Actor Booth Colman Dies At 91
Services to share this page.
Veteran actor Booth Colman – a character actor who appeared on seemingly countless TV shows and in more than 50 films over five decades – has died at the age of 91. He died in his sleep on Dec. 15.
An expert on Shakespeare who typically portrayed authority figures, Colman made frequent appearances on shows such asGunsmoke,Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Chicago Hope, Lou Grant, Star Trek, The Waltons,Frasier,The Rifleman, Bonanza,MannixandMarcus Welby, among much else.
He had long runs on the soap operasThe Young and The Restless andGeneral Hospital. He also appeared in several episodes of the Planet of the Apes 1974 TV series as Dr. Zaius, a role that brought him invites to fan conventions for years after.
His big-screen roles included a 1952 debut in The Big Sky and a role inNorma Rae and later in roles in Intolerable Cruelty and The Man Who Wasn’t There.
He also appeared hundreds of times on stage as Ebenezer Scrooge each year with a theater group in Rochester, Mich.
Colman was born March 8, 1923 in Portland, Ore., and attended college at the University of Washington and the University of Michigan. During WWII, he served in military intelligence, where his facility with foreign languages was useful.
Watch on Deadline
Must Read Stories
Read More About:
Subscribe to Deadline
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
4 Comments
Sad news. Mention of Booth always brings back memories of when I used to fight with my half-sister over the tv set in the living room on Friday nights because POTA was slotted at the same time as Little House on the Prairie. If I lost the round, then I had to go watch the show on the black and white tv in my mom’s room. There hasn’t been t a Los Angeles Science Fiction and Comic Book Convention that went by without saying hello or listening to a few stories about sixties television with Booth sitting at a table every month. What a incredibly gracious and knowledgeable man. Lucky to have made his acquaintance all these years.
~
Coat
- Bounder
I’m another who got to know Colman at the LA Comic Book and Science Fiction shows at the Shrine. He was always so dapper, so quiet and unassuming, but always chatted with fans about whatever they wanted to hear about. R.I.P.
My friend and I saw him at a Comic Book Convention about 10 years ago. What a great actor. Thanks for all the memories. RIP.
- Greg
In 2004 I was at a screenwriter’s meeting in Burbank and there happened to be an autograph fest in the same building which I took in. I met Booth there – a very unassuming, pleasant guy seated at the back of the room, who signed a Dr Zaius pic for me, and we spent a short time chatting. It’s folks like Booth who are the backbone of talent in the industry – effective actors who quietly very professionally do their jobs. I’m very sorry to learn of his passing, but very pleased to have had the chance to meet him.
Sidebar
Trending on Deadline
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to ourTerms of Use and ourPrivacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the GooglePrivacy Policy andTerms of Service apply.
