Arthur Hill (Canadian Actor)

Arthur Edward Spence Hill (1 August 1922 – 22 October 2006) was a Canadian actor. He was known in British and American theatre, film, and television.

Early life

Arthur Edward Spence Hill was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, on 1 August 1922, the son of Edith Georgina (Spence) and Olin Drake Hill.

He was studying pre-law at the University of British Columbia when he joined the RCAF. As part of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, Hill served in the mechanic corps. After the war he finished his law degree, then became interested in acting, which he studied in Seattle, Washington.

Career

In 1956, he appeared as an accused murderer in episode 17 of ''Colonel March of Scotland Yard,'' an English/American production starring Boris Karloff. Hill's Broadway theatre debut was in the 1957 revival of Thornton Wilder's '' The Matchmaker'', playing Cornelius Hackl. In 1963, Hill received the Tony Award for Best Dramatic Actor for his portrayal of George in the original Broadway production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' Other Broadway credits include Ben Gant in the original production of ''Look Homeward, Angel'' (1957), '' All the Way Home'' (1960), ''Something More!'' (1964), and '' More Stately Mansions'' (1967).

Hill starred as the villain opposite Paul Newman's private eye in the 1966 mystery thriller '' Harper''. In ''The Andromeda Strain'' (1971), Hill played Dr. Jeremy Stone. Other film work includes '' The Ugly American'' (1963), '' Harper'' (1966), '' Petulia'' (1968), '' The Chairman'' (1969), ''The Killer Elite'' (1975), ''Futureworld'' (1976), an uncredited role in '' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), and narration of '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (1983).

Hill's television work includes the 1964 television drama '' The Reporter''. He also appeared in several television episodes in 1966 and 1967, including: '' Mission Impossible'' episode "The Carriers", the ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' episode "The Monster from the Inferno", '' The F.B.I.'' episode "Flight to Harbin", and '' The Invaders'' episode "The Leeches".

From 1971 to 1974, Hill starred as lawyer Owen Marshall in the television series ''Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law''. Another of his television roles was Grandpa Lansford Ingalls on ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1976).

Hill appeared in the 1984 pilot episode of ''Murder, She Wrote'' and reprised his role in 1990. His final role was as a governor in the 1990 ''Columbo'' episode "Agenda for Murder".

Personal life

Hill married Peggy Hassard in September 1942. They had two children, Douglas and Jennifer. The family moved to Great Britain in 1948. In London, he was at the BBC, both radio and television. They moved to New York City in 1955, then to Los Angeles in 1968.

He retired in 1990. After the death of his wife in 1998, he married Anne-Sophie Taraba in 2001.

Death

Hill died on 22 October 2006, in Pacific Palisades, California. He lived in a nursing home, and was 84 years old. His death was attributed to Alzheimer's disease.

Selected filmography

* '' I Was a Male War Bride'' (1949) as Dependents Clearing Officer (uncredited)
* ''Miss Pilgrim's Progress'' (1949) as American Vice-Consul (uncredited)
* '' The Body Said No!'' (1950) as Robin King
* '' Mister Drake's Duck'' (1951) as American Vice-Consul
* '' Scarlet Thread'' (1951) as Shaw
* ''Salute the Toff'' (1952) as Ted Harrison
* ''You're Only Young Twice'' (1952) as Mystery Man (uncredited)
* '' Penny Princess'' (1952) as Representative of Johnson K. Johnson (uncredited)
* '' Paul Temple Returns'' (1952) as Cranmer Guest
* ''A Day to Remember'' (1953) as Al
* '' Life with the Lyons'' (1954) as Slim Cassidy
* '' The Crowded Day'' (1954) as Alice's Escort
* '' Raising a Riot'' (1955) as American Sergeant (uncredited)
* '' The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955) as Jackie Jackson
* '' The Silver Curtain'' (1955) as Jerry Winton
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 32: "Human Interest Story") as Yangan Dall / 'Howard Wilcox'
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1960) (Season 6 Episode 13: "The Man Who Found the Money") as William Benson
* ''The Young Doctors'' (1961) as Tomaselli
* '' The Ugly American'' (1963) as Grainger
* '' In the Cool of the Day'' (1963) as Sam Bonner
* ''Moment to Moment'' (1965) as Neil Stanton
* '' Harper'' (1966) as Albert Graves
* '' Petulia'' (1968) as Barney
* '' The Chairman'' (1969) as Shelby
* '' Don't Let the Angels Fall'' (1969) as Robert
* ''Rabbit, Run'' (1970) as Reverend Jack Eccles
* '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1971) as John Popper
* ''The Andromeda Strain'' (1971) as Dr. Jeremy Stone
* ''The Killer Elite'' (1975) as Cap Collis
* ''Futureworld'' (1976) as Duffy
* '' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977) as U.S. Medical Colonel (uncredited)
* '' The Champ'' (1979) as Mike
* ''A Little Romance'' (1979) as Richard King
* '' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'' (1979) as Governor (uncredited)
* '' The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd'' (1980) as Thomas Ewing Jr.
* '' Revenge of the Stepford Wives'' (1980) as Dale 'Diz' Corbett
* '' Dirty Tricks'' (1981) as Professor Prosser
* '' The Amateur'' (1981) as Brewer
* ''Making Love'' (1982) as Henry
* '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (1983) as Narrator (voice)
* '' Murder in Space'' (1985) as Vice President
* ''One Magic Christmas'' (1985) as Caleb Grainger
* '' A Fine Mess'' (1986) (uncredited)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Arthur (Actor)
1922 births
2006 deaths
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male stage actors
Canadian male television actors
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California
Deaths from dementia in California
Tony Award winners
People from Melfort, Saskatchewan
Male actors from Saskatchewan
University of British Columbia alumni
Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II
Royal Canadian Air Force airmen
Canadian military personnel from Saskatchewan