''The Untouchables'' is an American crime drama produced by

Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...

that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the ABC Television Network. Based on the memoir of the same name by

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. ...

and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized experiences of Elliot Ness as a Prohibition agent, fighting crime in Chicago in the 1930s with the help of a special team of agents handpicked for their courage, moral character, and incorruptibility, nicknamed the Untouchables. The book was later made into a celebrated film in 1987 by

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

, with a script by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

, and a second, less-successful

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

in 1993. A dynamic, hard-hitting action drama, and a landmark television crime series, ''The Untouchables'' won series star Robert Stack an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1960.

Series overview

The series originally focused on the efforts of a real-life squad of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...

agents employed by the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

and led by Eliot Ness (Stack) that helped bring down the bootleg empire of "Scarface"

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

, as described in Ness's bestselling 1957 memoir. This squad was nicknamed "The Untouchables" because of its courage and honesty; squad members could not be bribed or intimidated by the mob. Eliot Ness himself had died suddenly in May 1957, shortly before his memoir and the subsequent TV adaptation were to bring him fame beyond any he experienced in his lifetime. The pilot for the series, a two-part episode entitled "The Untouchables," originally aired on CBS's ''

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s televisio ...

'' on April 20 and 27, 1959. Later re-titled "The Scarface Mob", these episodes, which featured Neville Brand as Al Capone, were the only episodes in the series to be more-or-less directly based on Ness's memoir, and ended with the conviction and imprisonment of Capone. CBS, which had broadcast most of Desilu's television output since 1951 beginning with '' I Love Lucy'', was offered the new series following the success of the pilot film. Chairman William S. Paley rejected it on the advice of network vice president Hubbell Robinson. ABC agreed to air the series, and ''The Untouchables'' premiered on October 15, 1959. In the pilot movie, the mobsters generally spoke with unrealistic pseudo-Italian accents, but this idiosyncratic pronunciation was dropped when the series debuted. The weekly series first dramatized a power struggle to establish a new boss in Capone's absence (for the purpose of the TV series, the new boss was Frank Nitti, although this was, as usual for the series, contrary to fact). As the series continued, there developed a highly fictionalized portrayal of Ness and his crew as all-purpose, multi-agency crime fighters who went up against an array of 1930s-era gangsters and villains, including

Ma Barker Kate Barker (born Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker (and sometimes known as Arizona Barker and Arrie Barker), was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker–Karpis Gang ...

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the n ...

Bugs Moran George Clarence "Bugs" Moran (; Adelard Leo Cunin; August 21, 1893 – February 25, 1957) was an American Chicago Prohibition-era gangster. He was incarcerated three times before his 21st birthday. Seven members of his gang were gunned dow ...

, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll,

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was an Irish American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during the Prohibition era. A bootleg ...

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumen ...

, and in one episode,

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

agents. On many occasions during the series run, Ness would blatantly violate suspects' Fourth Amendment rights with no legal ramifications. The terse narration by gossip columnist

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and ...

, in his distinctive New York accent, was a stylistic hallmark of the series, along with its ominous theme music by

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Recor ...

and its shadowy black-and-white photography, which was influenced by

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

Controversy

The show drew harsh criticism from some Italian-Americans, including

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

, who felt it promoted negative stereotypes of them as mobsters and gangsters. The Capone family unsuccessfully sued CBS, Desilu Productions, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation for their depiction of the Capone family. In the first episode of the first season, the character of "Agent (Rico) Rossi", a person of Italian extraction who had witnessed a gangland murder, was added to Ness's team. On March 9, 1961,

Anthony Anastasio Anthony Anastasio (; born Antonio Anastasio, ; February 24, 1906 – March 1, 1963) was an Italian-American mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family who controlled the Brooklyn dockyards for over thirty years. He controlled Broo ...

, chief of the Brooklyn waterfront and its

International Longshoremen's Association The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a North American labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways. The ILA h ...

, marched in line with a picket group who identified themselves as "The Federation of Italian-American Democratic Organizations". In protest formation outside the ABC New York headquarters, they had come together to urge the public boycott of Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company (L&M) products, including Chesterfield cigarettes, the lead sponsor of ''The Untouchables''. They expressed displeasure with the program, which to them vilified Italian-Americans, stereotyping them as the singular criminal element. The boycott and the attendant firestorm of publicity had the effect Anastasio and his confederates wanted. Four days after the picket of ABC, L&M, denying it had bowed to intimidation, announced it would drop its sponsorship of ''The Untouchables'', maintaining the decision was based on network-scheduling conflicts. The following week, the head of

Desilu Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

(who had attended high school with Capone's son Albert), in concert with ABC and the " Italian-American League to Combat Defamation", issued a formal three-point manifesto: * There will be no more fictional hoodlums with Italian names in future productions. * There will be more stress on the law-enforcement role of "Rico Rossi", Ness's right-hand man on the show. * There will be an emphasis on the "formidable influence" of Italian-American officials in reducing crime and an emphasis on the "great contributions" made to American culture by Americans of Italian descent. The series also incurred the displeasure of the powerful director of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...

, when the fictionalized scripts depicted Ness and his Treasury agents involved in operations that were actually the province of the FBI. The second episode of the series, for example, depicted Ness and his crew involved in the capture of the Ma Barker gang, an incident in which the real-life Ness played no part. The producers agreed to insert a spoken disclaimer on future broadcasts of the episode stating that the FBI had primary responsibility for the Barker case. ''The Untouchables'' was an unusually violent program for its time and its excessive violence and surprisingly frank depictions of drug abuse and prostitution were described by the National Association for Better Radio and Television as "not fit for the television screen". Several episodes included depictions of violence toward children. In an article titled "The New Enemies of 'The Untouchables'"

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

argued that the persistent, superficial attacks received by ''The Untouchables'' were due to its appeal and its virtues: its moral conflict and moral purpose.

Episodes and cast

Neville Brand as Al Capone The Untouchables 1959

The series had 118 episodes which ran 50 minutes each. Though the book chronicled the experiences of Ness and his cohorts against Capone, and in reality the Untouchables disbanded soon after Capone's conviction, the series continued after the pilot and book ended, depicting the fictitious further exploits of the Untouchables against many, often real life, criminals over a span of time ranging from 1929 to 1935. The television episodes were broadcast in no chronological timeline, but were set mostly in the early 1930s (for example, one episode, "You Can't Pick the Number", begins with Winchell's words, "October 1932: the depth of the Depression"), and another episode "Canada Run" begins at Chicago Stadium at the NFL Playoff Game on December 18, 1932. A few episodes were set primarily in a locale other than Chicago (such as the one dealing with the shootout involving Ma Barker and her gang.) Characters and "facts" in the majority of the episodes were more often than not entirely fictitious or loosely based composites of true-life criminals of that era. The gripping theme music was by Nelson Riddle.

Quinn Martin Quinn Martin (born Irwin Martin Cohn; May 22, 1922 – September 5, 1987) was an American television producer. He had at least one television series running in prime time every year for 21 straight years (from 1959 to 1980). Martin is a mem ...

produced the show's first season, which contained elements that could be found in future TV series produced by Martin. The most prominent Untouchables were portrayed by: * Robert Stack as Agent

* Nicholas Georgiade as Agent Enrico "Rico" Rossi *

Paul Picerni Horacio Paul Picerni (December 1, 1922 – January 12, 2011) was an American actor in film and television, perhaps best known today in the role of Federal Agent Lee Hobson, second-in-command to Robert Stack's Eliot Ness, in the ABC hit televisi ...

as Agent Lee Hobson, (second season on) * Abel Fernandez as Agent William Youngfellow * Steve London as Agent Jack Rossman (portrayed in the pilot by

Paul Dubov Paul Dubov (October 10, 1918 – September 20, 1979) was an American radio, film and television actor as well as screenwriter. He frequently appeared in the works of Sam Fuller. Among Dubov's radio credits include the 05/02/1953 episode of Guns ...

) Other Untouchables members who were prominent at first, but didn't last past the pilot or the first season, were portrayed by : * Jerry Paris as Agent Martin Flaherty, (first season only-portrayed in the pilot by Bill Williams) * Chuck Hicks as Agent LaMarr Kane (first season only-portrayed in the pilot by Peter Leeds) killed off in the first season episode, "The Tri-State Gang." * Anthony George as Agent Cam Allison, (first season only) *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most ...

as Agent Joe Fuselli (pilot episode only) *

Eddie Firestone Eddie Firestone (December 11, 1920 – March 1, 2007) was an American radio, television, and film actor who accumulated over 200 total credits during his performing career. Early life When he was 12, Firestone was in the cast of ''Wheatenavil ...

as Agent Eric Hansen (pilot episode only) *

Robert Osterloh Robert Osterloh (May 31, 1918 – April 16, 2001) was an American actor. His career spanned 20 years, appearing in films such as '' The Dark Past'' (1948), '' The Wild One'' (1953), '' I Bury the Living'' (1958) and '' Young Dillinger'' (1965). ...

as Agent Tom Kopka (pilot episode only) In addition to the Untouchables themselves, there were several recurring allies in more than one episode: *

Frank Wilcox Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays. Background Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...

as Federal District Attorney Beecher Asbury *

Robert Bice Robert Bice (March 14, 1914 – January 8, 1968), was an American television and film actor. Biography He was born on March 14, 1914, in Dallas, Texas. He died on January 8, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. Career Bice appeared in 199 films a ...

as Police Capt. Johnson * Jason Wingreen as Police Capt. Dorset *

Raymond Bailey Raymond Thomas Bailey (May 6, 1904 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor, and comedian on the Broadway stage, films, and television. He is best known for his role as greedy banker Milburn Drysdale in the television series ''The Beverly Hill ...

as US Attorney for New York John Carvell * Barbara Nichols as Brandy La France, showgirl and wife/widow of an informant, appearing in both the pilot and premiere * Dane Clark as Dr. Victor Garr * John Gabriel as Dr. Daniel Gilford *

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

as Lt. Agatha Stewart, head of the Missing Persons Bureau * Ed Asner as Frank, one of Agatha Stewart's assistants * Virginia Capers as June, one of Agatha Stewart's assistants The show also had several recurrent gangsters, many of them loosely based on real life gangsters of the time period: * Frank Nitti, Capone's enforcer who takes over the Chicago mob after Capone is imprisoned, portrayed by Bruce Gordon, and appearing in far more episodes than any other gangster * Joe Kulak, portrayed by Oscar Beregi, Jr. *

, portrayed in different episodes by Lawrence Dobkin,

Robert J. Wilke Robert Joseph Wilke (May 18, 1914 – March 28, 1989) was an American film and television actor noted primarily for his roles as villains, mostly in Westerns. Early years Wilke was a native of Cincinnati. Before going into acting, he h ...

, and Warren J. Kemmerling * Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, portrayed in the pilot by Bern Hoffman, and in the series by Nehemiah Persoff * George "Bugs" Moran, portrayed in different episodes by Lloyd Nolan, Robert J. Wilke, and Harry Morgan *

Louis Lepke Buchalter Louis Buchalter, known as Louis Lepke or Lepke Buchalter, (February 6, 1897March 4, 1944) was an American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc., during the 1930s. Buchalter was one of the premier labor racketeers in New York Ci ...

, portrayed in different episodes by Gene Roth, Robert Carricart, and

Joseph Ruskin Joseph Ruskin (born Joseph Richard Schlafman; April 14, 1924 – December 28, 2013) was an American character actor. Also appeared in several underworld character roles on the tv series The Untouchables (1959-1963) Early life Ruskin was born ...

, portrayed by Robert Carricart * Pete Konitz, portrayed by Carl Milletaire * Frankie Resko, portrayed by Grant Richards *

, portrayed by Neville Brand, and appearing only in the 2 hour pilot and a 2 part episode * Louis Campagna, portrayed by Frank de Kova * Augie Viale, portrayed by John Beradino * Little Charlie Sebastino, portrayed by Henry Silva * Louis Latito, portrayed by

Joe De Santis Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis (June 15, 1909 – August 30, 1989) was an American radio, television, movie and theatrical actor and sculptor. Biography Joe De Santis was born Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis to Italian immigrant parents in Ne ...

* Archie Devlin, Capone's attorney, portrayed by

George N. Neise George N. Neise (February 16, 1917April 14, 1996) was an American character actor. He made over 120 film and television appearances between 1942 and 1978. Early years Born in Chicago, Illinois, Neise was the son of Edwin Neise and Bertha Hagen. ...

* Lucky Quinn, portrayed by John Kellogg *

Joe Aiello Giuseppe "Joe" Aiello (; September 27, 1890 – October 23, 1930) was a Sicilian bootlegger and organized crime leader in Chicago during the Prohibition era. He was best known for his long and bloody feud with Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone. ...

portrayed in two episodes (where he's killed off in both episodes) by

H. M. Wynant H. M. Wynant (born Chaim Winant; February 12, 1927) is an American film and television actor. Biography Wynant was born in Detroit, Michigan. He made his feature film debut as an Indian in Samuel Fuller's ''Run of the Arrow'' (1957). In the 1 ...

and Grant Richards * Phil D'Andrea, portrayed by Wally Cassell, and appearing only in the pilot and premiere * "Fur" Sammons, portrayed by Richard Benedict, and appearing only in the pilot and premiere * Tony "Mops" Volpe, portrayed by Herman Rudin, and appearing only in the pilot and premiere Finally, heard in every episode, but never shown onscreen: * Announcer: Les Lampson * Narrator:

Paul Picerni and Nicholas Georgiade were cast as gangsters in Capone and Nitti's mob in the 1959 pilot before being cast in the series. * Steve London's character of Untouchable Jack Rossman (played in the "Scarface Mob" pilot by

), was in the series since the original season-one series episode, "The Empty Chair", not from season two on as is commonly reported. ** The character of Untouchable William Youngfellow, portrayed by Abel Fernandez, has been mistakenly referred to by ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' actor

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

as "Youngblood". This name is incorrect.

Guest stars

''The Untouchables'' (due to Robert Stack's star power as a successful motion picture actor), was notable for the large number of past and future motion picture and television stars who signed and appeared as guest stars on the show during its four-year run. These include: (S#=Season number, E#=Episode number) * Luther Adler in S2/E3 "Nicky", S2/E22 "Murder Under Glass", S3/E17 "Takeover" * William Bendix in S1/E9 The Tri-State Gang Dec'59 * Herbie Faye in S3E12 "Fall Guy" * Jason Wingreen in S2E5 "The Mark of Cain", S2E14 "The Masterpiece", S2E20 "The Antidote", S2E30 "The King of Champagne", S3E5 "The Matt Bass Scheme", S4E5 "The Pea", S4E7 "The Eddie O'Gara Story", S4E28 "The Torpedo" * John Hoyt in S1E19 "The Big Squeeze" * Ted de Corsia in S1E5 "Ain't We Got Fun", S4E9 "Come and Kill Me" *

Anne Helm Anne Helm (born September 12, 1938) is a retired Canadian-born actress and children's author (as Annie Helm), who primarily appeared in guest roles on episodes of various American television series. Her few film roles include playing Elvis Presl ...

in S3/E8 "Mankiller" *

Carole Eastman Carole Eastman (February 19, 1934 – February 13, 2004) was an American actress and screenwriter. Among her credits are screenplays for Monte Hellman's '' The Shooting'' (1967), Bob Rafelson's '' Five Easy Pieces'' (1970) (for which she was ...

in S2E26 "Death for Sale" *

Claude Akins Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor with a long career on stage, screen, and television. He was best known as Sheriff Lobo on the 1979–1981 television series '' B.J. and the Bear'', and ...

in S1/E20 "The Unhired Assassin" Part 1, S3/E28 "The Monkey Wrench", S4/E23 The Spoiler *

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Among his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner) i ...

in S1E28 "The Frank Nitti Story" *

Norma Crane Norma Crane (born Norma Anna Bella Zuckerman; November 10, 1928 — September 28, 1973) was an American actress of stage, film, and television best known for her role as Golde in the 1971 film adaptation of ''Fiddler on the Roof''. She also star ...

in S1/E14 "Noise of Death", S2/E2 "Jack Legs Diamond", S2/E21 "The Lily Dallas Story" *

Joseph Campanella Joseph Anthony Campanella (November 21, 1924 – May 16, 2018) was an American character actor. He appeared in more than 200 television and film roles from the early 1950s to 2009. Campanella was best remembered for his roles as Joe Turino on ' ...

in S4E11 "The Floyd Gibbons Story" * Vince Edwards in S1/E7 " Mexican Stake out " *

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...

in S1E13 in "Syndicate Sanctuary", S2E23 "Testimony of Evil", S3E26 "Pressure" * James MacArthur in S2/E26 "Death for Sale" *

Robert Gist Robert Marion Gist (October 1, 1917 – May 21, 1998) was an American actor and film director. Life and career Gist was reared around the stockyards of Chicago, Illinois, during the Great Depression. Reform school-bound after injuring an ...

in S1E21 "The Unhired Assassin" Part 2 *

Larry Gates Lawrence Wheaton Gates (September 24, 1915December 12, 1996) was an American actor. His notable roles include H.B. Lewis on daytime's '' Guiding Light'' and Doc Baugh in the film version of ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958). He played the role ...

in S1E17 "One Armed Bandit", S2E9 "The Larry Fay Story" *

J.D. Cannon John Donovan Cannon (April 24, 1922 – May 20, 2005) was an American actor. An alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, he is best known for his co-starring role of Chief of Detectives Peter B. Clifford in the telev ...

in S4/E2 The Cooker in the Sky, S4/E21 "The Man in the Cooler" *

Jeff Corey Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s. Life and career Corey attended New Utrecht Hig ...

in S2E20 "The Antidote" * Thomas Mitchell in S1E26 "The Underworld Bank" * Gloria Talbott in S3E25 "The Contract" *

Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was an American actor. He portrayed Cochise in the television series '' Broken Arrow'', Kane in the 1979–1981 series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', Commander Kang in '' Star Tr ...

in S2E3 "Nicky" and S2E16 "The Jamaica Ginger Story" * Val Avery in S1E26 "The Underworld Bank", S2E6 "A Seat on the Fence" * Edward Asner in S3/E16 "The Death Tree", S4/E1 "The Night They Shot Santa Claus " and Frank in two episodes, S4/E8 "Elegy", S4/E13 "Search for a Dead Man", *

