Horacio Paul Picerni (December 1, 1922 – January 12, 2011) was an American actor in film and television, perhaps best known today in the role of Federal Agent Lee Hobson, second-in-command to Robert Stack's Eliot Ness, in the ABC hit television series, '' The Untouchables''.

Early years

Picerni was born in New York City to an Italian family. Raised in Corona, Queens, he was an Eagle Scout in his youth and adolescence. After high school, Picerni studied drama at Loyola University.

Military service

Picerni joined the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

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 ...

and served as a

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

bombardier in the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...

. He flew twenty-five combat missions with the 493rd Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was part of a mission that attacked and destroyed the actual bridge made famous in the film ''

The Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the novel ''The Bridge over the River Kwai'', written by Pierre Boulle. Boulle's novel and the film's screenplay are almost entirely fictional but u ...

'' (1957). After the Japanese surrendered, Picerni became a Special Services officer in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Following his discharge, he enrolled at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Film

As a young actor returning from the war, Picerni appeared in military pictures: in '' Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949) as a bombardier and as Private Edward P. Rojeck in '' Breakthrough''. This led to a

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

contract and a succession of roles at that studio including a Portuguese Socialist "Red" agitator in 1952's '' The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima'' and the hero of the 1953 horror classic '' House of Wax''. After his departure from Warners, he appeared with

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enli ...

in Universal Studio's '' To Hell and Back''.

Television

Regular roles

Paul Picerni Peggy McCay The Young Marrieds

After Italian organizations began to complain about the use of Italian gangsters on ABC's, '' The Untouchables'', starring

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor and television host. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the America ...

as G-man

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Bureau of Prohibition, Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone while enforcing Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition in Chicago. He was leader of a team ...

, Picerni joined the cast in 1960 as Ness's number-one aide, Lee Hobson, a role that he played for the duration of the series. (He was also seen in the program's pilot, playing Tony Liguri.) He also portrayed Ed Miller on '' O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'' (1971-1972)Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . pg. 783. and was featured as Dan Garrett on ''

The Young Marrieds ''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966. The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John ...

'' (1964–66)

Guest appearances

In 1954, Picerni was cast as the outlaw Rube Burrow in the syndicated

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

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 ...

'' Stories of the Century'', starring and narrated by Jim Davis. That same year, he had a role in the pilot episode for the 1957-58

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 ...

detective series, '' Meet McGraw''. Picerni appeared in two episodes, "Gun Hand" and "Badge to Kill" of the syndicated western series '' 26 Men'' (1957–59). He also appeared in the episode "Gypsy Boy" of '' Tales of the Texas Rangers''. In 1957, he played a deserter in an episode of the syndicated '' Boots and Saddles''. Between 1957 and 1960, Picerni was cast three times in different roles, the last as Duke Blaine, on the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, '' Colt .45'', starring Wayde Preston. In 1958, Picerni played a milkman on the ABC sitcom, '' The Donna Reed Show''. He also portrayed a police detective in the episode "The Quemoy Story" of '' Behind Closed Doors''. Picerni made three guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'' during its nine-year run on CBS. In 1958 he played Charles Gallagher in "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness", and defendant Army Sgt. Joseph Dexter in "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant". In 1963, he played murderer Walter Jefferies in "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang". In 1964, he appeared in '' The Fugitive'', in the episode "Search in a Windy City". In 1967, Paul appeared with his daughter Gina Picerni in the episode "The Chameleon" of ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

''. He also made a featured appearance as a POW who tries to betray the other prisoners by selling damning information to the Nazis, in the "One in Every Crowd" episode of ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom created by Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy which is set in a Prisoner-of-war camp, prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, and centers around a group of Allied prisoner ...

'' (season 3, episode 10, first broadcast November 11, 1967).

Book

His

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''Steps to Stardom: My Story'', written with the help of Tom Weaver, was published by BearManor Media in 2007.

Personal life and death

Picerni married former ballet dancer Marie Mason, in 1947. They settled in Tarzana, California to raise their family; they had eight children and ten grandchildren. Two of Picerni's children predeceased him. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On August 24, 1962 ...

, on January 12, 2011, at the age of 88. Picerni is interred at the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Conversations at the Cinematheque: Paul Picerni for DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD
(interview, April 11, 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Picerni, Paul 1922 births 2011 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City American people of Italian descent Male actors from Greater Los Angeles Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery People from Palmdale, California Military personnel from California United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Army Air Forces officers