Steve London (born Walter Lee Gragg; March 9, 1929 – June 14, 2014) was an American television and film actor and attorney, best known for his role as federal agent Jack Rossman on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
/
Desilu
Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', '' The Lucy Show'', '' Mannix'', '' The ...
television series ''
The Untouchables
Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to:
People
* Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status
* Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India
* Untouchables (law enforcement), ...
'' (1959–1963).
Early years
Born Walter Lee Gragg in St. Louis, Missouri, he entered the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...
in the summer of 1948 and played football there. In 1951, he was selected as a tackle on the 24-member East team in the 27th
East–West Shrine Game
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force, specializing in electronics. After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft and owned a rug-cleaning business.
Career
London was active in stock theater in southern California.
He was a veteran of numerous
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
film and television roles, including parts on ''
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...
'', ''
M Squad
''M Squad'' is an American crime drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. It was produced by Lee Marvin's Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Its main sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's ...
'', ''
Sky King
''Sky King'' is an American radio and television series. Its lead character was Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King.
The series had strong Western elements. Cattle rancher King usually captured criminals and spies and found ...
The Loretta Young Show
''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...
'', ''
Sugarfoot
''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and '' Bronco'' (both second and fo ...
'', ''
Mission Impossible
''Mission: Impossible'' is an American multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired ...
'', ''
Kraft Suspense Theatre
The ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC.Branded'', and ''
Mackenzie's Raiders
''Mackenzie's Raiders'' is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that was broadcast in syndication and produced in 1958–1959. The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs.
...
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 ...
), ''
I Married a Monster from Outer Space
''I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' is a 1958 American horror science fiction film from Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production compa ...
'' (
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
), ''
Zero Hour!
''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" ...
'' (
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
), '' The Gun of Zangara'', and '' Alcatraz Express'', the later two being two-part episodes of ''The Untouchables'' that were re-edited into feature films for international distribution.
In ''The Untouchables'', Rossman was the squad's wiretap specialist. In one episode, he was described by series narrator
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...
as "Agent Jack Rossman -- former telephone company lineman, wiretap expert, and a locksmith so talented that "Rossman could open everything but the Pearly Gates." In the series, Rossman's weapon of choice was the 12 gauge pump-action
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...
, which he used to deadly effect. London appeared in 65 episodes of ''The Untouchables'' as Rossman.
Several years after the cancellation of ''The Untouchables'', London appeared in a special episode of ''
The Lucy Show
''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
'' entitled "Lucy The Gun Moll", an ''Untouchables'' reunion of sorts, where he reprised his role as sidekick to Robert Stack. Actor Bruce Gordon who played
Frank Nitti
Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of all money flowing ...
in the series, also appeared in this episode, and ''The Untouchables'' narrator
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...
served as narrator for this episode.
After 1966, his acting career waned, so he left Hollywood, finished law school, and began practicing law under his birth name. Many years later, London returned to acting, where he played roles in the
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
television series ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. It premiered on February 11, 2007 and originally ...
'', (2007), and the film ''Brothers War'' (
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
).
Personal life
On October 7, 1953, London married actress Sandra Gregg, and they had two children. They were divorced on October 28, 1957.
In 1982, he married his second wife Judith, and they resided in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, until his death on June 14, 2014, at the age of 83.