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

as radio announcer ''uncredited'' in S1E21 "The Unhired Asssassin": Part 2 * Gene Lyons in S2E6 "A Seat on the Fence" * Lee Phillips in S2E17 "Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino" * Peggy Ann Garner in S4E8 "Elegy, S4E25 "The Giant Killer" * Larry Parks in S2E21 "The Lilly Dallas Story" * Jim Backus in S1/E15 "Star Witness" *

Kevin Hagen Kevin Hagen (April 3, 1928 – July 9, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Hiram Baker on NBC's ''Little House on the Prairie (TV series), Little House on the Prairie.'' Early life Hagen was born in Chicago, Illinois, t ...

in S2E27 "Stranglehold" and S3E27 "Arsenal" *

Albert Paulsen Albert Paulsen (born Albert Paulson; 13 December 1925 in Guayaquil, Ecuador – 25 April 2004 in Los Angeles, California) was an Ecuadorian-American actor who appeared in many American television series beginning in the 1960s, playing chara ...

in S4E5 "The Pea" * Al Ruscio in S1E8 "The Artichoke King", S3E19 "Element of Danger", S4E23 "The Spoiler" *

Arlene Martel Arlene Martel (born Arline Greta Sax; April 14, 1936 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. Before 1964, she was frequently billed as Arline Sax or Arlene Sax. Casting directors, among other Hollywood insiders, called Martel the Chamel ...

in S2E6 "A Seat on the Fence", S3E4 "The Genna Brothers" *

in S1E7 "Mexican Stake-Out", S2E14 "The Masterpiece", S2E29 "The Seventh Vote", S3E3 "Tunnel of Horrors", S3E20 "The Maggie Storm Story", S4E17 "Blues for a Gone Goose" *

Linda Watkins Linda Mathews Watkins (May 23, 1908 – October 31, 1976) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Watkins was the daughter of Gardiner and Elizabeth R. (née Mathews) Watkins. Her fat ...

in S2E21 "The Lily Dallas Story" * Mort Mills in S1E10 "The Dutch Schultz Story", S3E17 "Takeover" *

Paul Genge Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

in S2E23 "Testimony of Evil", S3E2 "Power Play", S4E2 "Cooker in the Sky" * Sam Jaffe in S2E17 "Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino" *

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New Y ...

in S3/E3 "Tunnel of Horrors", S3/E21 "Man in the Middle" *

June Dayton June Dayton (born Mary June Wetzel; August 24, 1923 – June 13, 1994) was an American television actress who appeared in a variety of shows from the 1950s into the 1980s. Early life Dayton was born in Dayton, Ohio. She used her hometown of D ...

in S2E16 "The Jamaica Ginger Story" * Bernard Kates in S1E26 "The Underworld Bank", S2E17 "Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino" *

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner) (born John Dehner Forkum, also credited Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list of performan ...

in S2E28 "The Nero Rankin Story" * Milton Selzer in S2E15 "The Organization, S3E5 "The Matt Bass Scheme", S3E22 "Downfall", S4E2 "Cooker in the Sky" * Richard Deacon in S1E20 "The Unhired Assassin part 1" * Robert Emhardt in S2E9 "The Larry Fay Story", S3E12 "Fall Guy", S4E27 "The Jazz Man" * Rebecca Welles in S2E17 "Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino" * Whit Bissell in S1E11 "You Can't Pick the Number" * Robert Cornthwaite in S2E23 "Testimony of Evil", S2E29 "The Seventh Vote" * John Larkin in S3E25 "The Contract", S4E22 "The Butcher's Boy" * Peter Whitney in S2E2 "Jack Legs Diamond", S4E21 " Man in The Cooler" *

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...

in S2E18 "The Underground Court" *

Robert F. Simon Robert Frank Simon (December 2, 1908 – November 29, 1992) was an American character actor. Earlier years Simon began acting with Mansfield's Community Players organization when he worked as a clerk in a meat market. Following that experience ...

in S1E13 "Syndicate Sanctuary", S2E12 "The Big Train": Part 1 * Mickey Shaughnessy in S2E8 "Kiss of death Girl" * Barbara Luna in S1E7 "Mexican Stake out", S3E16 "The Death Tree" * Than Wyenn in S3E11 "The Canada Run", S4E20 "Junk Man" *

John McIntire John Herrick McIntire (June 27, 1907 – January 30, 1991) was an American character actor who appeared in 65 theatrical films and many television series. McIntire is well known for having replaced Ward Bond, upon Bond's sudden death in Novem ...

in S2/E6 "A Seat on the Fence" *

Nan Martin Nan Martin (July 15, 1927 – March 4, 2010) was an American actress who starred in movies and on television. Life and career Early life Born in Decatur, Illinois, and raised in Santa Monica, California, she attended Santa Monica High School. ...

in S4E6 "Bird in the Hand" * Scott Brady in S4/E11 "The Floyd Gibbons Story" * Robert Brubaker in S2E23 "Testimony of Evil" *

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

in S3/E16 "The Death Tree" * Ruth White in S4E1 "The Night They Shot Santa Claus" * Philip Pine in S1E3 "The Jake Lingle Killing", S2E3 "Nicky", S2E27 "Stranglehold" S3E15 "The Whitey Steele Story", S4E18 "Globe of Death" * George Matthews in S3E27 "Aresnal", S4E4 "The Economist" *

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, Privat ...

in S2E13 "The Big Train Part 2" *

Arthur Malet Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

in S3E26 "Pressure", S4E25 "The Giant Killer" * Frank Ferguson in S1E12 "The Underground Railway" * Adam Williams in S1E2 "Ma Barker and Her Boys", S4E15 "The Snowball" *

Victor Buono Victor Charles Buono (February 3, 1938January 1, 1982) was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series '' Batman'' (1966–1968) and musician Edwin Flagg in '' ...

as Melanthos Moon in S2/E25 "Mr. Moon" and as Parnise Surigao in S3/E13 "The Gang War" *

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

in S4/E10 "A Fist of Five" *

Jeremy Slate Jeremy Slate (born Robert Bullard Perham; February 17, 1926 – November 19, 2006) was an American film and television actor, and songwriter. He is best known for Larry Lahr in '' The Aquanauts'' (1960–1961), Chuck Wilson in ''One Life to L ...

in S1E22 "The White Slavers", S4E30 "A Taste for Pineapple" * Steve Cochran in S2/E7 "The Purple Gang", S2/E32 "90-Proof Dame" *

Constance Ford Constance Ford (born Cornelia M. Ford; July 1, 1923 – February 26, 1993) was an American actress and model. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Lucas Hobson on the daytime soap opera '' Another World'', which she played from 1 ...

in S2E31 "The Nick Acropolis Story" * Anthony Caruso in S1E13 "Syndicate Sanctuary" * Phyllis Coates in S1E5 "Ain't We Got Fun", S1E28 "The Frank Nitti Story", and S4E10 "A Fist of Five" *

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

in S2/E16 "The Jamaica Ginger Story" *

Mike Connors Krekor Ohanian (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017), known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series ''Mannix'' from 1967 to 1975, a role which earne ...

in S4/E7 "The Eddie O'Gara Story" * Richard Conte in S2/E15 "The Organization", S4/E3 "The Chess Game" *

Marc Lawrence Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith; February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005) was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Early life Lawrence w ...

in S1E15 "Star Witness", S3E4 "The Genna Brothers", S4E17 "Blues for a Gone Goose" * Dan Dailey in S4/E9 "Come and Kill Me" *

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

in S4/E17 "Blues for a Gone Goose" *

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series '' Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

in S1/E26 "The Underworld Bank", as Nate Selko in S3/E1 "The Troubleshooter" *

Betty Field Betty Field (February 8, 1916 – September 13, 1973) was an American film and stage actress. Early years Field was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to George and Katharine (née Lynch) Field. She began acting before she reached age 15, and went ...

in S1E22 "The White Slavers" * Ford Rainey in S4E9 "Come and kill Me", S4E29 "Line of Fire" * John Marley in S1E18 "Little Egypt", S2E23 "Testimony of Evil" * Louise Fletcher in S1E2 "Ma Barker and Her Boys" as a girlfriend to one of Ma's boys * Woodrow Parfrey in S4E8 "Elegy", S4E24 "One Last Killing" *

Anne Francis Anne Francis (also known as Anne Lloyd Francis; September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science-fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama seri ...

in S1/E24 "The Doreen Maney Story" *

Harry Guardino Harry Guardino (December 23, 1925 – July 17, 1995) was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. Biography Guardino was born to an Italian family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and raised in Bro ...

in S1/E17 "One-Armed Bandits", S2/E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S3/E25 "The Contract" * Dan Seymour in S1E23 "Three Thousand Suspects", S2E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S2E28 "The Nero Rankin Story", S4E12 "Doublecross" *

Norman Fell Norman Fell (born Norman Noah Feld; March 24, 1924 – December 14, 1998) was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom ''Three's Company'' and its spin-off, ''The Ropers'', and his fi ...

in S2E1 "The Rusty Heller Story" * Dick Foran in S1E28 "The Frank Nitti Story" * Dabbs Greer in S2E21 "The Lily Dallas Story", S3E11 "The Canada Run", S4E18 "Globe of Death" *

Clu Gulager William Martin Gulager (; November 16, 1928 – August 5, 2022), better known as Clu Gulager, was an American television and film actor and director born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He first became known for his work in television, appearing in ...

as S1/E6 Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll *

Alan Hale, Jr. Alan Hale Jr. (born Alan Hale MacKahan; (March 8, 1921 - January 2, 1990) was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role ...

in S1E9 "The Tri State Gang" * Marianna Hill in S4E10 A Fist of Five * Michael Constantine, in S2E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S2E30 "The king of Champagne", S3E5 "The Matt Bass Scheme", S4E3 "The Chess Game", S4E20 "Junkman" * Arthur Hill in S3E11 "The Canada Run" *

Florence Halop Florence Halop (January 23, 1923 – July 15, 1986) was an American actress. Best known for her roles as surly patient Mrs. Hufnagel on the drama ''St. Elsewhere'' and the raspy-voiced bailiff Florence Kleiner on the sitcom '' Night Court''. H ...

in S1E9 "The Tri State Gang" *

Anne Jackson Anne Jackson (September 3, 1925 – April 12, 2016); retrieved April 16, 2016Archivedfrom the original on April 16, 2016. was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was the wife of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often co-st ...

in S4/E2 The Cooker in the Sky * Werner Klemperer in S2E7 "The Purple Gang" * Richard Bakalyan in S1E16 "The St. Louis Story", S2E12 "The Big Train Part 1", S2E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S3E16 "The Death Tree", S4E17 "Blues for a Gone Goose", S4E29 "Line of Fire" * Dennis Patrick in S2E22 "Murder Under Glass" *

Christopher Dark Christopher Dark (born Alfred Francis DeLeo, April 21, 1920 – October 10, 1971) was an American actor. He graduated from Cornell University and did post graduate work at Columbia University. He served as an army medic in the Philippine ...

in S1E24 "The Doreen Maney Story", S4E26" The Charlie Argos Story" *

Sheldon Allman Sheldon Allman (June 8, 1924 – January 22, 2002) was an American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter. Early life and career Allman was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his singing career with the Royal National Guard during his World Wa ...

in S2E24 "Ring of Terror", S3E28 "The Monkey Wrench", S4E19 "An Eye for An Eye" *

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...

in S3E6 "Loophole" * Howard Caine in S2E24 "Ring of Terror, S2E29 "The Seventh Vote" *

Malachi Throne Malachi Throne (December 1, 1928 – March 13, 2013) was an American actor, noted for his guest-starring roles on ''Star Trek'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'', ''Lost in Space'', ''Batman'', ''Land ...

in S4E4 "The Economist", S4E12 "Doublecross", S4E18 "Globe of Death" *

Connie Hines Connie Hines (March 24, 1931 – December 18, 2009) was an American actress best known for playing Alan Young's wife, Carol Post, on the 1960s sitcom ''Mister Ed''. Biography Hines was one of four children born in Dedham in Norfolk Coun ...

in S1E24 "The Doreen Maney Story" *

Patricia Owens Patricia Molly Owens (January 17, 1925 – August 31, 2000) was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood. She appeared in about 40 films and 10 television episodes in a career lasting from 1943 to 1968. Early work Owens moved ...

in S4E26 "The Charlie Argos Story" * Salome Jens in S3/E27 Arsenal, S4/E21 "The Man in the Cooler" * Walter Burke in S2E24 "Ring of Terror", S4E18 "Globe of Death" *

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

in S2/E16 "The Jamaica Ginger Story" *

George Kennedy George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" opposite Paul Newman in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academ ...

as 'Birdie' the mute in S2/E30 "The King of Champagne" *

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ''Cry Terror!'' (1958). Du ...

in S3/E6 "Loophole", S4/E19 "An Eye for an Eye" * Gail Kobe in S1E13 "Syndicate Sanctuary", S4E28 "The Torpedo" * Steven Hill in S2E2 "Jack Legs Diamond", S3E22 "Downfall" *

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

in S3E7 "Jigsaw", S3E21 "Man in the Middle" *

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dr ...

and

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

in S2E9 "The Larry Fay Story" *

Marge Redmond Marjorie Redmond (December 14, 1924 – February 10, 2020), known as Marge Redmond, was an American actress and singer. Early years Marjorie Redmond was born in Cleveland, Ohio in December 1924 and was raised in Lakewood by J.V. Redmond, a fir ...

in S4E25 "The Giant Killer" * Jack Lord in S1/E3 "The Jake Lingle Killing" *

Harold J. Stone Harold J. Stone (born Harold Hochstein, March 3, 1913November 18, 2005) was an American stage, radio, film, and television character actor. Early life and stage career Stone was born to a Jewish acting family. At age six, Stone debuted on stage ...

in S2E1 "The Rusty Heller Story", S2E11 "The Tommy Karples Story", S2E24 "Ring Of Terror", S3E10 "Hammerlock", S3E26 "Pressure", S4E24 "One Last Killing" *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portraya ...

in S1E19 "The Big Squeeze" * Gavin MacLeod as a minor criminal with almost the exact same last name of "McLeod" in S1E9 "The Tri State Gang", also S2E12 & S2E13 "The Big Train" part 1 & 2, S3E6 "Loophole", and S3E21 "Man in the Middle" * Dorothy Malone in S4/E11 "The Floyd Gibbons Story" * Joe Mantell as George Ricci (Brandy LaFrance's husband) in the 2 hour pilot, and as

Giuseppe Zangara Giuseppe Zangara (September 7, 1900 – March 20, 1933) was an Italian immigrant and naturalized United States citizen who attempted to assassinate the President-elect of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on February 15, 1933, 17 ...

in S1E20 & S1E21 "The Unhired Assassin" part 1 & 2 *

Frank Silvera Frank Alvin Silvera (July 24, 1914 – June 11, 1970) was a Jamaican-born American character actor and theatrical director. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Boston, Silvera dropped out of law school in 1934 after winning his first stag ...

in S2E6 "A Seat on the Fence" *

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

in S2/E31 "The Nick Acropolis Story", S3/E19 "Element of Danger", S4/E10 "A Fist of Five" * Robert Middleton as Mayor

Anton Cermak Anton Joseph Cermak ( cs, Antonín Josef Čermák, ; May 9, 1873 – March 6, 1933) was an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Chicago, Illinois from April 7, 1931 until his death on March 6, 1933. He was killed by an assassin, ...

in S1E20 & S1E21 "The Unhired Assassin" part 1 & 2, also S2E14 "The Masterpiece", S2E30 "The King of Champagne" *

Martin Landau Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''North ...

in S1/E7 "Mexican Stakeout", S3/E6 "Loophole" *

Dolores Dorn Dolores Dorn (March 3, 1934 – October 5, 2019) was an American film and television actress, who was the co-star of '' The Bounty Hunter'' (1954), ''Uncle Vanya'' (1957), '' Underworld U.S.A.'' (1961), and several other films through 1985. On ...

in S3E28 "The Monkey Wrench" *

Bert Freed Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 – August 2, 1994) was an American character actor, voice-over actor, and the first actor to portray Detective Columbo. Life and career Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending P ...

in S1E23 "Three Thousand Suspects" * Ricardo Montalban in S2/E27 "Stranglehold" *

in S1E15 "Star Witness", S3E04"The Genna Brothers", and S4E17 "Blues for a Gone Goose" * Wesley Lau in S2E8 "Kiss of Death Girl" * Elizabeth Montgomery as Rusty Heller (received a nomination for the 13th Primetime Emmy Award for an "Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Single Program") S2/E1 "The Rusty Heller Story" (1960) *

Joanna Moore Joanna Moore (born Dorothy Joanne Cook, November 10, 1934 – November 22, 1997) was an American film and television actress, who, between 1956 and 1976, appeared in 17 feature films and guest-starred in nearly a hundred television series episod ...

in S2/E28 The Nero Rankin Story * Harry Morgan as Bugs Moran in S4/E12 "Doublecross" * Lawrence Dobkin as

in S1E6 "Vincent Mad Dog Call", S1E10 "The Dutch Schultz Story", S2E2 "Jack Legs Diamond" *

Vic Morrow Victor Morrow (born Victor Morozoff; February 14, 1929 – July 23, 1982) was an American actor. He came to prominence as one of the leads of the ABC drama series '' Combat!'' (1962–1967), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstand ...

in S2E11 "The Tommy Karpeles Story", S3E20 "The Maggie Storm Story" * J. Carrol Naish in S1E14 "The Noise of Death" * Simon Oakland in S3/E11 "The Canada Run", S3/E22 "Downfall", S4/E27 "The Jazzman" * Robert H. Harris in S2E8 "Kiss of Death Girl" * Patricia Neal in S3/E20 "The Maggie Storm Story" * Barbara Nichols in Pilot of The Untouchables, S1E1 The Empty Chair * Henry Jones and Edward Andrews in S1E25 "Portrait of a Thief" * Leslie Nielsen in S1/E23 "Three Thousand Suspects", who'd later co-star with Robert Stack in '' Airplane!'', satirizing their serious roles in dramas like ''The Untouchables'' * Sheree North in S4/E13 Search for a Dead Man * John Kellogg in S3E13 "Gang War", S3E20 "The Maggie Storm Story", S4E!2 "Doublecross" *

Albert Salmi Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. Early life Salmi was born and raised ...

in S3E2 "Power Play" *

Vaughn Taylor Vaughn Joseph Taylor (born March 9, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Taylor was raised in Augusta, Georgia, from infancy. After attending Hephzibah High Sch ...

in S1E2 "Ma Barker and Her Boys", S2E24 "Ring of Terror", S3E6 "Loophole" *

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the '' Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, th ...

