Eddie Firestone

Long-time character actor Eddie Firestone made his onscreen debut in the 1949 TV series "Mixed Doubles" and continued to have a prolific career that eventually spanned five decades. The San Francisco native continued acting in the 1950s, picking up bit parts on television series and in films like "Dragnet," "The Millionaire," and "Joe Butterfly." In 1956 he landed one of his most significant and notable roles, as Robert Buffum in "The Great Locomotive Chase"; he reprised this role on an episode of "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color." He spent the 1960s picking up guest spots on famed crime series like "The Untouchables," "Perry Mason," "Mannix," and western shows like "The Big Valley" and "Gunsmoke." His experiences as a TV supporting and character actor helped him land a role in one of Steven Spielberg's earliest offerings, 1971's "Duel." His lack of starring roles continued further into the 1970s, but he gladly accepted character roles like that of Andy Burns on "Barnaby Jones" and Louie in the Emmy-nominated mini-series "How the West Was Won." After appearances in popular series like "Charlie's Angels," "Hawaii Five-O," and a role in the made-for-TV movie "Standing Tall," during the late '70s, Firestone saw his number of roles begin decline at the start of the 1980s. His last television performance was on an episode of "Dallas" in 1990. Firestone died from heart failure at the age of 87.