Charles Wilbur Bateman (born in
San Diego, California) is an American
actor. He appeared in 76 different
television programs between 1958 and 1991, as well as numerous theatrically-released and made-for-telelevision films. He is perhaps best recognized to audiences for his role as the ill-fated First Officer Larsen in the 1972 box-office smash and cinematic classic ''
The Poseidon Adventure''
Early years
Bateman's early training in acting came at San Diego Junior College and
La Jolla Playhouse as well as in a
stock theater company.
He was one of three children born to Thomas O. Bateman and Ivarene Cornelius Bateman. His mother died at the age of 110.
Career
Bateman's first television appearance was as "Cousin Jeff Martin" in the 1958 episode "Black Fire" of the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
/
Warner Brothers western series ''
Maverick'', starring
James Garner. He soon appeared on ABC's ''
Lawman'',
Lee Marvin's
NBC crime drama ''
M Squad'', and
Jim Davis's
syndicated adventure series, ''
Rescue 8''. He was cast as "Hess" in
CBS's "Incident of a Burst of Evil" episode of the western series ''
Rawhide''. He also guest starred as a young engineer in the episode "The Tree" of CBS's ''
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...
'', as well as two episodes of ''
Perry Mason'': Roy Dowson in "The Case of the Bashful Burro" in 1960, and defendant and title character Jeff Bronson in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Guilty Clients."
Bateman co-starred as Detective George Peters in the first thirteen episodes of a 1959-1961
syndicated crime drama, ''
Manhunt
Manhunt may refer to:
Search processes
* Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive
* Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies
Social organisations
* Manhun ...
''.
Then, during the 1960-1961 season, he played the dual role of twin brothers, Rick January,
M.D., and
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
Ben January, in the syndicated
western series ''
Two Faces West''. After ''Two Faces West'' concluded its thirty-nine episodes, Bateman guest starred on ABC's ''
Hawaiian Eye
''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network.
Premise
Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian partner, Tom Lopaka (Robert Con ...
'' and ''
Ben Casey'', NBC's ''
The Virginian'', ''
Temple Houston
Temple Lea Houston (August 12, 1860 – August 15, 1905) was an American attorney and politician who served from 1885 to 1889 in the Texas State Senate. He was the last-born child of Margaret Lea Houston and Sam Houston, the first elected presi ...
'', ''
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 U ...
'', and ''
Daniel Boone'', and CBS's ''
The Jack Benny Program'', ''
The Munsters'', and ''
Hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
''.
Bateman was cast as
United States Army Lieutenant
Edward Fitzgerald Beale in the 1963 episode, "Stubborn Mule Hill", on the
syndicated television anthology series, ''
Death Valley Days'', hosted by
Stanley Andrews.
David McLean played Beale's friend, Army scout
Kit Carson.
In 1965, Bateman was cast as Jim Brand, a deputy sheriff in
Washoe County (
Reno),
Nevada, in the ''Death Valley Days'' episode, "The Wild West's Biggest Train Holdup". In the story line, deputy Brand places a locked chain on a
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...
engine until the company agrees to pay its tax assessment.
Roy Barcroft portrayed the aging Sheriff Jackson with
Pat Priest as his daughter, Nora, who is romantically interested in Brand. In still another ''Death Valley Days'' appearance in 1966, "The Hero of Apache Pass", hosted by
Robert Taylor, Bateman played United States Army
surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
Bernard J. D. Irwin, early recipient of the
Medal of Honor based on daring exploits in an 1861 confrontation with the
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
Chief Cochise in the
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
.
Phillip Pine was cast as Colonel Pitts, and
Dick Simmons played
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
George Nicholas Bascom.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bateman was cast in guest-starring roles in ''
My Three Sons'', ''
The Governor and J.J.
''The Governor & J.J.'' is a television series that ran from September 1969 to December 1970 on CBS in the United States and in Canada, where it ran on CBC Television. Selected episodes were rerun by CBS during the summer of 1972. It was produced ...
'', ''
Get Smart'', ''
Mayberry, R.F.D.'', ''
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
'' and ''
Love, American Style
''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...
''. From 1968 to 1972, he appeared four times on ABC's crime drama ''
The F.B.I.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
'', starring
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. He appeared six times on CBS's detective series ''
Cannon'', starring
William Conrad
William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he s ...
, and twice on ''
Mission: Impossible'' with
Peter Graves. He also appeared twice on ''
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 inves ...
'', starring
Mike Connors and later guest starred three times on ''
Barnaby Jones'', starring
Buddy Ebsen.
Bateman's first venture into
soap operas was in 1980, when he joined the cast of NBC's ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' as Maxwell Jarvis, but he left the program after a year. Thereafter, he joined the cast of the former series, ''
Santa Barbara'', in which he appeared as
C.C. Capwell between 1984 and 1986. In 1985, he appeared as a military officer in the CBS
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
, ''
Robert Kennedy & His Times
''Robert Kennedy and His Times'' is a 1985 American television miniseries directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, based on the 1978 Robert F. Kennedy biography of the same name by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Cast
Awards and nominations
See also
* Cul ...
'', with
Brad Davis in the title role. From 1988-91, he appeared twice as two different
Texas state senator
A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Description
A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
s on ''
Dallas''. His last acting role was in 1991 in an episode of ''
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill''.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Charles
Living people
American male soap opera actors
American male television actors
Male actors from San Diego
Male actors from Los Angeles
Year of birth missing (living people)