Alan Fudge (February 27, 1944 – October 10, 2011) was an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

known for his roles in four

television program A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via Terrestrial television, over-the-air, Satellite television, satellite, and cable te ...

s, ''

Man from Atlantis ''Man from Atlantis'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero television series that ran on the NBC network from 1977–78. It began as four TV movies that aired in Spring 1977. The movies achieved high ratings which led to the commissioning ...

'', ''

Eischied ''Eischied'' (, ) is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC from September 21, 1979, to July 1, 1980. It was based on the starring character from the 1978 miniseries ''To Kill a Cop'', which was based on the 1976 novel by R ...

'', ''

Paper Dolls ''Paper Dolls'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 episodes on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York City, New York's fashion industry, the show centered on top m ...

'' and ''Bodies of Evidence'', along with a recurring role on '' 7th Heaven''.

Early years

Fudge was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. He moved to

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, at the age of five. He acted with Mary MacMurtrie's Children's Theater in Tucson and with the Tucson Little Theater. He graduated from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

with a major in theater. He received the university's Best Actor Award in two seasons worked with the

Globe Theater The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was destroyed by fire on ...

in San Diego during one summer.

Career

On television, Fudge portrayed Lou Dalton in the drama '' 7th Heaven'', C. W. Crawford in the adventure series ''

'', and Jim Kimbrough in the crime drama ''

''. Fudge appeared in many

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

s based on popular series, such as ''Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine'', ''Columbo: Columbo Goes to College'', ''Matlock: The Witness Killings'', and ''Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For''. Along with

Mike Farrell Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series '' M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). In addition, Farrell was a producer of '' Patch Adams'' (1998) starr ...

and

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Babe'' ( ...

, Fudge was one of the finalists in 1975 for the regular role of B. J. Hunnicutt in the television comedy series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

''. Farrell won the part, and Fudge made a memorable guest appearance in the fourth season episode "

Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler? "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" was the 81st episode of the ''M*A*S*H'' television series, and the ninth of season four. The episode aired on November 7, 1975. "Quo Vadis" is Latin for "Where are you going?" and is a reference to a conversation ...

", playing a wounded soldier who believes he is

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. The episode was nominated for a

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

. Films in which Fudge appeared include ''

Airport 1975 ''Airport 1975'' (also known as ''Airport '75'') is a 1974 American air disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film ''Airport''. It was directed by Jack Smight, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang, a ...

'' (1974), '' Bug'' (1975), ''

Capricorn One ''Capricorn One'' is a 1977 thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the crew themselves. It was wri ...

'' (1978), '' Chapter Two'' (1979), '' The Border'' (1982), '' Brainstorm'' (1983), ''

The Natural ''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story most ...

'' (1984), '' My Demon Lover'' (1987) and ''

Edward Scissorhands ''Edward Scissorhands'' is a 1990 American gothic romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton. It was produced by Burton and Denise Di Novi, written by Caroline Thompson from a story by her and Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as the title ...

'' (1990). Fudge's work on stage included performing at the

Charles Playhouse The Charles Playhouse is a theater at 74 Warrenton Street Boston in the Boston Theater District. The venue comprises an approximately 500-seat mainstage, which hosts the long-running Blue Man Group, and a 200-seat second stage branded as the com ...

in Boston. For three years, he acted with the APA-Phoenix Theatre. He appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, including being part of the original cast of ''War and Peace'' at the Lyceum Theatre in 1967. His other credits on Broadway included ''Hamlet'' (1969), ''The Show Off'' (1968), ''Pantagleize'' (1968), ''The Cherry Orchard'' (1968), ''You Can't Take It With You'' (1967), ''The Wild Duck'' (1967), ''We, Comrades Three'' (1966), and ''The School for Scandal'' (1966).

Death

Fudge died in Los Angeles at the age of 67, as a result of lung and liver cancer, on October 10, 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fudge, Alan 1944 births 2011 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Wichita, Kansas Deaths from lung cancer in California University of Arizona alumni