Peter Webster Palmer (September 20, 1931 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...

, alongside

Edie Adams Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman who was prominent in the second half of the 1900s. She earned a Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Awa ...

, both on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and on

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Life and career

Palmer was born on September 20, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. In 1956, Palmer was cast in the title role of the musical ''Li'l Abner'', for which he won a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

. Having won a singing contest while in the U.S. Army, he was rewarded with an appearance on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', where he sang "Granada". The producers of the musical,

Melvin Frank Melvin Frank (13 August 1913 – 13 October 1988) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Norman Panama and their work on films such as '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948), ...

and

Norman Panama Norman Kaye Panama (April 21, 1914 – January 13, 2003) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Melvin Frank and their work on films such as ''Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House' ...

, happened to spot him on the Sullivan show and sought out to hire him immediately. In 1959, he was cast in the same role in the movie version. His Li'l Abner role brought him a guest appearance on '' The Ford Show'' (starring

Tennessee Ernie Ford Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for ...

). Palmer said that he tired of the ''Li'l Abner'' role after six months of the show's 22-month run. "It stamped me so definitely as a hillbilly type," he said, "that everything else I was offered afterward was in a similar vein". He tried to alter that image by singing in night clubs and making recordings of his singing in operettas. In 1967, Palmer had a recurring role as Sergeant James Bustard, a former

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

soldier in the short-lived series ''

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

''. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Palmer appeared on numerous television episodes, including small parts on ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'', ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'', and ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American Action fiction, action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situatio ...

'' He appeared on Broadway with

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Each of her characters typically possessed a fervent expressiveness and an easily ide ...

in ''

Lorelei The Lorelei ( ; or , or ; also found as ''Loreleï'', ''Lore Lay'', ''Lore-Ley'', ''Lurley'', ''Lurelei'' and ''Lurlei'' throughout history) is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at ...

'' in 1974. In 1977, he had a regular role as part of the cast on the short-lived sitcom ''

The Kallikaks ''The Kallikaks'' is an American sitcom television series starring David Huddleston which centers around a family from Appalachia that moves to California to run a decrepit gas station. The show aired from August 3 to August 31, 1977 on NBC.McN ...

'', playing Oscar Heinz.

Personal life

In 1954, Palmer married his first wife, Jackalee Ann "Jackie" Gleason; they divorced in 1964. In 1966, he married Mary Lou "Aniko" Farrell Palmer. He had 7 children: with his first wife, Jackie, he had 5 (Sherri, Scott, Kathy, Mike, and Steven); with his second wife, Aniko, he had a daughter, Farrell Beth; Palmer had a son, Jack, from a previous relationship. ''The St. Petersburg Evening Independent'', October 20, 1983.

Death

Palmer died in Shelbyville, KY on September 21, 2021, the day after his 90th birthday.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Peter Palmer: If I Had My Druthers...
— interview at BroadwayWorld.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Peter 1931 births 2021 deaths Male actors from Milwaukee American male musical theatre actors American male television actors University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign School of Music alumni Theatre World Award winners 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers