William Boyett (January 3, 1927 – December 29, 2004) was an American actor best known for his roles in law enforcement dramas on television from the 1950s through the 1990s.

Early years

Boyett was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

, and lived there until the 1940s, when he moved with his family to

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 ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He won a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

competition in high school which led to acting jobs in radio.

Military service

Boyett served in the Navy during World War II and afterward performed on the stage in both

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and Los Angeles.

Television

In 1954, Boyett played respected settler Jim Hardwicke in the ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'' episode "11,000 Miners Can't Be Wrong". Boyett was often cast as a law-enforcement officer, most notably as Dan Matthews (

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All th ...

)'s patrol officer on '' Highway Patrol'', where he appeared in 65 episodes, either as Sgt. Johnson or Sgt. Williams, between 1955 and 1959; Boyett also portrayed a policeman in such diverse series as ''

Gang Busters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957. Histo ...

''; ''

The Man Behind the Badge ''The Man Behind the Badge '' is a half-hour American television police drama series which aired on CBS from October 11, 1953, to October 3, 1954. originally hosted by Norman Rose. In its second syndicated season, the host became character ...

''; ''

I Led 3 Lives ''I Led 3 Lives'' (also known as ''I Led Three Lives'') is an American drama series syndicated by Ziv Television Programs from October 1, 1953, to January 1, 1956. The series stars Richard Carlson. The show was a companion piece of sorts to ...

''; '' M Squad''; '' The Detectives''; ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

''; ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

''; ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

''; ''

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...

''; and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''.

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...

, the executive producer of ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the st ...

'', selected Boyett for the role of Sgt. "Mac" MacDonald after several performances (such as playing Sgt. Sam Hunter) in both iterations of Webb's '' Dragnet''. (Boyett can also be seen uncredited as a bailiff in the 1954 movie version.) Boyett appeared as MacDonald on ''Adam-12'' for its entire 1968–1975 run. He also made eight guest appearances on CBS's '' Perry Mason'' throughout the series' nine-year run, mostly in law-enforcement roles. In 1962, he played slain police officer Otto Norden in "The Case of the Hateful Hero". The defendant was his rookie partner James Anderson played by Richard Davalos, cousin of series regular Lt. Anderson played by Wesley Lau. He also played a corporate executive, Buck Osborn, in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Renegade Refugee". In the 1961 ''

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 ...

'' episode "Fire Watch", he was a forest ranger. Boyett appeared in a number of television programs, such as ''

Official Detective ''Official Detective'' is an American anthology television series which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor Everett Sloane.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: P ...

'', ''

Navy Log ''Navy Log'' is an American drama anthology series created by Samuel Gallu that presented stories from the history of the United States Navy. This series ran on CBS from September 20, 1955, until September 25, 1956.On October 17, 1956, it moved ...

'', '' Laramie'', '' Tales of the Texas Rangers'', ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'', '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (uncredited; "The Secret Sceptre Affair" from 1965), ''

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 ...

'', ''

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attemp ...

'', ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Knight Rider'', '' Space Patrol'', '' Rescue 8'', '' Whirlybirds'', '' Ripcord'', ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...

'' and '' Night Court''. He also appeared in numerous episodes of ''

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 ...

'' as Chief McConnikee of Los Angeles County Fire Department's Battalion 14. Boyett also occasionally appeared in television commercials.

Film

Boyett also acted in several motion pictures, such as '' The Hidden'' (1987) and '' The Rocketeer'' (1991). Boyett earned much praise for his highly unusual role in ''The Hidden'' as a hospital patient named Jonathan P. Miller, possessed by an alien being with a taste for red

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

s and

rock and roll music Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. He also appeared in a well-known short public safety film entitled '' Last Clear Chance'' (1959) as Patrolman Hal Jackson. Interest in the film was renewed by its appearance in a 1993 episode of ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1 ...

''. Boyett's other small roles as a police officer include the crime dramas ''Vice Squad'' (1953) with Edward G. Robinson and ''Shield For Murder'' (1954) with Edmond O'Brien.

Death

Boyett died December 29, 2004, in Mission Hills, California, five days before his 78th birthday, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

Filmography

* '' Street Bandits'' (1951) as Detective (uncredited) * ''

Without Warning! ''Without Warning!'' is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Adam Williams, Meg Randall, and Ed Binns. The film is shot in a semidocumentary-style with police procedural voice-over narration in parts. ...

'' (1952) as Cop Hit by Martin (uncredited) * '' Torpedo Alley'' (1952) as Submariner (uncredited) * '' By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1953) as Miss LaRue's Associate (uncredited) * '' So This Is Love'' (1953) as George Gershwin (uncredited) * ''

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

'' (1953) as Officer Kellogg (uncredited) * '' Return from the Sea'' (1954) as Sailor (uncredited) * '' Dragnet'' (1954) as Grand Jury Bailiff (uncredited) * '' Shield for Murder'' (1954) as Policeman Cooper (uncredited) * '' Private Hell 36'' (1955) as Mr. Stinson (uncredited) * '' Big House, U.S.A.'' (1955) as Ranger at Park Exit (uncredited) * ''

Strange Lady in Town ''Strange Lady in Town'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson. She plays a doctor who plans to introduce modern techniques of medicine to old Santa Fe in 1880, but is opposed by an established docto ...

'' (1955) as Lt. Keith (uncredited) * '' Running Wild'' (1955) as Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Inside Detroit ''Inside Detroit'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Pat O'Brien and Tina Carver. ''Inside Detroit'' is centered on corruption within the United Auto Workers union and is loosely ad ...

'' (1956) as Blair U.A.W. Friend (uncredited) * '' Forbidden Planet'' (1956) as Crewman (uncredited) * '' Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1956) as Military Policeman Escort at Fight (uncredited) * '' Francis in the Haunted House'' (1956) as Kissing Man (uncredited) * ''

Behind the High Wall ''Behind the High Wall'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Abner Biberman starring Tom Tully and Sylvia Sidney. It featured an early performance by John Gavin who had just signed with Universal. It was sometimes referred to as ...

'' (1956) as Policeman (uncredited) * ''

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, becau ...

'' (1956) as Staff (uncredited) * '' Fighting Trouble'' (1956) as Chips Conroy (uncredited) * '' Emergency Hospital'' (1956) as Mike - Traffic Officer (uncredited) * '' Until They Sail'' (1957) as U.S. Marine (uncredited) * ''

Young and Dangerous ''Young and Dangerous'' () is a 1996 Hong Kong crime film about a group of triad members, detailing their adventures and dangers in a Hong Kong Triad society. Directed by the film's cinematographer Andrew Lau, the film features a large ensemb ...

'' (1957) as Pier Cop (uncredited) * ''Big-Foot Wallace'' (1957, TV Movie) as First Prisoner * ''

The Lady Takes a Flyer ''The Lady Takes a Flyer'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Eastmancolor comedy-drama romance film released by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Jack Arnold and written by Danny Arnold based on a story by Edmund H. North. Plot Daredevil pilo ...

'' (1958) as Flight Mechanic (uncredited) * ''

As Young as We Are ''As Young as We Are'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by Bernard Girard and written by Meyer Dolinsky. The film stars Robert Harland, Pippa Scott, Majel Barrett, Ty Hardin, Barry Atwater and Carla Hoffman. The film was released in Sept ...

'' (1958) as Eric (uncredited) * '' Tarawa Beachhead'' (1958) as Ullman (uncredited) * ''The Clear Last Chance'' (1959 Safety Film) as Officer Hal Jackson * '' It Started with a Kiss'' (1959) as Alec (uncredited) * ''

Who Was That Lady? ''Who Was That Lady?'' is a 1960 black and white American comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh. The movie was made by Ansark-Sidney, distributed by Columbia Pictures and produced by Norman ...

'' (1960) as Howard (uncredited) *

(6/08/1961) as Joe Mitchell * ''

'' (1958-1960, TV Series) as Policeman / Asst. DA / Police Lieutenant / Paul Garrick / Spy / Saboteur / Mr. Hanson / Eddie Mahar / Newscast / Delmar * ''Sam Wiskey'' (1969) as Corporal * ''

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) as Jack Ingram * ''Vanished'' (1971, TV Mini-Series) as Cmdr. Prescott * ''Mobile Two'' (1975, TV Movie) as Lt. Don Carter * '' Gemini Man'' (1976, TV Mini-Series) as 1st Officer * ''

'' (1976-1978, TV Series) as Chief McConnike, Battalion 14 / Battalion Chief #14 / Captain, Station #39 * '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' (1977, TV Mini-Series) as Hard Hat * ''Confessions of the D.A. Man'' (1978, TV Movie) * ''

Every Girl Should Have One ''Every Girl Should Have One'' is a 1978 whodunit independent film. In Brazil, the film was is known as ''O Que Toda Mulher Tem''. Its tagline was "a 14 Karat Caper". The film had a printed film format of 35 mm. Plot A diamond theft takes ...

'' (1978) as Detective Rand * ''Ike: The War Years'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) as Gen. Ward Hoffenberg * '' When a Stranger Calls'' (1979) as Sgt. Sacher * ''The Golden Gate Murders'' (1979, TV Movie) as Bridge Supervisor * ''Gypsy Angels'' (1981) as Mr. Allman * ''Bloody Birthday'' (1981) * '' Space Raiders'' (1983) as Taggert * ''The Christmas Tree Train'' (1983, TV Movie) as Ranger Jones (voice) * ''Getting Physical'' (1984, TV Movie) as Desk Sergeant * '' Sam's Son'' (1984) as Coach Sutter * ''Which Witch Is Which'' (1984, TV Movie) as Ranger Jones (voice) * ''The Turkey Caper'' (1985, TV Movie) as Ranger Jones (voice) * '' The Deliberate Stranger'' (1986, TV Movie) as Aspen Detective * '' Native Son'' (1986) as Reporter #3 *''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' (1986) as Walter Edmonson * '' The Hidden'' (1987) as Jonathan P. Miller * ''The Adventure Machine'' (1990, TV Movie) as Ranger Jones (uncredited) * '' The Rocketeer'' (1991) as Government Liaison * '' Strays'' (1991, TV Movie) as Dr. Lyle Sokol * ''The Wish That Changed Christmas'' (1991, TV Movie) as Ranger Jones (voice) * ''

Newsies ''Newsies'' (released as ''The News Boys'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical historical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega in his film directing debut. Loosely based on t ...

'' (1992) as Judge Movealong Monahan * '' Girls in Prison'' (1994, TV Movie) as Dr. Shainmark * ''Blood Run'' (1994, TV Movie) as Briskin * '' Theodore Rex'' (1995) as Desk Sergeant

Selected Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyett, William 1927 births 2004 deaths Male actors from Akron, Ohio American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from kidney failure Deaths from pneumonia in California Male actors from New York City Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors

Early years

Military service

Television

Film

Death

Filmography

Selected Television

References

Further reading

External links