Wilton Graff (born Wilton Calvert Ratcliffe; August 13, 1903 – January 13, 1969) was an American actor.

Early years

Graff was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Graff. He graduated from West Hartford High School in 1921.

Career

Before he became an actor, Graff worked for newspapers, including ''

The Hartford Times ''The Hartford Times'' was a daily afternoon newspaper serving the Hartford, Connecticut, community from 1817 to 1976. It was owned for decades by the Gannett Company which sold the financially struggling paper in 1973 to the owners of the ''New ...

'', '' The Springfield Republican'', and the ''

Paris Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the ''New York Herald Tribune''. Hist ...

''. Graff debuted on Broadway in ''Fantasia'' (1933). His last Broadway appearance was in ''Gabrielle'' (1941). He began working in movies in the 1940s and eventually appeared in dozens, usually as a professional man or an authority figure, such as a military officer. He starred in only one film, ''Bloodlust!'', playing against type as an obvious, deranged villain. Most of his work in the last 10 years of his career was on television. In 1956, he guest starred on James Arness’s TV Western Series ''

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 ...

'', as “Troy Carver”, in the episode “20-20” (S1E19) as an aging lawman losing both his eyesight and his faith in his ability to handle his job.

Death

Graff died in Pacific Palisades, California on January 14, 1969. He was 65 years old.

Partial filmography

* '' Earl of Puddlestone'' (1940) – Mr. Thayer (uncredited) * '' Jungle Queen'' (1945, Serial) – Courier (uncredited) * '' A Royal Scandal'' (1945) – Russian General (uncredited) * '' Earl Carroll Vanities'' (1945) – Mr. Thayer * ''

Counter-Attack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in " war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

'' (1945) – Russian Officer (uncredited) * '' Gangs of the Waterfront'' (1945) – Police Commissioner Hogan * '' Strange Confession'' (1945) – Brandon * '' An Angel Comes to Brooklyn'' (1945) – Rodney Lloyd * '' Pillow of Death'' (1945) – Police Captain McCracken * '' Because of Him'' (1946) – Stage Manager (uncredited) * '' Just Before Dawn'' (1946) – Alexander 'Alec' Girard (uncredited) * '' The Phantom Thief'' (1946) – Rex Duncan * '' Valley of the Zombies'' (1946) – Dr. Lucifer Garland * '' Traffic in Crime'' (1946) – Nick Cantrell * ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

'' (1946) – Jeremy Austin * '' The Unknown'' (1946) – Ralph Martin * '' Shadowed'' (1946) – Tony Montague * ''

Dead Reckoning In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, and incorporating estimates of speed, heading (or direction or course), and elapsed time. T ...

'' (1947) – Surgeon (uncredited) * ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond IT specialists and hobbyists. It allows documents and other web ...

'' (1947) – District Attorney * '' The Corpse Came C.O.D.'' (1947) – Maxwell Kenyon (uncredited) * '' High Conquest'' (1947) – Mr. Douglaston * '' They Won't Believe Me'' (1947) – Patrick Gold, Prosecuting Attorney (uncredited) * '' Something in the Wind'' (1947) – Mr. Belton (uncredited) * '' Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back'' (1947) – Cedric Mason * '' Key Witness'' (1947) – Albert Loring * ''

Gentleman's Agreement ''Gentleman's Agreement'' is a 1947 American drama film based on Laura Z. Hobson's best-selling 1947 novel of the same title. The film is about a journalist (played by Gregory Peck) who pretends to be Jewish to research an exposé on the wid ...

'' (1947) – Maitre d' (uncredited) * '' A Double Life'' (1947) – Dr. Mervin * '' A Woman's Vengeance'' (1948) – Defending Counselor (uncredited) * '' The Wreck of the Hesperus'' (1948) – Caleb Cross * '' The Return of the Whistler'' (1948) – Dr. Bertram H. Grantland (uncredited) * '' Who Killed Doc Robbin'' (1948) – Prosecutor * '' Another Part of the Forest'' (1948) – Sam Taylor * '' The Babe Ruth Story'' (1948) – Dr. Beldon (uncredited) * '' The Gentleman from Nowhere'' (1948) – Larry Hendricks * '' The Gallant Blade'' (1948) – Duc d'Orleans * '' The Mozart Story'' (1948) – Antonio Salieri * '' Family Honeymoon'' (1948) – Dr. Wilson (uncredited) * '' The Dark Past'' (1948) – Frank Stevens * ''

Caught Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground. If the catch ...

'' (1949) – Gentry (uncredited) * '' Blondie's Big Deal'' (1949) – Joe Dillon * '' Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' (1949) – Nick Donford (uncredited) * ''

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

'' (1949) – Marquis de Lafayette (uncredited) * '' Once More, My Darling'' (1949) – Mr. Frobisher * '' And Baby Makes Three'' (1949) – Root (uncredited) * ''

Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

'' (1950) – Dave Vickers * '' When Willie Comes Marching Home'' (1950) – General Chester Jans (uncredited) * '' Mother Didn't Tell Me'' (1950) – Dr. Harold Jones (uncredited) * '' Fortunes of Captain Blood'' (1950) – Captain Alvarado * '' Rogues of Sherwood Forest'' (1950) – Baron Fitzwalter * ''

Convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

'' (1950) – Dr. Agar (scenes deleted) * '' The West Point Story'' (1950) – Lieutenant Colonel Martin * ''

Mr. Imperium ''Mr. Imperium'' (UK title: ''You Belong to My Heart'') is a 1951 romantic musical drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Lana Turner and singer Ezio Pinza. Filmed in Technicolor, it was directed by Don Hartman, who cowrote the s ...

'' (1951) – Andrew Bolton (uncredited) * ''

My True Story My True Story may refer to: * My True Story (song), a 1961 single by The Jive Five * My True Story (film), a 1951 American romantic crime drama film * My True Story (radio and TV series), an American radio series, later a TV series See also

* ...

'' (1951) – George Trent * '' Night Into Morning'' (1951) – Attorney (uncredited) * '' Mask of the Avenger'' (1951) – Count Dimorna (uncredited) * '' Young Man with Ideas'' (1952) – Mr. Cardy * '' Fearless Fagan'' (1952) – Colonel Horne * '' Springfield Rifle'' (1952) – Colonel George Sharpe * '' Something for the Birds'' (1952) – Taylor * '' Operation Secret'' (1952) – French Official * ''

Million Dollar Mermaid ''Million Dollar Mermaid'' (also known as ''The One Piece Bathing Suit'' in the UK) is a 1952 American biographical musical drama film about the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by ...

'' (1952) – Garvey * ''

The I Don't Care Girl ''The I Don't Care Girl'' is a 1953 American biographical film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Mitzi Gaynor. It is a biography of entertainer Eva Tanguay.Lili'' (1953) – M. Tonit * '' Scandal at Scourie'' (1953) – Mr. Leffington * '' So This Is Love'' (1953) – Henry Erlanger, Producer (uncredited) * '' Miss Sadie Thompson'' (1953) – Governor * '' A Star Is Born'' (1954) – Shrine Auditorium Emcee (uncredited) * '' The Sea Chase'' (1955) – Counsel General Hepke * ''

The Benny Goodman Story ''The Benny Goodman Story'' is a 1956 American musical film, musical biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, written and directed by Valentine Davies, and released by Universal-International. The film was intended as a follow-up t ...

'' (1956) – John Hammond Sr. * '' Lust for Life'' (1956) – Reverend Stricker * '' Something of Value'' (1957) – Captain Hillary (uncredited) * ''

Tip on a Dead Jockey ''Tip on a Dead Jockey'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on ''The New Yorker'' 1954 short story by Irwin Shaw. Plot Phyllis Tredman is shocked when her husband ...

'' (1957) – John Rusk (uncredited) * '' Perry Mason'' (1959) (Season 2, Episode 16: "The Case of the Fraudulent Photo") - Cleveland Blake * ''

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 ...

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 13: "Six People, No Music") - Fulton Agnew * ''

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 33: "The Dusty Drawer") - Mr. A.M. Pinkson * ''

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 ...

'' (1959) - Episode "The Cavis Boy" * ''

Compulsion Compulsion, Compulsive, Compelling, or Compulsory may refer to: Psychology * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compul ...

'' (1959) – Mr. Steiner * ''

Return to Peyton Place ''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''. Plot summary After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life an ...

'' (1961) – Dr. Fowlkes (uncredited) * '' Bloodlust!'' (1961) – Dr. Albert Balleau * '' Sail a Crooked Ship'' (1961) – Simon J. Harrison * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''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 a ...

'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 32: "Death of a Cop") - George Chaney * ''Lonnie'' (1963) – Mitchell

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Wilton 1903 births 1969 deaths American male film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from St. Louis