Paul Birch (born Paul Lowery Smith; January 13, 1912 – May 24, 1969) was an American actor. He was a film star of 39 movies, 50 stage dramas, and numerous

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, including the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' (1951).

Early life

Birch was born Paul Lowery Smith in

Atmore, Alabama Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. The population was 8,391 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated on May 9, 1907. The Atmore Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Th ...

. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; , pp. 56-58.

Career

Television

In the late 1950s, Birch starred along with William Campbell in the syndicated Canadian series ''

Cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

'' (1958), a half-hour drama/adventure show about truck drivers. He also was a regular in '' The Court of Last Resort'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

(1957-58). Birch appeared in “Torn Flag”, a 1958 episode of the western series ''The Restless Gun''. In the mid-1950s he appeared in magazine and TV ads as the first widely publicized "Cowboy" Marlboro Man. In 1959, he was cast as Sergeant Major Carmody, with Doug McClure as Corporal Jenkins, in the episode "The Face of Courage" of the

western series, ''

Riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury ...

'', starring

Darren McGavin Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson; May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006) was an American actor. McGavin began his career working as a set painter for Columbia Pictures. In 1954, he originated roles in Broadway productions of '' My Three ...

and

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

. In the story line, amid the threat of Sioux attack, Carmody commandeers the vessel the ''Enterprise'' while it is delivering military cargo to an Army outpost on the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. Joanna Moore appears in the episode as Kitty McGuire. Birch also appeared as President Grant in the 1960 episode "Mr. Simpson" of ABC's '' Black Saddle'' western series starring Peter Breck. He portrayed President Grant in two episodes of '' The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''. Birch also had a recurring role as Captain Carpenter, the boss of Lt. Phillip Gerard ( Barry Morse) in the first two seasons of ABC's adventure/drama series '' The Fugitive''. In 1961 Paul Birch appeared as Sgt. Bart Huntington in an episode of Wagon Train, “Path of the Serpent”.

Stage

Birch appeared on Broadway in a production of ''The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'' (1954-55). He portrayed both Union Army

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

in several historical plays. He was among the original members of the Pasadena Playhouse, the first actor to be one of that group's repertory players.

Film

Birch appeared as the police captain with the megaphone in '' Rebel Without A Cause'' (1955), and was one of the first to be "disintegrated" in the original movie ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'' (1953). He starred in some low-budget science-fiction films in the 1950s, including '' The Beast with a Million Eyes'' (1955), '' Day the World Ended'' (1955), '' Not of This Earth'' (1957), and the cult classic '' Queen of Outer Space'' (1958). Birch also had small roles in ''

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...

'' (1963) and '' Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round'' (1967).

Teaching

While he acted at the Pasadena Playhouse, he also was "employed full-time as an instructor and director working with students in the Playhouse College of Theatre Arts."

Personal life

Birch was married twice and was survived by his second wife, the former Betsy Ann Ross Smith, and their three children, Don, Jennifer, and Michael. By his first marriage, to Margaret Evelyn Farish, he had a daughter named Cindy, whose son is actor Ned Luke (born 1958).

Death

Birch died of cancer at age 57 on May 24, 1969, at St. George's, the capital of the Caribbean island of Grenada. Survived by his widow and three children, he is buried in a cemetery outside the capital.

Selected filmography

* '' The Royal Mounted Rides Again'' (1945) - Highwayman #2 (uncredited) * '' The Daltons Ride Again'' (1945) - Wilkins Henchman (uncredited) * ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' (1945) - First Mate (uncredited) * '' The Fighting Guardsman'' (1946) - Sergeant (uncredited) * '' The Scarlet Horseman'' (1946) - Ace (uncredited) * '' Till the End of Time'' (1946) - Marine Wanting Farm (uncredited) * '' Check Your Guns'' (1948) - Member The Plainsmen (uncredited) * ''

The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-Worl ...

'' (1949) - Military Policeman (uncredited) * '' Bonzo Goes to College'' (1952) - Coach Duff (uncredited) * '' Assignment – Paris!'' (1952) - Col. Mannix (uncredited) * ''

'' (1953) - Alonzo Hogue (uncredited) * '' The System'' (1953) - Police Lt. Gordon (uncredited) * '' The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953) - (uncredited) * '' Ride Clear of Diablo'' (1954) - Fred Kenyon * '' Cattle Queen of Montana'' (1954) - Col. Carrington * '' Man Without a Star'' (1955) - Mark Toliver * '' Strange Lady in Town'' (1955) - Sheriff * '' Five Guns West'' (1955) - J.C. Haggard * '' The Beast with a Million Eyes'' (1955) - Allan Kelley * '' Apache Woman'' (1955) - Sheriff * '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955) - Police Chief (uncredited) * '' Day the World Ended'' (1955) - Jim Maddison * '' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) - Auctioneer * '' When Gangland Strikes'' (1956) - Sheriff Mack McBride * '' The Fastest Gun Alive'' (1956) - Yellowfork Sheriff Bill Toledo * ''

The White Squaw ''The White Squaw'' is a 1956 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring David Brian, May Wynn and William Bishop (actor), William Bishop. Plot A Swedish settler (David Brian) starts a war when he tries to drive ...

'' (1956) - Thad Arnold * '' Everything But the Truth'' (1956) - Sen. Winter * '' Gun for a Coward'' (1957) - Andy Niven * '' Not of This Earth'' (1957) - Paul Johnson * '' The Tattered Dress'' (1957) - Prosecutor Frank Mitchell * '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) - Blythe (uncredited) * ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' (1957, TV series) - Col. Preston * '' The 27th Day'' (1957) - Admiral * '' Joe Dakota'' (1957) - Frank Weaver * '' The World Was His Jury'' (1958) - Martin Ranker * ''

Gunman's Walk ''Gunman's Walk'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western (genre), Western film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Van Heflin and Tab Hunter. Plot Davy Hackett (James Darren) and his hot-tempered, arrogant older brother Ed (Tab Hunter) are ab ...

'' (1958) - Bob Selkirk * ''

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...

'' (1958) Episode "The Torn Flag" * '' Wild Heritage'' (1958) - Jacob 'Jake' Breslin * '' Queen of Outer Space'' (1958) - Prof. Konrad * '' The Gun Runners'' (1958) - Sy Phillips * '' Gunmen from Laredo'' (1959) - Marshal Matt Crawford * '' Too Soon to Love'' (1960) * '' Portrait in Black'' (1960) - Detective Lieutenant * '' Pay or Die'' (1960) - Mayor * ''

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs ''The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'' is a 1957 play by William Inge about family conflicts during the early 1920s in a small Oklahoma town. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1958 and was made into a film of the same name in 1 ...

'' (1960) - Jonah Mills * '' Two Rode Together'' (1961) - Judge Edward Purcell * '' Sea Hunt'' (7th Jan 1961), Season 4, Episode 1, Point of No Return * ''A Public Affair'' (1962) - Malcomb Hardy * '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962) - Mayor Winder * ''

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 ...

'' (1962, TV series) - Jesse Ott * ''

'' (1963) - Santa Rosita Police Department Officer at the intersection * '' The Raiders'' (1963) - Paul King * '' The Glory Guys'' (1965) - Commanding General * '' Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round'' (1966) - Bill Simpson * '' A Covenant with Death'' (1967) - Governor * '' Welcome to Hard Times'' (1967) - Mr. Fee * ''

Counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

'' (1968, uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Paul 1912 births 1969 deaths Male actors from Alabama People from Atmore, Alabama American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Deaths from cancer in Grenada Actors from Escambia County, Alabama