in S3/E17 "Takeover" *

in S1E12"The Underground Railway", S2E3 "Nicky", S2E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S4E20 "Junk Man", S4E29 "Line of Fire" *

Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah, including ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974). A ...

in S3/E26 "Pressure" * Susan Cummings in S1E18 "Little Egypt" *

Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001) was an American actor, producer, and director whose television career spanned over four decades. He became a lifelong member of the Actors Studio in 1971. O'Connor found widespread fame a ...

in S3/E2 "Power Play", S4/E6 "Bird in the Hand" *

Jay Adler Jay Adler (August 4, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American actor in theater, television, and film. Early life Born in New York City, he was the eldest son of actors Jacob and Sara Adler, and the brother of five actor siblings, including st ...

in S1E9 "The Tri State Gang", S2E9 "The Larry Fay Story", S3E8 "ManKiller", S4E3 "The Chess Game" * Susan Oliver in S2E15 "The Organization" * Victor Jory in S3E19 "Element of Danger" * Nehemiah Persoff as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in three episodes, S1E1 "The Empty Chair", S2/E29 "The Seventh Vote", S4/E12 "Doublecross", also S1/E27 "Head of Fire- Feet of Clay", S2/E4 "The Waxey Gordon Story", S3/E18 "The Stryker Brothers" *

in S1/E17 "One Armed Bandits", S2/E19 "The Nick Moses Story", S3/E25 "The Contract" *

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cec ...

in S4/E15 "Snowball" *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...

in S1E21 "The Unhired Assassin: Part 2" * Madlyn Rhue in S1E27 "Head of Fire- Feet of Clay", S2E11 "The Tommy Karpeles Story" * Cliff Robertson in S1/E12 "The Underground Railway" * Ruth Roman in S3/E8 Man Killer * Telly Savalas in S2/E20 "The Antidote", S3/E5 "The Matt Bass Scheme", S4/E14 "The Speculator" * Johnny Seven in S1E10 "The Dutch Schultz Story", S2E23 " Testimony of Evil ", S2E31 " The Nick Acropolis Story ", S3E27 Arsenal, S4E24 " One Last Killing" * Henry Silva as Little Charlie Sebastino in two episodes, S1E14 "The Noise of Death", S2E5 "The Mark of Cain", also S3E15 "The Whitey Steele Story" *

in S4/E8 Elegy, S4/E13 Search for a Dead Man * Suzanne Storrs in S1/E6 Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll,S2/E2 Jack 'Legs' Diamond *

Nita Talbot Nita Talbot (born Anita Sokol) (born August 8, 1930) is an American actress. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the 1967–68 season of '' Hogan's Heroes''. Film Born in New York City on Au ...

in S1E22 "The White Slavers", S4E1 "The Night They Shot Santa Claus" * Mike Kellin in S1E14 "Noise of Death", S1E22 "The White Slavers", S3E9 "City Without a Name" * Frank Sutton in four episodes, S3E18 "The Stryker Brothers", S3E25 "The Contract", S4E14 "The Speculator", S4E22 "The Butcher's Boy" *

Joyce Van Patten Joyce Benignia Van Patten (born March 9, 1934) is an American film and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in films like '' The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) (as Mrs. Beamish), and as Rob Schneider's septuagenari ...

in S4E23 "The Spoiler" *

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...

as aka "Pittsburgh Phil" in S2/E14 "The Masterpiece", S4/E23 "The Spoiler" *

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

as Ma Barker in S1E2 "Ma Barker and her Boys" *

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...

in S1E20 & E21 "The Unhired Assassin" part 1 & 2 *

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''; th ...

as Charlie Argos S4/E26 The Charlie Argos Story *

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the d ...

S2E24 "Ring of Terror" * Jack Warden in S1/E4 "The George 'Bugs' Moran Story", S1/E27 "Head of Fire-Feet of Clay", S2/E10 "The Otto Frick Story" * Jack Weston in S1/E8 The Artichoke King * Joanna Barnes in S2E32 "90-Proof Dame" * David White in S1E10 "The Dutch Schultz Story", and S2E1 "The Rusty Heller Story"; in the latter, appearing with his later ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typ ...

'' colleague Elizabeth Montgomery * Dick York in S1E22 "The White Slavers" * John Anderson in S2E6 "A Seat on the Fence", S4E16 "Jake Dance", S4E28 "The Torpedo" *

Ned Glass Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. ...

in S1E23 "Three Thousand Suspects", S2E26 "Death for Sale", S3E1 "The Troubleshooter", S4E3 "The Chess Game" *

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

in S2E21 "The Lily Dallas Story", S3E13 "The Gang War", S4E29 "Line of Fire" * Fred Clark in S1E18 "little Egypt" * Jeanne Cooper in S3E23 "The Case Against Eliot Ness", S4E24 "One Last Killing" *

Leo Gordon Leo Vincent Gordon (December 2, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American character actor and screenwriter. During more than 40 years in film and television he was most frequently cast as a supporting actor playing brutish bad guys but oc ...

in S1E16 "The St. Louis Story", S1E27 "Head of Fire: Feet of Clay" *

Warren Stevens Warren Albert Stevens (November 2, 1919 – March 27, 2012) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Early life and career Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens entered the United States Naval Academy in 1937 but was medical ...

in S2E32 "90-Proof Dame" * Richard Devon in S2E18 "The Underground Court" * Vic Perrin in S2E5 "The Mark of Cain", S2E18 "The Underground Court", S3E9 "City Without a Name", S4E25 "The Giant Killer" * Paul Richards in S3E9 "City Without A Name", S4E25 "The Giant Killer" *

Theodore Marcuse Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

in S1E17 "One Armed Bandits", S3E9 "City Without a Name", S3E16 "The Death Tree", S4E6 "Bird in the Hand", S4E29 "Line of Fire" *

Antony Carbone Antony Deago Carbone (July 15, 1925 – October 7, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Biography Carbone was born as Antonio Giuseppe Carmelo Carbone in Calabria, Italy on July 15, 1925. His family moved to Syracuse, New York when ...

in S1E15 "Star Witness", S2E2 "Jack 'Legs' Diamond", S3E4 "The Genna Brothers", S4E13 "Search for a Dead Man" * Oscar Beregi in S2E2 "Jack 'Legs' Diamond", S2E15 "The Organization", S2E27 "Stranglehold", S3E10 "Hammerlock", S3E15 "The Whitey Steele Story", S3E17 "Takeover", S3E25 "The Contract", S3E28 "The Monkey Wrench" * Leonard Stone in S2E31 "The Nick Acropolis Story" *

David Brian Brian James Davis (August 5, 1914 – July 15, 1993), better known as David Brian, was an American actor. He is best known for his role in ''Intruder in the Dust'' (1949), for which he received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. ...

in S1E16 "The St. Louis Story", S2E23 "Testimony of Evil" * Sean McClory in S3E15 "The Whitey Steele Story", S4E7 "The Eddie O'Gara Story"

Broadcast history

''The Untouchables'' originally aired as a segment of the anthology series ''Desilu Playhouse'' in 1959. It was picked up as a regular series by ABC for the 1959 season and was aired on Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:30pm from 1959 to 1962, switching to Tuesday evenings from 9:30 to 10:30pm for its final season (1962–63). Desilu Productions president Desi Arnaz had originally offered the role of Ness to

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment ...

. Johnson's wife and manager rejected the deal, and demanded double the salary offer. Arnaz refused and signed Stack instead. Arnaz had had a long business relationship with CBS, which had aired many Desilu programs, including ''I Love Lucy'' and ''

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

''. When CBS refused to buy the program, Arnaz sold it to ABC. Neville Brand reprised his role as Al Capone in the 1961 film ''

The George Raft Story ''The George Raft Story'' is a 1961 American biographical film of Hollywood film star George Raft. Ray Danton portrays Raft and the film was directed by Joseph M. Newman. The picture was retitled ''Spin of a Coin'' for release in the United Kin ...

''. Some segments were released to theaters as movies: ''The Scarface Mob'' (from the two-part pilot), ''The

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

Express'' (from "The Big Train"), and ''The Gun of Zangara'' (from "Unhired Assassin"). On November 10, 1991, NBC ran the two-hour film ''The Return of Eliot Ness'', with Robert Stack as Ness. It was set in 1947, after Capone's death, and depicted Ness investigating the death of an Untouchables agent named Labine.

Legacy

''The Untouchables'' was a landmark television series that has spawned numerous imitators over the decades, such as '' S.W.A.T.'', ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', '' Crime Story'', the original '' Hawaii Five-O'' (Five-O's creator and executive producer,

Leonard Freeman Leonard Freeman (October 31, 1920 – January 20, 1974) was an American television writer and producer who is best remembered as the creator of the CBS series ''Hawaii Five-O'' in 1968. He appeared in a 1953 episode (#112) of the TV serie ...

, served as executive producer on ''The Untouchables'' final season), Robert Stack's two later series, '' Strike Force'' and '' Most Wanted'', '' The Hat Squad'', and the 1993 ''The Untouchables'' syndicated TV series. It also inspired films such as ''

'' starring

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

, '' The Untouchables'' (with

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

), '' Gangster Squad'', '' Mulholland Falls'', and others. ''The Untouchables'' is one of two series from 1959, the other being '' The Detectives'', together credited with the concept of depicting a ''group'' of crime fighters. Previously, most TV crime dramas had followed one of two formats: either a duo composed of a stalwart police officer or detective and his trusty sidekick/partner (''Dragnet'', ''The Lineup''), or a lone-wolf

private eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent critici ...

or police detective (''Peter Gunn'', ''Richard Diamond'', ''M-Squad'').

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

spoofed the Untouchables series in the 1963

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

cartoon short '' The Unmentionables'', with

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

playing the role of Elegant Mess, a crime fighter assigned to infiltrate a black market ring operated by

Rocky and Mugsy The ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated shorts released by Warner Bros. feature a range of characters which are listed and briefly detailed here. Major characters from the franchise include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fu ...

. The series was also spoofed on an episode of the 1961-62 ABC-TV/ Hanna Barbara cartoon series '' Top Cat'' entitled "The Unscratchables". NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' spoofed ''The Untouchables'' several times during the 1970s, with

playing Eliot Ness.On a 1981 telecast of NBC-TV's

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

,the Untouchables was spoofed with a skit entitled: "The Video Untouchables", with host

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

portraying Agent "Eliot Nielsen" , whose squad appreheaded citizens who unlawfully videotaped T.V. programs . (Video Available on YouTube). In their 1988 book, ''The Critics' Choice—The Best of Crime and Detective TV'', authors Max Allan Collins and John Javna chose ''The Untouchables'' as one of the "Top 10 Best Police TV Series (Police Procedurals) of All Time". The Lebanon (Pa.) ''Daily News'' said of ''The Untouchables'': "Between the hard-nosed approach, sharp dialogue, and a commendably crisp pace (something rare in dramatic TV at the time), this series is one of the few that remains fresh and vibrant. Only the

monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochr ...

presentation betrays its age. ''The Untouchables'' is one of the few Golden Age TV shows that deserves being called a classic." In 2019, a 60th Anniversary Retrospective title
''The Untouchables Retrospective''
was undertaken to celebrate the show's cultural impact and legacy in television and film history through mixed media, including extensive episode reviews, a podcast, and a making-of documentary. To date, the retrospective has interviewed several surviving participants involved with the program, including Pat Crowley and Nehemiah Persoff.

Episodes

In 1997, the episode "The Rusty Heller Story" was ranked number 99 on ''TV Guide''s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time''.

Home media

Region 1

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment) have released all four seasons of ''The Untouchables'' on DVD in region 1, all digitally remastered from the original negatives and presented uncut, unedited and in its original broadcast order. The first two seasons have also been released in region 4. On May 10, 2016, CBS DVD released ''The Untouchables- The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.

Region 2

Paramount Home Entertainment released the first three seasons of ''The Untouchables'' on DVD in the UK. These releases are full-season sets as opposed to Region 1 and 4, where each season has been split into two volumes. The complete series (all 4 seasons) was released on DVD in the UK on May 29, 2017 by Medium Rare Entertainment.

Merchandising

The TV show was also adapted into a comic book by

Dan Spiegle Dan Spiegle (December 10, 1920 – January 28, 2017) was an American comics artist and cartoonist best known for comics based on movie and television characters across a variety of companies, including Dell Comics, DC Comics, and Marvel Com ...

, distributed by

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

References

External links