Harry Rhett Townes (September 18, 1914 – May 23, 2001) was an American actor who later became an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

minister.

Early life

Harry Townes was born in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

. the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Townes. He had a brother and a sister. He graduated from Huntsville High School, and while attending the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Townes began landing acting roles. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City to study acting at Columbia University.

Career

Townes performed in several New York and Broadway stage productions, including

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

. His Broadway credits include ''In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' (1968), ''Gramercy Ghost'' (1950), ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' (1949), ''

Mr. Sycamore ''Mr. Sycamore'' is a play written by Ketti Frings that was published in 1942. It is about a meek mailman who becomes so obsessed with a particular sycamore tree on his delivery route that he leads himself to believe that the only way to end his ...

'' (1942), and '' Tobacco Road'' (1942). During World War II, he served three years in the United States Army. Discharged in 1946, he enrolled at Columbia University to study drama. As a character actor, Townes was a familiar face to television viewers in the 1950s and 1960s. His expanded range led him to fill a variety of roles, and he avoided being typecast. He made five guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'', including the role of title character Newton Bain in the 1964 episode, "The Case of the Woeful Widower." He also made three appearances on ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' and seven on ''

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

'' and in '' The Fugitive''. He made single and double appearances on numerous other television series, including in ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

''. Besides appearing in 29 films, he is credited with more than 200 television roles. He gained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

with a younger audience for a guest shot on "The First", a two-part episode of '' The Incredible Hulk'', in which he portrays Dell Frye, a man with the ability to transform as well into a Hulk-like creature. "The First" is one of the more popular episodes from the television series largely because of Townes' performance

Later years and death

While he was acting, Townes took philosophy classes at UCLA and studied for the ministry at Bishop Bloy School of Theology in Los Angeles. His ordination as a deacon came in 1973 at St. Paul's Cathedral in Los Angeles. He was ordained as an Episcopal minister in St. Paul's Cathedral on March 16, 1974. He served at St. Mary of the Angels Church in Hollywood. He retired from acting in 1989 and returned to his hometown of Huntsville, where he lived the remainder of his life. On May 23, 2001, Townes died at his home in Huntsville at the age of 86, and his body was interred at Maple Hill Cemetery, also in Huntsville.

Selected filmography

*''

Westinghouse Studio One ''Studio One'' is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948 and ended on Sept ...

'' (1952, TV Series) *''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through we ...

'' (1953-1954, TV Series) *''

Operation Manhunt ''Operation Manhunt'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Jack Alexander and written by Paul Monash. The film stars Harry Townes, Irja Jensen, Jacques Aubuchon, Robert Goodier, Albert Miller and Caren Shaffer. It is a fictionalized story ab ...

'' (1954) - Igor Gouzenko *''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'' (1954, TV Series) *'' The Mountain'' (1956) - Joseph *''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'' (1956-1957, TV Series) - Richard Ross / Ed *''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by ...

'' - episode "Class Prophecy" (1957, TV Series) - Henry Pruett *'' Have Gun Will Travel'' (1958, TV Series) - Henry Prince *''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1958) - Ippoli Kirillov *'' Screaming Mimi'' (1958) - Dr. Greenwood / Bill Green *'' Cry Tough'' (1959) - Carlos Mendoza Lewis *''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (1959, TV Series) - Arch Hammer *''The Troubleshooters'' (1959, TV Series) - Verne Lewis *'' Men Into Space'' (1959, TV Series) - Dr. William Thyssen *''

Destination Space ''Destination Space'' is a 1959 American science fiction television film. It was produced and written by Rip Van Ronkel and directed by Joseph Pevney. Summary James Benedict, the director of the United States space program, is in charge of ope ...

'' (1959, TV Movie) - Jim Benedict *'' The Rebel'' (1960, TV Series) - Confederate Colonel Charles Morris *'' Wanted Dead or Alive'' - Season 2, Episode 17 "Mental Lapse" *'' Laramie'' (1960, TV Series) - Mace Stringer *''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

'' (1960, TV Series) - Judge Mark Bentley *''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

- Volume #4'' (1959-1960, TV Series) - Gerald Simms / Dr. Alexander Slawson *''

The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series wa ...

'' (1959-1960, TV Series) - Rudolph Miller / Falk *'' Stagecoach West'' (1960, TV Series) - Toby Reese *'' The Islanders'' (1961, TV Series) - Hans Lubeck *''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

'' (1961) - Ira Bobbitt *''

The Great Impostor ''The Great Impostor'' is a 1961 American comedy-drama film movie based on the true story of an impostor named Ferdinand Waldo Demara. The film is loosely based on Robert Crichton's 1959 biography of the same name, it stars Tony Curtis in the ...

'' (1961) - Ben Stone (uncredited) *''

The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...

'' (1961, TV Series) - Fowler / Jim Chambers *''

'' (1960-1961, TV Series) - Henry Ritchie / Arch Hammer *''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' (1960-1961, TV Series) - Mario Asparos / Radan Asparos / Sebastian Grimm *'' The Investigators'' (1961, TV Series) - Charles Victor, episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" *'' Target: The Corruptors!'' (1961, TV Series) - Joe Knight *'' Ripcord'' (1961, TV Series) - Dr. Gustave Merrill *''The Outlaws'' (1960–1962, TV Series) - George Wagner / Jerry Rome / Thomas Bigelow *'' The Tall Man'' (1962, TV Series) - Henry Stewart *'' The Eleventh Hour'' (1963, TV Series) - Harvey Lauderback *''

The Dakotas The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econo ...

'' (1963, TV Series) - George Deus *''

The Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' is a Canadian television series (French title: ''Le Vagabond'') based upon a 1958 well-known film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived fo ...

'' (1963, TV Series) - Herman Eckels - Bank Teller *'' The Outer Limits'' (1963, TV Series, episode: " O.B.I.T.") - Dr. Clifford Scott *'' Rawhide'' (1959–1964, TV Series) - Brock Dillman / Capt. Jesse Coulter / Lewis Lewis / Amos Stauffer *'' Kentucky Jones'' (1965, TV Series, episode: "The Big Shot") - Charles Caldwell *'' Mr. Novak'' (1964-1965, TV Series) - Walter MacTell / Frank Dever *'' Perry Mason'' (1958–1966, TV Series) - Erwin Brandt / Col. Owens / Newton Bain / A.D.A. Grosvenor Cutter / Robert Fleetwood *'' Dr. Kildare'' (1965–1966, TV Series) - Gerald Prince / Jake McCoy *'' The Fugitive'' (1963-1966, TV Series) - Joshua Simmons / Deputy Russ Atkins / Ballinger / Art Mallet / Sgt. Burden *'' The Monroes'' (1966, TV Series) - Joe Smith *''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'' (1965–1967, TV Series) - Dr. Raven / Penrose *''

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

'' (1967, TV Series) - Mr. Barlow *''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' (1967, TV Series, episode: " The Return of the Archons") - Reger *''

Fitzwilly ''Fitzwilly'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann, based on Poyntz Tyler's 1960 novel ''A Garden of Cucumbers'' (the title refers tIsaiah 1:8 and adapted for the screen by Isobel Lennart. Its title refers to the nic ...

'' (1967) - Mr. Nowell *'' In Enemy Country'' (1968) - General Marchois *''

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, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'' (1968, TV Series) - Jason *'' Strategy of Terror'' (1969) - Richard *''

Heaven with a Gun ''Heaven with a Gun'' is a 1969 American Western film starring Glenn Ford and directed by Lee H. Katzin. Plot Jim Killian arrives at the town of Vinegaroon, which is divided between cattlemen and sheepherders, and purchases a vacant barn. Catt ...

'' (1969) - Gus Sampson *''

'' (1960-1969, TV Series) - Seth Nagel / Judge David Terry / Tom Edwards *''

The Hawaiians Hawaiians are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiians or The Hawaiians may also refer to: * The Hawaiians (WFL) The Hawaiians were a professional American football team based in Honolulu that played in the World Football Lea ...

'' (1970) - Houghton *''

'' (1956–1971, TV Series) - Hale Parker / Malachi Harper / Abihu Howell / Tobe Hostater / Pezzy / Ivy / Bill Lee *''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' (1970-1972, TV Series) - Wilkerson / Martin Kimbrough *''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

'' (1973, TV Series, playing the same type role he played in the 1969 ''Bonanza'' episode, that of an American Civil War Rebel soldier, who, after the war, is still filled with hurt and resentment about the loss to the North) - Amos Buchanan *''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situa ...

'' (1973, TV Series) - Barney Olsen *'' Santee'' (1973) - Sheriff Carter *''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' (1974, TV Series) - Dr. Malthus *''

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

'' (1976, TV Series) - Doc Vaughn *'' Ark II'' (1976, TV Series, a story and role very similar to those of his ''Star Trek'' appearance) - Marcus *'' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1981, TV Series) - The Guardian *'' The Incredible Hulk'' (1981, TV Series) - Dell Frye *''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' (1981–82, TV Series) - Jason Gioberti *'' Angel of H.E.A.T.'' (1983) - Peter Shockley *'' Voyagers!'' (1983, TV Series) - Prof. Garth *''

The Warrior and the Sorceress ''The Warrior and the Sorceress'' is a 1984 Argentine-American fantasy action film directed by John C. Broderick and starring David Carradine, María Socas and Luke Askew. It was written by Broderick (story and screenplay) and William Stout (st ...

'' (1984)Biography
at Movies.com - Bludge the Prelate *'' Magnum, P.I.'' (1984, TV Series) - Albert Leonard *''The Check Is in the Mail...'' (1986) - Fred Steinkrause

References

External links

* * *
Obituary
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 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Townes, Harry 1914 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American Episcopal priests Actors from Huntsville, Alabama American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials in Alabama Columbia University alumni Male actors from Los Angeles University of Alabama alumni