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 television series, '' The Untouchables''.

Early years

Picerni was born in New York City to an Italian family. Raised in Corona, Queens, he was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

in his youth and adolescence. After high school, Picerni studied drama at Loyola University.

Military service

Picerni joined the

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

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and served as a

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

bombardier in the China-Burma-India Theater. He flew twenty-five combat missions with the 493rd Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was part of a mission that attacked and destroyed the actual bridge made famous in the film ''

The Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, th ...

'' (1957). After the Japanese surrendered, Picerni became a Special Services officer in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Following his discharge, he enrolled at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Film

As a young actor returning from the war, Picerni appeared in military pictures: in '' Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949) as a bombardier and as Private Edward P. Rojeck in '' Breakthrough''. This led to a

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

contract and a succession of roles at that studio including a Portuguese Socialist "Red" agitator in 1952's '' The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima'' and the hero of the 1953 horror classic '' House of Wax''. After his departure from Warners, he appeared with Audie Murphy in Universal Studio's '' To Hell and Back''.

Television

Regular roles

Paul Picerni Peggy McCay The Young Marrieds

After Italian organizations began to complain about the use of Italian gangsters on ABC's, '' The Untouchables'', starring Robert Stack as G-man

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. ...

, Picerni joined the cast in 1960 as Ness's number-one aide, Lee Hobson, a role that he played for the duration of the series. (He was also seen in the program's pilot, playing Tony Liguri.) He also portrayed Ed Miller on '' O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'' (1971-1972)Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . pg. 783. and was featured as Dan Garrett on ''

The Young Marrieds ''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966. The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John Pascal and Francine Pascal al ...

'' (1964–66)

Guest appearances

In 1954, Picerni was cast as the outlaw

Rube Burrow Reuben Houston Burrow (December 11, 1855 – October 9, 1890), better known as Rube Burrow, was an infamous train-robber and outlaw in the Southern and Southwestern United States. During the final years of the American frontier, he became one of th ...

in the syndicated western

television 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 be ...

'' Stories of the Century'', starring and narrated by Jim Davis. That same year, he had a role in the pilot episode for the 1957-58 NBC detective series, ''

Meet McGraw Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...

''. Picerni appeared in two episodes, "Gun Hand" and "Badge to Kill" of the syndicated western series '' 26 Men'' (1957–59). He also appeared in the episode "Gypsy Boy" of '' Tales of the Texas Rangers''. In 1957, he played a deserter in an episode of the syndicated '' Boots and Saddles''. Between 1957 and 1960, Picerni was cast three times in different roles, the last as Duke Blaine, on the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, '' Colt .45'', starring Wayde Preston. In 1958, Picerni played a milkman on the ABC sitcom, ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...

''. He also portrayed a police detective in the episode "The Quemoy Story" of '' Behind Closed Doors''. Picerni made three guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'' during its nine-year run on CBS. In 1958 he played Charles Gallagher in "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness", and defendant Army Sgt. Joseph Dexter in "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant". In 1963, he played murderer Walter Jefferies in "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang". In 1964, he appeared in '' The Fugitive'', in the episode "Search in a Windy City". In 1967, Paul appeared with his daughter Gina Picerni in the episode "The Chameleon" of ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

''.

Book

His

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''Steps to Stardom: My Story'', written with the help of Tom Weaver, was published by BearManor Media in 2007.

Personal life and death

Picerni married former ballet dancer Marie Mason, in 1947. They settled in

Tarzana, California Tarzana is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. Histo ...

to raise their family; they had eight children and ten grandchildren. Two of Picerni's children predeceased him. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On A ...

, on January 12, 2011, at the age of 88. Picerni is interred at the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Conversations at the Cinematheque: Paul Picerni for DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD
(interview, April 11, 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Picerni, Paul 1922 births 2011 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Army Air Forces officers American people of Italian descent People from Greater Los Angeles Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery People from Palmdale, California Military personnel from California