Richard William Bull (June 26, 1924 – February 3, 2014) was an American film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his performances as "Doc" on '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' and Nels Oleson on '' Little House on the Prairie''.

Personal life

Bull was born on June 26, 1924 in Zion, Illinois. After years of living in Los Angeles, he moved back to Chicago in 1994 with his wife Barbara Collentine. The couple moved to the Motion Picture & Television Fund House from Chicago in September 2012. Bull fell into acting by accident. “I never gave a serious consideration about becoming an actor. As a senior in high school, I decided to study music, but a friend suggested we attend the Goodman Theater School. In two weeks the friend dropped out, but I was hooked.” There was a three-year interruption while he served as a radio operator for the Army Air Corps, but when he was discharged in 1946 he resumed his acting studies at Goodman.

Career

Bull began his stage career at the famous Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He said that a two-line part in '' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' "opened a lot of doors." Director George Stevens was impressed with Bull's emoting, and that "led directly to the role of an FBI agent in ''

The Satan Bug ''The Satan Bug'' is a 1965 American crime science fiction suspense film from United Artists, produced and directed by John Sturges, that stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, and Dana Andrews. The screenplay by James Clavell a ...

''," Bull said. He made more than 100 film and TV appearances.

Death

Bull died on the morning of February 3, 2014, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in

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Filmography

Film

:*''

Full of Life ''Full of Life'' is a 1956 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Quine and starring Judy Holliday and Richard Conte. It was nominated for an award by the Writers Guild of America in 1957. Plot Writer Nick and his wife Emily are expecti ...

'' (1956) as Doctor (uncredited) :*'' Fear Strikes Out'' (1957) as Reporter Slade (uncredited) :*''

Operation Mad Ball ''Operation Mad Ball'' is a 1957 military comedy from Columbia Pictures, produced by Jed Harris, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Kathryn Grant, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is by Blake Edw ...

'' (1957) as Military Police Sergeant (uncredited) :*'' The True Story of Lynn Stuart'' (1958) as Customs Officer (uncredited) :*'' But Not for Me'' (1959) as Ticket Seller (uncredited) :*'' Then There Were Three'' (1961) :*'' Della'' (1964) as Mark Nodella :*''

'' (1965) as Eric Cavanaugh :*''

In Like Flint ''In Like Flint'' is a 1967 American spy fi comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film ''Our Man Flint'' (1966). It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a fem ...

'' (1967) as Newscaster (uncredited) :*'' Hour of the Gun'' (1967) as Thomas Fitch :*''

How to Steal the World ''How To Steal the World'' is a 1968 American action–adventure film, taken from a two-part episode of the TV series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. The film a ...

'' (1968) as Captain Gelser (archive footage) :*'' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968) as Booth Guard :*'' The Secret Life of an American Wife'' (1968) as Howard :*'' The Stalking Moon'' (1968) as Doctor :*'' Moonfire'' (1970) as Hawkins :*'' Move'' (1970) as Keith :*'' Lawman'' (1971) as Dusaine :*'' The Andromeda Strain'' (1971) as an Air Force major :*'' Man and Boy'' (1971) as Thornhill :*'' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972) as Ginsford :*'' High Plains Drifter'' (1973) as Asa Goodwin :*'' The President's Plane is Missing'' (1973, TV Movie) as Flight Controller :*''

Executive Action Executive actions of the CIA are directives issued to the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. History The CIA was created under the National Security Act of 1947, which Harry S. Truman signed on July 26, 1947. Richard Bissell w ...

'' (1973) as a gunman on "Team A" :*''

Breezy ''Breezy'' is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, produced by Robert Daley, and written by Jo Heims. The film stars William Holden and Kay Lenz, with Roger C. Carmel, Marj Dusay, and Joan Hotchkis in supporting roles ...

'' (1973) as Doctor :*''

Newman's Law ''Newman's Law'' is a 1974 American crime film directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring George Peppard. Plot Vince Newman, a no-nonsense cop, decides to investigate on his own when tipped off that colleagues in the police department are invo ...

'' (1974) as Immigration Man :*'' The Parallax View'' (1974) as Parallax Goon :*''Mr. Sycamore'' (1975) as Dr. Ferfield :*''

A Different Story ''A Different Story'' is a 1978 American film directed by Paul Aaron and starring Meg Foster and Perry King. Set in Los Angeles, it tells the story of a Gay men, gay man (King) and a lesbian (Foster) who become temporary housemates but end up fa ...

'' (1978) as Mr. Cooke :*''A Day in a Life'' (2000) as Will :*''The Secret'' (2001) as Grandpa :*'' Let's Go to Prison'' (2006) as Board Member #2 :*''

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

'' (2008) as Earl Higgins :*'' Witless Protection'' (2008) as Sheriff Smoot :*''Osso Bucco'' (2008) as Old Man Diner

Television

:*'' Men Into Space'' (1959) as Radio Operator in "Asteroid" :*'' Highway Patrol'' (1959 - 4th season episode 25) as bank robber, Bert Nelson :*'' Harrigan and Son'' (1961) as Lawson in "They Were All in Step But Jim" :*''

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 ...

'' :** as Nort in "Collie's Free" (1962) :** as Deems in "The Sodbusters" (1972) :*'' My Three Sons'' (1962) as J. C. Dobbins :*'' The Eleventh Hour'' (1964) as Phil Whitman in "Sunday Father" :*'' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964-1968 TV Series) as The Doctor, various episodes :*'' Kentucky Jones'' (1965) as Harold Erkel in episodes "The Victim" and "The Return of Wong Lee" :*''

Blue Light Blue Light or Blue light may refer to: Science and technology * Portion of the visible spectrum related to the blue color ** Blue laser ** Blue LED * Cherenkov radiation, the physical phenomenon responsible for the characteristic blue glow in nuc ...

'' (1966) in episode "Sacrifice!" :*'' Mission: Impossible'' (1966) as an agent for the Impossible Missions Force :*''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...

2 episodes as Bill Lindsay and Mr.Jackson :*''

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 ...

'' - (1968-1974) 7 episodes as 4 different characters :*'' Gomer Pyle, USMC'' (1966) as the psychologist in the episode "Gomer and the Little Space Men". :*''

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 ...

'' (1969-1972) as Jess Hill/Mr. Goodman (2 episodes) :*''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'' (1971) as 2nd Detective in episode "Lady in Waiting" :*'' Nichols'' (1971-1972) 5 episodes as Thatcher :*'' The Partridge Family'' (1972) 1 episode as Thompson :*''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'' (1973-1974) as the coroner :*'' Barnaby Jones'' (1973-1976) 4 episodes as J.I. Fletcher :*'' Little House on the Prairie'' (1974-1983) as Nels Oleson :*''Wipeout'' (1976) as Sheriff Safian :*''Dead Man's Run'' as Mr. Moore :*''Blind Terror'' (1973) as Mr. Strather :* ''Perchance to Kill'' (1973) as J.I. Fletcher :* ''

The Harvey Korman Show ''The Harvey Korman Show'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harvey Korman, Christine Lahti, Barry Van Dyke and Milton Selzer that aired for five episodes on ABC from January 31 to August 3, 1978. Synopsis Harvey A. Kavanaugh is ...

'' (1978) as the Judge :* ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' (1985) as Capt. Furillo's father :* ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Vi ...

'' (1985) as the doctor (2 episodes) :* '' It's Garry Shandling's Show'' as Stanley (1 episode) :* ''

'' (1988) as Judge Wagner (1 episode) :* ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'' (1988) as Everett :* '' ER'' (1999) as nice man on the train (1 episode) :* '' Normal'' (2003, TV Movie) as Roy, Sr. :* ''

Boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

'' (2011) as Elderly Farmer (final appearance)

References

External links

* *
About Richard Bull
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, Richard 1924 births 2014 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors People from Zion, Illinois Male actors from Chicago Deaths from pneumonia in California United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers