ''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the mo ...

'' (1954).

Early life

Franz was born in

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", re ...

, New Jersey on Leap Year Day 1920, a Sunday. His interest in acting developed while he was still a student in high school.

Military service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Franz served as a

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...

in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. He was shot down over

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and incarcerated in a

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, an ...

, from which he later escaped.

Stage

Franz's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

credits include ''Command Decision'' (1947), ''The Moon Vine'' (1942), ''Little Darling'' (1942), and ''Hope for a Harvest'' (1941).

Film

Franz made his screen debut in '' Jungle Patrol'' (1948). He appeared in '' Roseanna McCoy'' (1949), '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' (1951), '' Eight Iron Men'' (1952), '' Invaders From Mars'' (1953), '' The Unholy Wife'' (1957), and '' Monster on the Campus'' (1958) among many others. In '' The Sniper'' (1952), he played a rare lead in the film's title role as a tormented killer; earlier, he co-starred with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

in the World War II film ''

Sands of Iwo Jima ''Sands of Iwo Jima'' is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marine Corps, United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele M ...

'' (1949) and with

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in '' Hellcats of the Navy'' (1957). Franz's last role was in 1982 film ''

That Championship Season ''That Championship Season'' is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play. Plot synopsis The setting is 1972 at the Coach's home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ...

''.

Television

Franz portrayed automobile magnate

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

in the 1955 television film, ''A Story About Henry Ford'', with

Karen Sharpe Karen Kay Sharpe (born September 20, 1934) is an American film and television actress. She is known for playing Laura Thomas in the American western television series '' Johnny Ringo''. Life and career Sharpe was born in San Antonio, Texas, t ...

as Ford's wife,

Clara Bryant Ford Clara Jane Bryant Ford (April 11, 1866 – September 29, 1950) was a suffragist and the wife of Henry Ford. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2017. Early life Clara Jane Bryant was born on April 11, 1866, to Melvin S. ...

. Franz was also a familiar face on American

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

; he made five guest appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', twice playing the defendant and one time the murderer. In 1958 he played the title role of Danny Harrison in "The Case of the Married Moonlighter," and in 1959 he played Richard Vanaman in "The Case of the Golden Fraud." In 1959, he co-starred in the short-lived series '' World of Giants''. In 1962, he played Mr. Evans in "The Case of the Captain's Coin." In 1960 Franz appeared as Matt Warner on the TV western ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'' on the episode titled "The Young Gun." In 1961, Franz was cast as the historical

Paine Page Prim Paine (Payne) Page Prim (May 2, 1822 – August 8, 1899) was an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 6th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving in that role three times between 1864 and 1878. Prim served on Ore ...

, a future chief justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

, in the episode, "Justice at Jackson Creek", on the syndicated

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, ''

'', hosted by

Stanley Andrews Stanley Martin Andrews (born Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first host of ...

. Prim is shown as a drunken, ostracized lawyer who hesitates to help a miner in legal trouble but must overcome his personal demons to excel at the law. The episode also stars

Dub Taylor Walter Clarence "Dub" Taylor Jr. (February 26, 1907 – October 3, 1994)Dub Taylor, 87, Actor in Westerns, The New York Times, October 5, 1994, Section B, Page 12 was an American character actor who from the 1940s into the 1990s worked extensiv ...

as Jake;

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on ''Richard Diamond, Private ...

as Carl Spenger, and

Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known ...

as Kinney. In 1962, he was cast as Asa Moran, an acting sheriff who abuses of his power, in the episode "The Lawmaker" of the NBC western series ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

''. He appeared on dozens of other series, including '' Schlitz Playhouse'', ''

Science Fiction Theatre ''Science Fiction Theatre'' is an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955, and ended on February 9, 1957, with a to ...

'', '' Crossroads'', ''

Ichabod and Me ''Ichabod and Me'' is an American sitcom television series starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler that aired in the United States during the 1961–62 United States network television schedule, 1961–62 television season. It depicts the l ...

'', '' Ripcord'', '' Primus'', ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

'', ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968, and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the G ...

'', ''

The Alaskans ''The Alaskans'' is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers i ...

'', ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...

'', '' The F.B.I.'', ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Pegg ...

'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', '' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'', ''

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'', ''

The Rookies ''The Rookies'' is an American police procedural series created by Rita Lakin that originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1972, to March 30, 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for ...

'', '' Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law'', ''

Storefront Lawyers ''Storefront Lawyers'' (also known as ''Men at Law'') is an American legal drama that ran from September 1970 to January 1971 and February 1971 to March 1971 on CBS. The series starred Robert Foxworth, Sheila Larken, David Arkin, and A Mart ...

'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'', '' The Invaders'', ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

'', ''

Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on 1969 ...

'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'', '' Wagon Train, Police Story'', '' Medical Story'', '' The Outcasts'', '' McCloud'', ''

Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

'', ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Ri ...

'', '' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'', ('Message from Tomorrow', 1960), and ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

''. Franz played the role of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

in the 1965 episode "George Mason" of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

documentary series ''

Profiles in Courage ''Profiles in Courage'' is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States senators. The book, authored by John F. Kennedy with Ted Sorensen as a ghostwriter, profiles senators who defied th ...

''.

William Bakewell William Robertson Bakewell (May 2, 1908 – April 15, 1993) was an American actor. He achieved his greatest fame as one of the leading juvenile performers of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Early years Bakewell was a native of Los Angeles, w ...

played

George Wythe George Wythe (; 1726 – June 8, 1806) was an American academic, scholar, and judge who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The first of the seven Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, signatories of the ...

, and

Laurence Naismith Laurence Naismith (born Lawrence Johnson; 14 December 1908 – 5 June 1992) was an English actor. He made numerous film and television appearances, including starring roles in the musical films '' Scrooge'' (1970) and the children's ghost fil ...

played the title role of

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. His wr ...

. Franz portrayed

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Charles A. Halleck of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

in the 1974 made-for-television film ''

The Missiles of October ''The Missiles of October'' is a 1974 television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. The title evokes the 1962 book '' The Guns of August'' by Barbara Tuchman about the missteps amongst the great powers and the failed ch ...

'', based on the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

in October 1962.

Personal life

Franz's third wife, actress Doreen Lang, died in 1999. He had previously been divorced twice. He married his fourth wife, Sharon, on February 14, 2006.

Death

Franz died in

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...

, at the age of 86 from

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

Selected filmography

* '' Jungle Patrol'' (1948) as Lt. 'Mace' Willard * '' Red Stallion in the Rockies'' (1949) as Thad Avery * '' The Doctor and the Girl'' (1949) as Dr. Harvey L. Kenmore * '' Red Light'' (1949) as Capt. Jess Torno (Chaplain) * '' Roseanna McCoy'' (1949) as Thad Wilkins * ''

'' (1949) as Cpl. Robert Dunne / Narrator * '' Tarnished'' (1950) as Bud Dolliver * ''

Three Secrets ''Three Secrets'' is a 1950 American drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman. It was released by Warner Bros. Plot A private plane crashes in the California mountains and a 5-year-old boy sur ...

'' (1950) as Paul Radin * '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' (1951) as Tommy Nelson * '' Strictly Dishonorable'' (1951) as Henry Greene * '' Submarine Command'' (1951) as Lt. Arnie Carlson * '' Flight to Mars'' (1951) as Dr. Jim Barker * '' The Sniper'' (1952) as Eddie Miller * '' Castle in the Air'' (1952) (uncredited). This film was also called "Rainbow Round My Shoulder" starring Frankie Laine. Franz was 3rd billed. * '' Eight Iron Men'' (1952) as Carter * ''

The Member of the Wedding ''The Member of the Wedding'' is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete, although she interrupted the work for a few months to write the novella '' The Ballad of the Sad Café''.McDowell, Mar ...

'' (1952) as Jarvis Addams * '' Invaders from Mars'' (1953) as Dr. Stuart Kelston/Narrator * ''

Flight Nurse A flight nurse is a registered nurse specializing in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care, and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally provided during aeromedical ...

'' (1953) as Capt. Mike Barnes * '' Bad for Each Other'' (1953) as Dr. Jim Crowley * ''

The Eddie Cantor Story ''The Eddie Cantor Story'' is a 1953 American musical drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Keefe Brasselle, Marilyn Erskine and Aline MacMahon. It is a biopic based on the life of Eddie Cantor featuring Brasselle as Cantor. It was ...

'' (1953) as Harry Harris * ''

'' (1954) as Lt. JG H. Paynter Jr. * ''

The Steel Cage ''The Steel Cage'' is a 1954 American film noir drama film directed by Walter Doniger, written by Oliver Crawford, Walter Doniger, Scott Littleton, Berman Swarttz and Guy Trosper, and starring Paul Kelly, Maureen O'Sullivan, Walter Slezak, ...

'' (1954) as Chaplain Harvey (segment "The Face") * '' Battle Taxi'' (1955) as Lt. Pete Stacy * '' New Orleans Uncensored'' (1955) as Dan Corbett * '' Bobby Ware Is Missing'' (1955) as George Ware * ''

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond (a) reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the standard of balance of probabilities (US English: preponderance of t ...

'' (1956) as Bob Hale * '' Running Target'' (1956) as Scott * '' The Wild Party'' (1956) as Lt. Arthur Mitchell * '' Hellcats of the Navy'' (1957) as Lt. Cmdr. Don Landon * '' The Unholy Wife'' (1957) as Father Stephen Hochen * '' Back from the Dead'' (1957) as Dick Anthony * '' The Devil's Hairpin'' (1957) as Danny Rhinegold * '' The Young Lions'' (1958) as Lt. Green * '' The Flame Barrier'' (1958) as Dave Hollister * '' Monster on the Campus'' (1958) as Prof. Donald Blake * '' Woman Obsessed'' (1959) as Tom Sharron (uncredited) * '' The Atomic Submarine'' (1959) as Lt. Cmdr. Richard 'Reef' Holloway * '' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' ('Call from Tomorrow ', episode) (1960) (Series 2, Episode 19) as Kevin Stacy * ''

The Carpetbaggers ''The Carpetbaggers'' is a 1961 bestselling novel by Harold Robbins, which was adapted into a 1964 film of the same title. The prequel '' Nevada Smith'' (1966) was also based on a character in the novel. In the United States, the term "carpe ...

'' (1964) as Morrissey * '' Alvarez Kelly'' (1966) as Capt. Towers * '' The Sweet Ride'' (1968) as Army Psychiatrist * ''

Anzio Anzio (, also ; ) is a town and ''comune'' on region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ve ...

'' (1968) as Maj. Gen. Luke Howard * '' Dream No Evil'' (1970) as John, County Psychiatrist * '' Million Dollar Duck'' (1971) as Prosecutor (uncredited) * ''So Long, Blue Boy'' (1973) as Ed Rilke * ''

'' (1974) as Congressman Charles A. Halleck * '' The 'Human' Factor'' (1975) as Gen. Fuller * '' Sisters of Death'' (1976) as Edmond Clybourn * ''King Monster'' (1976) as Narrator * '' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' (1977) as Sen. Jones * '' The Amazing Howard Hughes'' (1977) as Barnes * '' The Last Hurrah'' (1977) as Hack Wiles * ''

'' (1982) as Macken (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Franz, Arthur 1920 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American prisoners of war in World War II Deaths from emphysema Male actors from New Jersey Military personnel from Middlesex County, New Jersey Entertainers from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Shot-down aviators United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Actors from Middlesex County, New Jersey