Donald Gene Dubbins (June 28, 1928 – August 17, 1991) was an American film, stage and television actor.

Life and career

Dubbins was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He served in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

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 ...

. Dubbins began his career in 1953, appearing in the television series ''

The Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

''. He also appeared in the film ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...

'', where he played the uncredited role of the

bugler The bugle is a simple signaling brass instrument with a wide conical bore. It normally has no valves or other pitch-altering devices, and is thus limited to its natural harmonic notes, and pitch is controlled entirely by varying the air and ...

, Private Friday Clark. Perhaps his highest-profile roles came with the western ''

Tribute to a Bad Man ''Tribute to a Bad Man'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring James Cagney about a rancher whose harsh enforcement of frontier justice alienates the woman he loves. It was based on the short story "Hanging's for ...

'' and the drama ''

These Wilder Years ''These Wilder Years'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Pidgeon. It is the story of a businessman who tries to find the illegitimate son he gave up to an orphanage many y ...

'', both times playing alongside

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

. Other film credits include '' The D.I.'', ''

From the Earth to the Moon ''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' () is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an en ...

'', '' The Illustrated Man'', '' Enchanted Island'', ''

Death Wish II ''Death Wish II'' is a 1982 American vigilante action-thriller film directed and co-edited by Michael Winner. It is the sequel to the 1974 film '' Death Wish''. It is the second installment in the ''Death Wish'' film series. In the story, ar ...

'', ''

The Caine Mutiny ''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the mo ...

''. Later in his career, Dubbins appeared in numerous TV programs including ''

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 ...

''; ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

''; ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

''; ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

''; '' Wanted: Dead or Alive''; '' The Millionaire''; '' Peyton Place''; ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

''; ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, an ...

''; ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...

''; ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

''; '' The Guns of Will Sonnett''; ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

''; ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

''; '' Then Came Bronson''; '' Dragnet''; ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''; ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

''; and ''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

''. Dubbins's last credit was his role in ''Death of a Salesman'', where he played Willy Loman. Dubbins died on 17 August 1991 of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at the St. Francis Hospital in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, at the age of 63. He was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1953) as Private Friday Clark, Bugler (uncredited) * ''

'' (1954) as Seaman First Class Urban (uncredited) * ''

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 19: "The Morning of the Bride") as Philip Pryor * ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 14: "Incident of the Dog Days") as Billy Carter * ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and '' Bronco'' (both second and fo ...

'' (1959) (Season 2 Episode 15: "The Mountain") as Vic Bradley * ''

'' (1959) (Season 2 Episode 16: "The Twister") as Sid Garnin * ''

'' (1959) (Season 5 Episode 2: "Kitty's Injury") as Lootie * ''

'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 20: "Elegy") as Peter Kirby * ''

'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 29: "Bitter Water") as Todd McCarren * ''

'' (1960) (Season 3 Episode 7: "The Martinet") as Ben Perry * ''

'' (1961) (Season 7 Episode 9: "Milly") as Potts * ''

'' (1961) (Season 7 Episode 13: "Marry Me") as Orkey Cathcart * ''

'' (1961-1966) (7 episodes) * '' Dr. Kildare'' (1962) (Season 1 Episode 23: "The Witch Doctor") as Roy Tyler * ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'' (1963) (Season 3 Episode 21: "In the Closing of a Trunk") as Mattie Hawkes * ''

'' (1963) (Season 5 Episode 24: "The Man Who Wasn't There") as Pete Rix * ''

'' (1964) (Season 9 Episode 16: "Prairie Wolfer") as Wendt * ''

'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 37: "Kate Flat on Her Back") as Smokey Harner * '' The Fugitive'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 24: "Flight from the Final Demon") as Horton * '' The Virginian'' (1965) (Season 4 Episode 13: "The Horse Fighter") as Albi * ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

'' (1965) (Season 1 Episode 1: "The Lady in the Bottle") as Lieutenant Pete Conway, US Naval Reserve * '' The Fugitive'' (1966) (Season 4 Episode 10: "Nobody Loses All the Time") as McCaffrey * '' Dragnet'' (1967) (Season 1 Episode 2: "The Big Explosion") as Donald L. Chapman * '' Dragnet'' (1967) (Season 2 Episode 9: "The Big Ad") as Steve Deal * '' Dragnet'' (1968) (Season 2 Episode 21: "The Big Clan") as Billy Catcher * '' Dragnet'' (1969) (Season 3 Episode 16: "Narcotics: DR-21") as Bob Buesing * '' Dragnet'' (1969) (Season 4 Episode 6: "Juvenile: The Little Pusher") as Thomas Shore * ''

'' (1970) (Season 5 Episode 23: "An Astronaut in Sheep's Clothing") as Commander Jay Russell * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' (1970) (Season 4 Episode 7: "The Other Game in Town") as Chris Allison * ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Pegg ...

'' (1970) (Season 2 Episode 21: "The Deadly Sin") as Teddy Capp * ''

'' (1972) (Season 4 Episode 17: "Kill Gently, Sweet Jessie") as Leonard Gault * ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

'' (1973) (Season 5 Episode 20: "Suspended") as Officer Steve Tyson * ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

'' (1973) (Season 1 Episode 12: "Superstition") as Meador * ''

'' (1973) (Season 1 Episode 9: "Some See Evil... Do Some Evil") as Emory Brandon * ''

'' (1974) (Season 3 Episode 4: "Conspiracy of Terror") as John Riley * ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

'' (1974) (Season 4 Episode 9: "Flashpoint") as Harry Fryer * ''

'' (1977) (Season 5 Episode 23: "The Inside Man") as Bill Hummel * ''

'' (1977) (Season 6 Episode 11: "The Devil's Handmaiden") as Sheriff Mason * ''

'' (1978) (Season 7 Episode 2: "A Dangerous Affair") as Frank Auburn * ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

'' (1978) (Season 4 Episode 18: "South by Southeast") as Agent Frazee * ''

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, Tattoo. ...

'' (1978) (Season 1 Episode 14: "King for a Day/Instant Family") as Dr. Sidney Block * ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (1979) (Season 3 Episode 2: "Blind Rage") as Sergeant Murkland * ''

'' (1982) as Mike * ''

Mork & Mindy ''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', " My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extrater ...

'' (1982) (Season 4 Episode 20: "Gotta Run: Part 2") as Secretary General * '' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1983) (Season 4 Episode 17: "The Spy Who Bugged Me") as Mr. Williams * ''

'' (1985) (Season 1 Episode 13: "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean") as Dr. Carmichael * ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred its creator and co-director Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth to help peo ...

'' (1985) (Season 1 Episode 16: "Going Home, Going Home") as Don Weston * ''

'' (1985) (Season 1 Episode 17: "As Difficult as ABC") as Don Weston * ''

'' (1987) (Season 4 Episode 1: "Not Just Another John Doe") as John

References

External links

* *
Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubbins, Don 1928 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in South Carolina Male actors from Brooklyn Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Western (genre) television actors