Gerrit Christian Walberg Jr. (June 10, 1921 – March 27, 2012) was an American

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 ...

primarily known for his work on television. He guest-starred in numerous TV shows from the early 1950s until the early 1990s, including ''

Johnny Staccato ''Johnny Staccato'' is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled ''Staccato''. Synopsis Titular character Johnny ...

'', '' Perry Mason'', '' Lassie'', '' Peyton Place'', ''

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 ...

'' (in 1959 as "Tobe" in "Buffalo Hunter", in 1961 as "Hatcher" in "A Man and A Day", in 1963 as "Anson" in "Two of a Kind" and in 1974 as "Toby" in "The Tarnished Badge"), '' The Fugitive'', ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'', '' The Tony Randall Show'' and ''

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 ...

''. He appeared in the premiere episode of ''

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 ...

'', titled " Where Is Everybody?". Walberg is probably best known for his role as

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Homicide detective Lt. Frank Monahan in '' Quincy, M.E.'' (1976–83), starring his close friend,

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ...

in the title role. Walberg had previously been seen alongside Klugman in '' The Odd Couple'' (1970–75) in the recurring role of Oscar's poker crony, Homer "Speed" Deegan. He reprised the role in the 1993 TV movie ''The Odd Couple: Together Again''. This was his final acting appearance.

Personal life and death

Walberg was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. Married and divorced twice, Walberg married his third wife, Florence M. Apostol, on September 12, 1987. Walberg died from Chronic pulmonary disease (CPD) and

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

in March 2012 in

Northridge, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named List of minor biblica ...

, at the age of 90. In the months prior to his passing, he was a player in the Carl Memorial Alzheimer's Poker Game, where he lived.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* 1921 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male television actors Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States Male actors from Buffalo, New York Respiratory disease deaths in California {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub