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 ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams. An adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", the play was written by him between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his p ...

'' (1958). He played the role of H.B. from 1983 to 1996 and won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor at the 1985 awards. (He had previously played the role of District Attorney Eric Van Gelder on '' Guiding Light'' in 1977 and 1978.) Gates may be best remembered for his role in the 1967 film version of '' In the Heat of the Night'', where his character, Eric Endicott, is part of a famous scene involving his slapping Sidney Poitier's face, and gets slapped in return.You Tube: "Heat of the Night" Slap
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Early years

Gates was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

. As a chemical engineering student at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, he acted in student plays. Some of his early acting experience came at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. His interest in acting led him to change his collegiate focus, and "he ultimately concluded his college career with a speech major".

Career

Gates had a long career in film, television, and theater. He appeared in the Broadway productions of '' First Monday in October'' (1978), ''The Highest Tree'' (1959), ''The Carefree Tree'' (1955), ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

'' (1950)'', The Teahouse of the August Moon'' (1953) '' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1956) and ''A Case of Libel'' (1964). Gates played

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of ...

opposite Sam Waterston in a New York revival of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. He starred in the 1976 Broadway play '' Poor Murderer'', which is about an actor who questions whether or not he, who is playing Hamlet, actually killed the actor playing Polonius, or if it was just a dream. His films included '' Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' (1952), '' Francis Covers the Big Town'' (1953), '' The Girl Rush'' (1955), '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956), ''

The Strange One ''The Strange One'' is a 1957 American film noir about students faced with an ethical dilemma in a military college in the Southern United States. It was directed by Jack Garfein, produced by Sam Spiegel, and was adapted from a novel and stage p ...

'' (1957), '' The Brothers Rico'' (1957), '' Some Came Running'' (1958), ''

'' (1958), ''

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color film starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire directed by Henry Levin in CinemaScope. The film is based on the 1953 Broadway play of the same, which ran for 221 performances: Burgess Mer ...

'' (1959), '' One Foot in Hell'' (1960), '' Underworld U.S.A.'' (1961), '' The Young Savages'' (1961), ''

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, T ...

'' (1961), '' Toys in the Attic'' (1963), '' Cattle King'' (1963), '' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966), '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967), '' Hour of the Gun'' (1967), '' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969), ''

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

'' (1970), '' Lucky Luciano'' (1973), and '' Funny Lady'' (1975). On television, Gates had numerous roles on such

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

series as '' Philco Television Playhouse'', ''

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 ...

'', '' The Twilight Zone'', '' Goodyear Television Playhouse'', '' Kraft Television Theatre'', '' Studio One'', and '' Playhouse 90''. He continued to make dozens of guest appearances in a wide variety of primetime series, including '' Bonanza'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Route 66'', '' The Defenders'', '' Rawhide'', and '' Twelve O'Clock High''. He played the role of Secretary of State Dean Rusk in the 1974

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

'' The Missiles of October'', and played President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gre ...

in the 1979 miniseries '' Backstairs at the White House''.

Recognition

In 1964, Gates was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

in the category Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic), for his work in ''A Case of Libel''.

Personal life and death

Gates married Tania Wilkof in

Huntington, Connecticut Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,869 at the 2020 United States Census. History Origins Shelton was settled by the English as part of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. On May 15, ...

, on August 2, 1959. At the time of his death, he was married to Judith Gates. He died on December 12, 1996, in a Sharon, Connecticut, hospital, aged 81.

Filmography

*'' Glory Alley'' (1952) - Dr. Robert Ardley *'' Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' (1952) - Charles Blaisdell *'' Above and Beyond'' (1952) - Capt. William 'Deak' Parsons, USN *'' Francis Covers the Big Town'' (1953) - Dan Austin *''

Take Me to Town ''Take Me To Town'' is a 1953 American Comedy Western film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Ann Sheridan and Sterling Hayden. Plot On the lam after a robbery and needing a place to hide out, Vermilion O'Toole and her partner, Newt Cole, ...

'' (1953) - Marshal Ed Daggett *'' The Girl Rush'' (1955) - Hap Halliday *'' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956) - Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman *''

'' (1957) - Major Avery *'' Jeanne Eagels'' (1957) - Al Brooks *'' The Brothers Rico'' (1957) - Sid Kubik *''

'' (1958) - Dr. Baugh *'' Some Came Running'' (1958) - Professor Robert Haven French *''

'' (1959) - Rev. Dr. Fielding *'' One Foot in Hell'' (1960) - Doc Seltzer *''

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) - Cardinal *''

The Hoodlum Priest ''The Hoodlum Priest'' is a 1961 American Drama (film and television), drama film by Irvin Kershner, based on the life of Dismas Clark, Father Charles "Dismas" Clark of St. Louis, who ministered to men in prison and men coming out of prison. Dur ...

'' (1961) - Louis Rosen *'' Underworld U.S.A.'' (1961) - John Driscoll *'' The Young Savages'' (1961) - Randolph *''

'' (1961) - Joe Adams *''

The Spiral Road ''The Spiral Road'' is a 1962 American adventure-drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, and Geoffrey Keen. The film was released by Universal-International in the United States in 1962, the sa ...

'' (1962) - Dr. Kramer *'' Cattle King'' (1963) - President Chester A. Arthur *'' Toys in the Attic'' (1963) - Cyrus Warkins *'' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) - Jameson *'' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967) - Endicott *'' Hour of the Gun'' (1967) - John P. Clum *'' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) - Mayor Chester Sayre *''

'' (1970) - Commissioner Ackerman *'' Lucky Luciano'' (1973) - Judge Herlands *'' Funny Lady'' (1975) - Bernard Baruch *'' Leonard Part 6'' (1987) - Medusa Guard

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Larry 1915 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winners Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Deaths from leukemia Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni