John Harmon (June 30, 1905 – August 6, 1985) 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 ...

. Harmon was a very prolific bit actor. His career spanned over six decades and almost 300 movie and television roles in a wide variety of genres. Many of his earlier appearances are uncredited. His first major screen credit was in '' I Was Framed'' (1942). His movie career highlights were roles in '' Gallant Bess'', '' The Monster of Piedras Blancas'', '' Live Fast, Die Young'' and ''The Street is my Beat''. The movie in which he made his last screen appearance, '' The Naked Monster'', was released in 2005, twenty years after his death. Harmon's most notable TV roles were in ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Perry Mason'' (as a police fingerprint/ballistics expert), ''

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 ...

'' (in the episodes "

The City on the Edge of Forever "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, first season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Origin ...

" and " A Piece of The Action"), ''

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 ...

'' (as the hotel clerk Eddie Halstead) and ''

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 ...

'' (again as a hotel clerk in S1E15's “Gold Mine” & as town judge in S7E24’s “Coventry”). He also made several appearances as various criminals in '' Adventures of Superman''. In his later years, Harmon became a used books dealer in Los Angeles. He collected first editions of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. He suffered a stroke about a year before he died from heart failure.

Selected filmography

* '' The Missing Guest'' (1938) as Baldrich's Guard * '' King of the Underworld'' (1939) as Slats * '' The Shepherd of the Hills'' (1941) as Revenue Agent * '' I Was Framed'' (1942) as Clubby Blake * '' Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' (1942) as Mousey * '' Find the Blackmailer'' (1943) as Ray Hickey * ''

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

'' (1947) as Steve * ''

Monsieur Verdoux ''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, and ...

'' (1947) as Joe Darwin * '' Whiplash'' (1948) as fighter Kid McKee (uncredited) * ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'' (1949) as Pete Kimmel * '' Tangier Incident'' (1953) as Tony * '' Run for the Hills'' (1953) as Jed Taylor * '' Jack Slade'' (1953) as Hollis * ''

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 ...

'' (1956) (Season 1 Episode 27: "Help Wanted") as Donations Collector * ''

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 31: "Your Witness") as Al Carmody * ''

'' (1963) (Season 4 Episode 14: " Of Late I Think of Cliffordville") as Clark * '' Funny Girl'' (1968) as Company Manager * '' Hitch Hike to Hell'' (1977) as Mr. Baldwin * '' Malibu High'' (1979) as Mr. Elmhurst * '' Microwave Massacre'' (1979) as Dr. Gestalp

References

External links

* * American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Washington, D.C. 1905 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American male actors {{US-tv-actor-1900s-stub