William Conrad
- Acting
- September 27, 1920 · Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- February 11, 1994
Biography
William Conrad (September 27, 1920 - February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director. He was born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a theatre-owner who moved to southern California, where he excelled at drama and literature while at school. Starting work in radio in the late 1930s in California, Conrad went on to serve as a fighter pilot in World War II. He entered the army in 1942, and was commissioned at Luke Field, Arizona in 1943 (now Luke Air Force Base). On the day of his commission he married June Nelson. He returned to the airwaves after the war, going on to accumulate over 7,000 roles in radio by his own estimate. Among Conrad's various film roles, where he was usually cast as threatening figures, perhaps his most notable role was his first credited one, as one of the gunmen sent to eliminate Burt Lancaster in the 1946 film The Killers. He also appeared in Body and Soul (1947), Sorry, Wrong Number, Joan of Arc (both 1948), and The Naked Jungle (1954). As a producer for Warner Brothers, he made a string of feature films, including An American Dream (1966, retitled See You in Hell, Darling for British release), A Covenant With Death (1966), First to Fight (1967) and The Cool Ones (1967), and also directed My Blood Runs Cold, Brainstorm and Two on a Guillotine (all 1965).
Known for
Filmography
- The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout · Self
- The Box · Self
- Hudson Hawk · Narrator (Voice)
- Daws Butler: Voice Magician · Self—Host
- Jake and the Fatman · Jason McCabe
- The Highwayman · Narrator
- Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo · Jim Dunn
- Matlock · James McShane
- Killing Cars · Mr. Mahoney
- In Like Flynn · Sgt. Dominic
- Blitz · Mr. Mahoney
- Murder, She Wrote · Anatole Karzof
- The Mikado · The Mikado
- Shock-Trauma · Dr. R. Adams Cowley
- Hotel
- Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid · (in "The Killers") (archive footage)
- Police Squad! · Stabbed Man
- The Cremation of Sam McGee: A Poem by Robert W. Service · Narrator
- Nero Wolfe · Nero Wolfe
- Side Show · Ring Announcer (Voice), Director
- The Return of Frank Cannon · Frank Cannon
- Turnover Smith · Thaddeus Smith, Executive producer
- The Return of the King · Lord Denethor (Voice)
- The Murder That Wouldn't Die · William Battles
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century · Opening Narrator / Draconian officer (uncredited) (Voice)
- Keefer · Col. Keefer
- Night Cries · Dr. Whelan
- The Making of Star Wars · Narrator (Voice)
- Moonshine County Express · Jack Starkey
- Catastrophe · Narrator (Voice)
- The Force of Evil · Narrator (Voice)
- How the West Was Won · Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected · Narrator
- The City · Narrator (Voice)
- The Sonny and Cher Show · Self
- The Macahans · Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- Tony Orlando and Dawn · Self
- The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One · Narrator (Voice)
- Hamburgers · Self
- Voices · Narrator (Voice)
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts · Self
- Barnaby Jones · Frank Cannon
- Cannon · Frank Cannon
- The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour · Self
- O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra · Keegan
- Cannon · Frank Cannon
- The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill · Chief Vincent Kovac
- The Brotherhood of the Bell · Bart Harris
- Chisum · Narrator - Opening Credits (voice) (uncredited)
- The Learning Tree · Executive producer
- The Dudley Do-Right Show
- The Name of the Game · Arnold Wexler, Director
- Assignment to Kill · Executive producer
- Chubasco · Producer
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In · Self
- The Carol Burnett Show · Self
- The High Chaparral · China Pierce
- Countdown · TV Newscaster (voice) (uncredited), Executive producer
- The Cool Ones · Executive producer
- First to Fight · Executive producer
- Chamber of Horrors · Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- An American Dream · Producer
- Battle of the Bulge · Narrator (uncredited), Narrator (Voice)
- The Dean Martin Show
- F Troop
- Brainstorm · Mental Patient (uncredited), Producer
- My Blood Runs Cold · Director, Producer
- Two on a Guillotine · Fat Man in Hall of Mirrors (uncredited), Director
- Eggs Benedict · Narrator
- The Man from Galveston · Director
- Temple Houston · Director
- The Fugitive · Narrator
- General Electric True · Director
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour · Sergent Cresse
- Saints and Sinners · Director
- Design for Disaster · Narrator
- Target: The Corruptors! · Director
- The Case of the Dangerous Robin · Director
- Klondike · Director
- Route 66 · Director