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Anthony Eisley
Eisley as Tracy Steele in 1961
Born	Frederick Glendinning Eisley (1925-01-19)January 19, 1925 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 29, 2003(2003-01-29) (aged 78) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Alma mater	University of Miami
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950–1991
Spouse	Judith Tubbs Eisley ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 1994)​
Children	4, includingDavid Glen Eisley
Relatives	India Eisley (granddaughter)

Anthony Eisley (January 19, 1925 – January 29, 2003) was an American actor best known as one of the detective leads, Tracy Steele, in theABC/Warner Brothers television seriesHawaiian Eye. Early in his career, he was credited asFred Eisley^[1] and later was sometimes billed asTony Eisley.

Born Frederick Glendinning Eisley inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, his father was a general sales manager for a large corporation.^[2]

Following service in theUnited States Navy, he took drama classes at theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables,Florida.

He landed his first acting job in a Pennsylvania stock company production ofA Slight Case of Murder. Eisley also acted in touring company productions ofMister Roberts,Picnic, andThe Desperate Hours.

His first on-screen role was as a military policeman in the 1952 movieFearless Fagan. In 1953, he made his first appearance on television. In 1958, he was cast in the episode "The Trial" of theAmerican Civil War dramaGray Ghost withTod Andrews. In 1957, Eisley playedJoe Foss in the episode "Jose Foss, Devilbird" of the militarytelevision seriesNavy Log. Eisley was in the 1959Roger Corman filmThe Wasp Woman,^[2] which he described as "a hell of a lot of fun".

Eisley's big break was being discovered in aPasadena production ofWho Was That Lady?, where he was signed to a contract withWarner Bros. In the days ofTab Hunter,Ty Hardin, andRock Hudson, Warner Bros. apparently did not want aleading man with the name of "Fred" so the studio changed his first name to "Anthony". In 1959, Eisley played Carter Henry (as Fred Eisley),The Young Philadelphians (1959).

Eisley won the starring role as detective Tracy Steele in the 1959–1963 television seriesHawaiian Eye. After scouts saw him in the 1959 playWho Was That Lady?, Warner Bros. signed him to a contract.^[3] Eisley changed his name from Fred to Anthony at the request of the studio.^[4] Eisley had thought he would play a comedian butWarner Brothers Television placed him in a suave private eye role inHawaiian Eye. Eisley left after the third season to be replaced byTroy Donahue as a hotel social director, Philip Barton.^[2] In the two previous seasons, Donahue had portrayed the detective Sandy Winfield II, on another ABC/WB series,Surfside 6, set on a houseboat inMiami Beach. Donahue was eleven years Eisley's junior.

When aLos Angeles Times television critic attackedHawaiian Eye, Eisley penned a reply that was printed in the critic's column on December 7, 1960: "I too would like to see more food for thought on television. I have children whose viewpoints will be largely affected in certain areas by their many hours gazing at the one-eyed monster. But our world is solemn enough as it is. I'd hate to limit them -- or myself -- to a leisure-time diet devoid of laughter, adventure and romance."^[5]

During his Warner Brothers period, Eisley appeared in one episode of Jack Webb'sPete Kelly's Blues (1959) and inPortrait of a Mobster (1961).

In 1964, Eisley acted as master of ceremonies at a "Project Prayer" rally attended by 2,500 people at theShrine Auditorium inLos Angeles. The gathering sought to flood theUnited States Congress with letters in support of mandatoryschool prayer following two decisions in 1962 and 1963 by theUnited States Supreme Court, which struck down mandatory school prayer as conflicting with theEstablishment Clause of theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution.^[6]

Eisley declared at the Project Prayer rally that the United States was facing "an ideological crisis. Movie stars and the stars of the entertainment world will tell you what you can do about it. Everything will be from the heart." Eisley was joined at the event byWalter Brennan, on whose seriesThe Real McCoys he had once been a guest star,Rhonda Fleming,Lloyd Nolan,Dale Evans,Pat Boone, andGloria Swanson. Eisley added thatJohn Wayne,Ronald Reagan,Roy Rogers,Mary Pickford,Jane Russell,Ginger Rogers, andPat Buttram would also have attended the rally if their schedules had not been in conflict.^[6]

Syndicated columnistDrew Pearson claimed in his "Washington Merry-Go-Round" column that Project Prayer had "backstage ties" to theanti-CommunistJohn Birch Society. Pearson noted that the principal author of the prayer decisions,Chief JusticeEarl Warren, was aRepublican formerGovernor of California and that most mainline denominations had endorsed the Court's rulings.^[6]

Eisley supportedBarry Goldwater in the1964 United States presidential election.^[7]

Eisley appeared as a Soviet agent in an Armed Forces training filmEspionage Target: You made in 1964. In 1965, Eisley was cast as an attorney in an anti-pornography institutional film entitled "Printed Poison"; produced by the "Citizens For Decency" movement.

Eisley performed a memorable role in film as Griff inThe Naked Kiss (1964),Sam Fuller's controversial attack on alleged American small town hypocrisy.

Eisley co-starred as character Clint Braden, suitor to theNancy Kovack character of Nellie Bly, in the 1966 filmFrankie and Johnny. He also played Ben Mitchell in the 1968 musical filmStar!.

Eisley guest-starred in an episode of the ABC religious drama seriesGoing My Way and in the title role ofThe Outer Limits episodeThe Brain of Colonel Barham. He appeared three times onCBS'sPerry Mason during the final three seasons of that series. In his second guest appearance in 1964 he played murder victim Vince Rome in "The Case of the Missing Button." In the same year he appeared albeit briefly in a strong Series 3 episode ofCombat!, “The Gift Of Hope”.

He appeared six times in the 1967-1970 revival ofDragnet; in one segment he played a corrupt policeman and once he played an attempted murderer. During the eight-year run of ABC'sThe F.B.I., Eisley made 17 appearances as Special Agent in Charge Chet Randolph.

Eisley was a guest as a villain in an episode ofThe Wild Wild West, with his formerHawaiian Eye co-starRobert Conrad and reunited with Conrad forA Man Called Sloane.

In 1970, he guest-starred in an episode ofThe Silent Force. In 1973, he appeared as Ross Nelson, newscaster at Mary's Channel 8 competition, in the Season 4 episode "WJM Tries Harder" onThe Mary Tyler Moore Show. He had appeared withMary Tyler Moore years before in "The Lady and the Tiger and the Lawyer," a 1964 episode ofThe Dick Van Dyke Show.

Eisley became known as a cultschlock star for his appearances inOne Way Wahine (1965),Antonio Margheriti'sEurospy filmLightning Bolt (1966) andThe Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966).

He starred inDavid L. Hewitt'sJourney to the Center of Time (1967),The Mighty Gorga (1969), andThe Tormentors (1971) as well asAl Adamson'sDracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) andTed V. Mikels'sThe Doll Squad (1975). He appeared in other dubious delights such asOliver Drake'sThey Ran for Their Lives (1968) andThe Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals (1969),The Killers (1971) alongsideCameron Mitchell,Monstroid (1980) andFred Olen Ray'sDeep Space (1988).

Eisley was married to Judith Rogers Tubbs from March 1, 1951 until her death on January 9, 1994. The couple had four children: musicianDavid Glen Eisley, the father ofIndia Eisley; actor and stuntman Jonathan Erickson Eisley; Nan R. Eisley, an assistant toLawrence Kasdan; and Amanda Eisley.

Anthony Eisley died ofheart failure on January 29, 2003, inWoodland Hills, California, at the age of 78.^[8]

• "Anthony Eisley, 78; Television Detective and B-Movie Actor" -Los Angeles Times obituary
• Anthony Eisley atIMDb
• Anthony Eisley at theInternet Broadway Database (as Fred Eisley)

• 1925 births
• 2003 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• American Christians
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
• Eisley family
• Male actors from Philadelphia
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• New Right (United States)
• Pennsylvania Republicans
• University of Miami alumni
• Warner Bros. contract players

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• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata