Don Gordon (born Donald Walter Guadagno; November 13, 1926 – April 24, 2017) was an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. His most notable film roles were those in which he appeared alongside his friend Steve McQueen: '' Bullitt'' (1968), '' Papillon'' (1973) and '' The Towering Inferno'' (1974). Between the first and the last of those films he appeared in '' The Gamblers'' (1970), '' WUSA'' (1970), '' Cannon for Cordoba'' (1970), '' The Last Movie'' (1971), '' Z.P.G.'' (1972), '' Fuzz'' (1972), '' Slaughter'' (1972), ''

The Mack ''The Mack'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by California native Michael Campus, starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. The film also stars Oscar-nominee Juanita Moore and Tony-nominated actor Dick Anthony Williams. Filmed in O ...

'' (1973), '' The Education of Sonny Carson'' (1974) and '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) as the ill-fated assistant to protagonist Damien Thorn.

Early life

Gordon was born Donald Walter Guadagno in Los Angeles on November 13, 1926. He sold newspapers at the age of eight to help support his family during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He enlisted in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

at the age of fifteen after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, convincing his mother to say he was eighteen. He won eleven battle stars. Gordon entered

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

after the war and changed his name. As recounted after his death in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' Gordon was standing outside the drama school at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Street, when "a classmate told him that he would never make it in show business with the surname Guadagno. The student then pointed to the street sign and said, 'Your name should be Don Gordon.'"

Career

Gordon's television successes began with a starring role in the 1960–1961 syndicated series '' The Blue Angels'', based on the elite precision flight demonstration pilots of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Blue Angels. In 1962, Gordon was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Joey Tassili on CBS's legal drama, '' The Defenders'', starring E.G. Marshall. During 1977–1978, he co-starred in the television show '' Lucan'', and he played Harry in the CBS drama ''The Contender'' (1980).

Later career

Gordon's last credited film work was the 2005 documentary, ''Steve McQueen – The Essence of Cool''. Gordon was interviewed along with several others who had worked with McQueen, with whom he was a close friend and colleague.

Personal life

On February 18, 1948, Gordon (aged 21) married actress Helen Westcott (aged 20) in Oxnard, California. They divorced in 1953. He married actress

Bek Nelson Bek Nelson (born Doris Dee Stiner; March 8, 1927 – March 28, 2015) was an American model and showgirl who turned to acting at age 29, making seven films and two dozen television shows in her first three years. Early life She was born Doris De ...

on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles. They adopted a daughter, Gabrielle, in 1966, and they divorced on May 23, 1979. Gordon died at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...

in Los Angeles on April 24, 2017, aged 90, survived by his wife, Denise, and his daughter, Gabrielle, from a previous marriage. He was diagnosed with cancer shortly before his death.Don Gordon, Steve McQueen’s Sidekick Onscreen and in Life, Dies at 90
''

'', May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.

Selected filmography

* '' Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949) - First Patient in Base Hospital (uncredited) * '' Halls of Montezuma'' (1951) - Marine (uncredited) * '' Let's Go Navy!'' (1951) - Sailor (uncredited) * ''

Force of Arms ''Force of Arms'' (reissued under the title ''A Girl for Joe'') is a 1951 romantic war drama film set in the Italian theater of World War II. It reteamed William Holden and Nancy Olson in the third of their four movies together (''Sunset Boul ...

'' (1951) - Sgt. Webber (uncredited) * '' It's a Big Country: An American Anthology'' (1951) - Mervin (uncredited) * '' Girls in the Night'' (1953) - Irv Kellener * '' Law and Order'' (1953) - Bart Durling (uncredited) * ''

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American science fiction monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, and Kenneth Tobey. The scree ...

'' (1953) - Soldier (uncredited) * '' Revolt at Fort Laramie'' (1956) - Jean Salignac * '' The Benny Goodman Story'' (1956) - Tough Boy in Gang (uncredited) * '' The Walter Winchell File'' "The Bargain" (1958) - Deek * '' Cry Tough'' (1959) - Incho * '' The Twilight Zone'' (Season 5, Episode 16, No. 136 overall) (1964) - Salvador Ross * '' The Outer Limits'' (Season 1, Episode 19, The Invisibles) (1964) - Agent Luis B. Spain * '' Combat!'' (Season 4, Episode 8, Crossfire) (1965) - Pvt. Stevens * ''The Lollipop Cover'' (1965) - Nick Bartaloni * '' The Invaders'' (Season 2, Episode 6, The Trial) (1967) - Charlie Gilman * '' Bullitt'' (1968) - Delgetti * '' The Gamblers'' (1970) - Rooney * '' WUSA'' (1970) - Bogdanovich * '' Cannon for Cordoba'' (1971) - Jackson Harkness * '' The Last Movie'' (1971) - Neville Robey * '' Z.P.G.'' (1972) - George Borden * '' Fuzz'' (1972) - Anthony La Bresca * '' Slaughter'' (1972) - Harry * ''

'' (1973) - Hank * '' The Return of Charlie Chan'' (1973) - Lambert * '' Papillon'' (1973) - Julot * '' The Education of Sonny Carson'' (1974) - Pigliani *'' Columbo'' (Season 4, Episode 2, Negative Reaction) (1974) - Alvin Deschler * '' The Towering Inferno'' (1974) - Kappy * '' Out of the Blue'' (1980) - Charlie * '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) - Harvey Dean, assistant of the Antichrist Damien Thorn * ''

The Beast Within ''The Beast Within'' is a 1982 American horror film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, L. Q. Jones, Don Gordon, R. G. Armstrong, Logan Ramsey, Katherine Moffat, and Meshach Taylor. ''The Beast Within'' ...

'' (1982) - Judge Curwin * '' Knight Rider'' (1982) - Police Lt Dickerson * '' The Dukes of Hazzard'' (1983) - Frank Scanlon * '' Knight Rider'' (1985) - Randy Cavanaugh * '' Lethal Weapon'' (1987) - Cop #2 * ''Code Name Vengeance'' (1987) - Harry Applegate * '' Skin Deep'' (1989) - Curt * ''

The Exorcist III ''The Exorcist III'' is a 1990 American psychological horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the third installment in the ''Exorcist'' series, an adaptation of Blatty's ''Exorcist'' novel '' Legion'' (1983), and the f ...

'' (1990) - Ryan * '' The Borrower'' (1991) - Charles Krieger

References

External links

*
RIP Don Gordon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Don 1926 births 2017 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American people of Italian descent Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from cancer in California