Arthur Peterson Jr. (November 18, 1912 – October 31, 1996) was an American actor. He played character and supporting roles on stage, television, and feature films. On television, he played the Major in the

TV series 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 over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

Soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

'' (1977–1981).

Early life

Born and raised in

Mandan, North Dakota Mandan is a city on the eastern border of Morton County, North Dakota, Morton County and the List of cities in North Dakota, eighth-most populous city in North Dakota. Founded in 1879 on the west side of the upper Missouri River, it was designat ...

, Peterson first obtained a degree in theater from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

before becoming a professional actor with the first

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal ...

. Peterson made his media debut in 1937 with the central role on the radio serial ''

The Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Peterson fought within

General Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

's Third Army.

Acting career

In the era of

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

, Peterson portrayed Wilton Comstock on ''

Bachelor's Children ''Bachelor's Children'' is a domestic daytime drama broadcast that originated on Chicago's WGN in 1935–36, continuing on CBS and NBC until September 27, 1946. Premise ''Bachelor's Children'' followed the daily travails of two friends, Dr. Bo ...

'', Bill Baxter on ''The Baxters'', Judge Parsons on ''The Tom Mix Ralston Straightshooters'', and John Ruthledge on ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

''. In June 1948 he was in the initial episode of

Richard Durham Richard Isadore Durham (September 6, 1917 – April 27, 1984) was an African-American writer and radio producer.

's ''

Destination Freedom ''Destination Freedom'' was a series of weekly radio programs that was produced by WMAQ in Chicago. The first set ran from 1948 to 1950 and it presented the biographical histories of prominent African Americans such as George Washington Carver ...

'' radio anthology. In 1949, Peterson appeared in the ABC network's first

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, ''That's O'Toole''. In 1960, he appeared in the episode “The Peace Officer” (S6E6) in the TV Western ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', as well as in 1961 as Sam Frazer in “A Man A Day” and in 1966 as a drunk in “Champion of the World”. Peterson's stage work included appearances in such plays as ''Inherit the Wind''. His film career has been sporadic, including such titles as ''

The Young Animals ''The Young Animals'', also known as ''Born Wild'', is a 1968 drama film directed by Maury Dexter. It was the second in a four-picture deal he did with AIP and was filmed at Tucson, Arizona. Plot WASP Bruce (David Macklin) and his gang beat up ...

'' (AKA ''Born Wild'') (1968) and ''

Rollercoaster A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usually designed to produce a thrilling experience, though some r ...

'' (1977). Peterson was guest artist at

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, where he taught classes in acting and developed original materials such as ''The Monster'', ''The Bride'' and ''Stephen'' based on the writings of

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

. He also co-authored with June August, a one-man show titled ''Robert Frost: Fire and Ice'', based on the life and works of the famous poet. After the premiere of the one-man show at the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

Interim Theatre, Peterson spent 1981 to 1991 touring the United States with the Robert Frost piece, which alternated with a Pasadena Playhouse production of ''The Gin Game'', performed with his wife Norma, (a play previously performed on Broadway by

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British actress. An icon in the film industry, she appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAF ...

and her husband

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, includ ...

). During Arthur's residency at George Mason, he met David Arrow, who was instrumental in bringing ''Robert Frost: Fire and Ice'' off-Broadway, where it played during the summer of 1984. Peterson also recorded the piece for AudioBooks. When the long run ended for these plays, Peterson retired from acting in 1991.

Personal life and death

Peterson was married to Norma Ransom, an actress whom he met when the two were students at the University of Minnesota. He died on October 31, 1996, of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in the Amberwood Convalescent Hospital in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Filmography

References

External links

* 1912 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California People from Mandan, North Dakota University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni {{US-theat-actor-1910s-stub