Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American movie and television

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

, often playing in authoritative roles.

Early years

Born in

Lincoln, California Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, United States, part of the Sacramento, California, Sacramento metropolitan area. Located north of Roseville, California, Roseville in an area of rapid suburban development, it grew 282 percent b ...

, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become a doctor, but participation with a college production of ''

Yellow Jack The yellow jack (''Carangoides bartholomaei''), also known as coolihoo, is a species of marine (ocean), marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. It is one of only two representatives of its genus present in the Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting wate ...

'' diverted his attention to acting. He changed his major to drama and later received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While there, he was elected his class's most promising actor.

Career

Gene Kelly Going My Way television series 1962

Among his movies were ''

Ride the Pink Horse ''Ride the Pink Horse'' is a 1947 film noir crime film produced by Universal Studios. It was directed by Robert Montgomery, who also stars in it, from a screenplay by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, which was based on the 1946 novel of the sam ...

'' (1947), '' Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid'' (1948), '' Flamingo Road'' (1949), ''

White Heat ''White Heat'' is a 1949 American film noir starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, and Edmond O'Brien, and directed by Raoul Walsh. Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, ''White Heat'' is based on a story by Virginia Kellogg, and is considere ...

'' (1949), ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

'' (1950), '' A Place in the Sun'' (1951), ''

How to Marry a Millionaire ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930) by Zoe Akins and '' ...

'' (1953), ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope biographical drama film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her fil ...

'' (1955), '' How to Be Very, Very Popular'' (1955), '' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955), ''

Auntie Mame ''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the Ward (law), ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father. The book i ...

'' (1958), and ''

Visit to a Small Planet ''Visit to a Small Planet'' is a 1960 American black-and-white science fiction comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Jerry Lewis, Joan Blackman, Earl Holliman, and Fred Clark. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, it was produced by ...

'' (1960). Although he continued performing in movies during the 1960s (including a role in

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classi ...

' ''

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb ''The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb'' is a 1964 British horror film produced, written and directed by Michael Carreras, starring Terence Morgan, Ronald Howard, Fred Clark and Jeanne Roland. Plot "Egypt in the year 1900". The mummy of Ra-Antef ...

'' in 1964 and '' John Goldfarb, Please Come Home'' in 1965) he performed more often for television, as a regular on ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

'' as neighbor Harry Morton (until 1953), and guest roles for ''

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 Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'', ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...

'', ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

,'' and ''

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 ...

''. In 1962, he and

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

, another ''Burns and Allen'' veteran, played Mr. and Mrs. Springer in the episode "Continental Dinner," the series finale of the CBS situation comedy ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American television sitcom starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS every Monday at 8:00 pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was broad ...

'', featuring

Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both '' December Bride'' (1954–1959) and '' Pet ...

and

Cara Williams Cara Williams (born Bernice Kamiat; June 29, 1925 – December 9, 2021) was an American film and television actress. She was best known for her role as Billy's mother in '' The Defiant Ones'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy A ...

. Clark had a regular but short-lived role in the 1966 ABC sitcom ''

The Double Life of Henry Phyfe ''The Double Life of Henry Phyfe'' is a 17-episode American sitcom broadcast on ABC from January 13 to September 1, 1966, and starring Red Buttons. Plot Henry Phyfe (Buttons) was a mild-mannered accountant, until circumstances forced the Americ ...

'' as the "Central Intelligence Service" boss of a hapless conscripted spy played by comedian

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and Golden Globe for '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his work such as ''Harlow'' (1965), '' They Shoot Ho ...

. Clark's Broadway stage credits included ''Absence of a Cello'' (1964), ''Viva Madison Avenue!'' (1960), ''Romanoff And Juliet'' (1957), ''Ringside Seat'' (1938), ''What A Life'' (1938), and ''Schoolhouse on the Lot'' (1938).

Personal life

Clark was married to actress

Benay Venuta Benay Venuta (born Benvenuta Rose Crooke, January 27, 1910 – September 1, 1995) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her work in the mid and late 1930s, in which she parlayed her success on Broadway into star tre ...

from 1952–1962, then model Gloria Glaser from 1966 until his death from complications of

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Liver diseases File:Ground gla ...

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, California. Clark has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for his work for television, at 1711 Vine Street.

Complete filmography

*''

The Unsuspected ''The Unsuspected'' is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Ted North, Constance Bennett, Joan Caulfield, and Hurd Hatfield. The film was based on the 1946 novel of the same tit ...

'' (1947) - Richard Donovan *''

'' (1947) - Frank Hugo *'' Fury at Furnace Creek'' (1948) - Bird *''

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

'' (1948) - Lonnie Burns *''

Two Guys from Texas ''Two Guys from Texas'' is a 1948 American made Western-themed musical comedy film starring longtime song-and-dance partners Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson. Directed by David Butler, it was written by Allen Boretz and I.A.L. Diamond, and f ...

'' (1948) - Dr. Straeger *'' Cry of the City'' (1948) - Lt Collins *'' Alias Nick Beal'' (1949) - Frankie Faulkner *'' The Younger Brothers'' (1949) - Daniel Ryckman *'' Flamingo Road'' (1949) - Doc Waterson *''

'' (1949) - The Trader, aka Winston *''So You Want to Get Rich Quick'' (1949, Short) - Fastidious Ferguson (uncredited) *''So You Want to Be an Actor'' (1949, Short) - Mr. Frisbee (uncredited) *''

The Lady Takes a Sailor ''The Lady Takes a Sailor'' is a 1949 comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Jane Wyman, Eve Arden and Dennis Morgan. Plot Jennifer Smith, the head of the Buyer's Research Institute, is in need of additional funding to keep the in ...

'' (1949) - Victor Santell (uncredited) *''The Amazing Mr. Malone'' (1950, TV Movie) *''

Return of the Frontiersman ''Return of the Frontiersman'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Richard L. Bare and written by Edna Anhalt. The film stars Gordon MacRae, Julie London, Rory Calhoun, Jack Holt, Fred Clark and Edwin Rand. The film was released by Wa ...

'' (1950) - Ryan *'' The Eagle and the Hawk'' (1950) - Basil Danzeeger *''

'' (1950) - Sheldrake *'' The Jackpot'' (1950) - Mr. Andrew J. Woodruff *''

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone ''Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone'' is a 1950 comedy/murder mystery film set on board a train. It stars Marjorie Main and James Whitmore. It is based on the short story "Once Upon a Train (The Loco Motive)" by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice. Plot ...

'' (1950) - Tim Marino *''

The Lemon Drop Kid ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, ...

'' (1951) - Moose Moran *'' A Place in the Sun'' (1951) - Bellows *''

Hollywood Story ''Hollywood Story'' is a 1951 American mystery film directed by William Castle and starring Richard Conte and Julia Adams. The supporting cast features Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark and Jim Backus. The film was an attempt by Universal P ...

'' (1951) - Sam Collyer *''

Meet Me After the Show ''Meet Me After the Show'' is a 1951 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable and released through 20th Century Fox. The film was one of Grable's last musical films for Fox during her box office reign of the past decade. Plot Delilah Lee ...

'' (1951) - Timothy 'Tim' Wayne *''

Three for Bedroom "C" 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

'' (1952) - Johnny Pizer *''

Dreamboat "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Al Hoffman). A version produced by Walter Ridley, and performed by Alma Cogan, reached number 1 in the UK Sin ...

'' (1952) - Sam Levitt *''

The Stars Are Singing ''The Stars Are Singing'' is a 1953 Paramount Pictures musical directed by Norman Taurog and starring Rosemary Clooney, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and Lauritz Melchior. Clooney performs her hit song "Come On-a My House" and Danish tenor Lauritz Melch ...

'' (1953) - McDougall *''

The Caddy ''The Caddy'' is a 1953 American musical-comedy-sports film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It is noteworthy for Dean Martin introducing the hit song " That's Amore". Plot Harvey Miller, whose father was a famous golf pro, is exp ...

'' (1953) - Mr. Baxter / Old Skinhead *'' Here Come the Girls'' (1953) - Harry Fraser *''

'' (1953) - Waldo Brewster *''

Living It Up ''Living It Up'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis which was released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Paul Jones. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavels ...

'' (1954) - Oliver Stone *''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops'' is a 1955 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. After the film was completed, Universal-International wanted to rename it ''Abbott and Costello ...

'' (1955) - Joseph Gorman, aka Sergei Toumanoff *'' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) - Griggs *'' How to Be Very, Very Popular'' (1955) - B.J. Marshall *''

'' (1955) - Col. Moreland *''

Miracle in the Rain ''Miracle in the Rain'' is a United States home front during World War II-themed novella by screenwriter Ben Hecht, first published in the April 3, 1943 issue of ''The Saturday Evening Post'' weekly magazine. By October 1943, the story was reiss ...

'' (1956) - Steven Jalonik *''

The Birds and the Bees "The birds and the bees" is a colloquial expression referring to a rite of passage in the lives of most children when parents begin sex education by explaining human sexuality and sexual intercourse to them. Meaning According to tradition, "the ...

