George Mitchell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) George Mitchell in TV'sBonanza, episode "The Gunmen" (1960) | |
| Born | (1905-02-21)February 21, 1905 Larchmont, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 1972(1972-01-18) (aged 66) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1935–1971 |
| Spouse | Katherine Squire (m. 1940) |
George Mitchell (February 21, 1905 – January 18, 1972) was an American actor who performed from 1935 through 1971 in film, television, and onBroadway.
Mitchell was born February 21, 1905, inLarchmont inWestchester County inNew York. He married his first wife, Mary Alice Shroyer (m.Dec 1927-div.1937) He fathered four children with Mary A. Shroyer. Mary (Mitchell) Oliver(deceased), Judith (Mitchell)Glasel (1930-present), George Mitchell III (deceased), and Eve (Mitchell) Joice(1936-present).He decided to become an actor after marrying actressKatherine Squire.[1]
Mitchell became a bit typecast in Hollywood, usually playing loathsome characters who operated outside of the law. On television, Mitchell's credits include acting in two episodes ofAlfred Hitchcock Presents called "Wally the Beard" (original air date March 1, 1965) with co-stars Larry Blyden and Kathie Brown, in which he played a knowledgeable and cranky seller of boats, and "Forty Detectives Later" (airing April 24, 1960), in which he portrayed the client of a private detective (James Franciscus) whom he hires to track the supposed murderer (Jack Weston) of his wife. On Broadway, 1969–70, he portrayedChief Joseph in the playIndians, the source ofRobert Altman's filmBuffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson.
George Mitchell acted in several films and television episodes with his wife,Katherine Squire, the two of them often playing a husband-and-wife couple intrinsic to the story. One example was the two of them as an elderly couple in theJack Nicholson film "Ride in the Whirlwind" — they first appear as a refuge for the two men on the run, but who then become instrumental to the fugitives' destruction.[2] Other examples occurred in their roles in episodes ofThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour.[3]
George Mitchell's major acting credits include the filmThe Andromeda Strain (1971), directed byRobert Wise, co-starringArthur Hill, and based on the novel of the same name byMichael Crichton. He played thecomic relief as cranky oldtown drunk who, along with an infant, were among the only survivors of exposure to the deadly Andromeda Strain.
Mitchell had roles on television in shows ranging from the 1950s dramas of the Golden Age of Television (such asGoodyear Television Playhouse,Westinghouse Studio One, andThe United States Steel Hour) to the westerns of the 1960s (includingTales of Wells Fargo,Zane Grey Theater,Death Valley Days,Gunsmoke,Laramie,Bonanza,The Virginian, andHave Gun, Will Travel).
He was in the 1956 NBC adventure/musicalThe Adventures of Marco Polo, and several episodes of bothThe Twilight Zone andOne Step Beyond. Another speciality was police/crime shows:Perry Mason,Peter Gunn,The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor,The Untouchables,Stoney Burke,Sam Benedict, andNaked City.
He even tried comedy (Hazel,The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,Bewitched), medical (Ben Casey), and science-fiction-adventure shows (Time Tunnel,Land of the Giants, andVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea). He was also onDaktari,Lassie,Run for Your Life, and the 1961 NBC series,The Americans, a dramatization of family divisions in theAmerican Civil War.
On the 1960s gothic soap operaDark Shadows, he originated the role of Matthew Morgan (later assumed by actorThayer David).
In 1940, he marriedKatherine Squire, with whom he often worked on stage, in film, and on television. He died on January 18, 1972, aged 66, of undisclosed causes, inWashington, D.C. Squire died in 1995.[citation needed]
Biography portal
New York (state) portal
New York City portal
Los Angeles portal
United States portal
Theatre portal
Film portal
Television portal| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