'' (1956) - Horace Hamilton *'' The Solid Gold Cadillac'' (1956) - Clifford Snell *''

Back from Eternity ''Back from Eternity'' is a 1956 American Drama (film and television), drama film about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by Headhunting, headhunters. The film stars Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, An ...

'' (1956) - Crimp *''

Joe Butterfly ''Joe Butterfly'' is a 1957 American comedy film directed by Jesse Hibbs starring Audie Murphy, George Nader and Keenan Wynn, with Burgess Meredith in the title role as a Japanese man. The movie was action star Murphy's only outright comedy, and ...

'' (1957) - Col. E.E. Fuller *''

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown ''The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown'' is a 1957 American romantic comedy film made by Russ-Field Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Norman Taurog from a screenplay by Richard Alan Simmons, based on a 1956 novel of the same nam ...

'' (1957) - Police Sergeant McBride *'' Don't Go Near the Water'' (1957) - Lt. Cmdr. Clinton T. Nash *''

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...

'' (1958) - Al Curtis *''

'' (1958) - Dwight Babcock *'' The Mating Game'' (1959) - Oliver Kelsey *'' It Started with a Kiss'' (1959) - Maj. Gen. Tim O'Connell *''

'' (1960) - Maj. Roger Putnam Spelding *'' Bells Are Ringing'' (1960) - Larry Hastings *'' The Passionate Thief'' (1960) - L'americano *''La moglie di mio marito'' (1961) - Mr. Bietti *'' A porte chiuse'' (1961) - Xatis, il procuratore generale *''My Darling Judge'' (1961, TV Movie) *'' Boys' Night Out'' (1962) - Mr. Bohannon *''

Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man ''Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' is a 1962 American adventure film directed by Martin Ritt based on Ernest Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams, and featuring Richard Beymer as Adams. A.E. Hotchner wrote the screenpl ...

'' (1962) - Mr. Turner *''

Zotz! ''Zotz!'' is a 1962 American fantasy comedy film produced and directed by William Castle, and starring Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Fred Clark, and Cecil Kellaway. It is about a man obtaining magical powers from a god of an ancien ...

'' (1962) - Gen. Bullivar *''Young Girls of Good Families'' (1963) - Mr. Whitehall *''

Move Over, Darling ''Move Over, Darling'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen and directed by Michael Gordon filmed in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope released by 20th Century Fox. The film is a remake of a 1940 sc ...

'' (1963) - Mr. Codd (Hotel Manager) *''

'' (1964) - Alexander King *''

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! ''John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!'' is a 1965 American comedy film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty published in 1963. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The film was shot in the Mojave Desert. In the film, an American mili ...

'' (1965) - Heinous Overreach *''

Sergeant Deadhead ''Sergeant Deadhead'' is a 1965 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Frankie Avalon. It features many cast members who appeared in the '' Beach Party'' movies. Plot Sergeant Deadhead is a bumbling soldier who is se ...

'' (1965) - General Rufus Fogg *''

When the Boys Meet the Girls When the Boys Meet the Girls may refer to: * ''When the Boys Meet the Girls'' (film), a 1965 American musical film * ''When the Boys Meet the Girls'' (album), a 1985 album by Sister Sledge {{dab ...

'' (1965) - Bill Dennis *'' Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' (1965) - D.J. Pevney *''

Due Marines e un Generale ''Due marines e un generale'' (translated: ''Two Marines and a General'', internationally released as ''War Italian Style'') is a 1965 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Scattini. The film puts together the famous Italian comic duo Franco and C ...

'' (1965) - Gen. Zacharias *''

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

'' (1968) - Lucky Burke *'' Skidoo'' (1968) - A Tower Guard (released posthumously) *''

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit ''The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar, with a screenplay by Louis Pelletier, and starring Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Ellen Janov, Kurt Russell, Lurene Tuttle and Fred Clark in his final f ...

'' (1968) - Tom Dugan *''

I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew ''I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew'' is a 1969 American adventure comedy film directed and co-written by Richard L. Bare, starring Gardner McKay, Fred Clark, Pat Buttram, and Diane McBain. It was the last film for both McKay and Clark. P ...

'' (1969) - "Generous" Josh (released posthumously) *''Eddie'' (1971, TV Movie) - Chief Pike (final film role; released posthumously)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Fred American male film actors American male television actors 1914 births 1968 deaths Deaths from hepatitis People from Lincoln, California Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors