Orson Bean
Instantly recognizable by his crewcut, Ivy League manner and dryly rendered New England accent, the wickedly funny Orson Bean was a fixture of early TV as a panelist ("I've Got a Secret" and later "To Tell the Truth," both CBS), raconteur ("The Tonight Show" NBC, with both Jack Paar and Johnny Carson) and actor ("Playhouse 90," "Studio One," both CBS; and "The Kraft Television Theater" NBC). After a troubled childhood that included his mother's suicide when he was 16, he made his show business debut as a stand-up comic in NYC but was soon making inroads in his first love, theater, appearing in the musical revue "John Murray Anderson's Almanac" and later acting in such Broadway productions as "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1955), "Mr. Roberts" (1956) "Nature's Way" (1957) and the musical "Subways Are For Sleeping" (1961).Bean's feature film credits are few, the highlights being turns as Dr. Smith in Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) and Lydia's editor in "Innerspace" (1987). He seemingly vanished during much of the 70s and 80s when by his own account he dropped out, moved to Australia and experimented with everything from group sex to dropping acid. He popped up as a regular on "Fernwood Tonight" (syndicated, 1997), the successor to "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and provided the voice of Bilbo Baggins for the NBC animated special "The Hobbit" (1977). In 1993, he captured the plum role of frontier storekeeper Loren Bray in the popular CBS Western series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," remaining with the show for its entire five-year run. Bean's first love remains the theater, and he and his third wife Alley Mills are partners in the L.A. Drama Critics Award-winning Pacific Resident Theatre Ensemble of Venice, CA. Orson Bean died in his adopted hometown of Venice on February 7, 2020, when he was struck by two vehicles while walking near the Pacific Resident Theatre. He was 91.
Photos
Orson Bean
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
52% |
|
The Equalizer 2 | Sam Rubinstein (Character) | $102.0M | 2018 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Golden Christmas 3 | Mr. Cole (Character) | - | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Two-Legged Rat Bastards | Eddie (Character) | - | 2011 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ashley's Ashes | Dan (Character) | - | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Game of Life | Dennis (Character) | - | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe | Raff Buddemeyer (Character) | - | 2007 |
75% |
|
Alien Autopsy | Homeless Man (Character) | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Novice | Father McIlhenny (Character) | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
Soccer Dog: European Cup | Mayor Milton Gallagher (Character) | - | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cacophony | Ferruccio (Character) | - | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Knee High P.I. | Macintyre (Character) | - | 2003 |
No Score Yet |
|
Frank McKlusky, C.I. | Mr. Gafty (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Burning Down the House | Sy (Character) | - | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Gristle | Mr. Bowen (Character) | - | 2001 |
94% |
|
Being John Malkovich | Dr. Lester (Character) | $22.9M | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Unbowed | Purdy (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie | Loren Bray (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Final Judgement | Monsignor Corelli (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hollywood Dreaming | Arthur Fitzgerald (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Instant Karma | Dr. Berlin (Character) | $12.0K | 1990 |
82% |
|
Innerspace | Lydia's Editor (Character) | $25.9M | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Forty Deuce | Mr. Roper (Character) | - | 1982 |
67% |
|
The Return of the King |
Frodo Baggins/ |
- | 1980 |
71% |
|
The Hobbit | Bilbo Baggins (Voice) | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Spy Who Returned From the Dead | Bob (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |
Hank / |
- | 1970 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lola | Hal (Character) | - | 1969 |
100% |
|
Anatomy of a Murder | Dr. Matthew Smith (Character) | - | 1959 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Miracle on 34th Street | Dr. William Sawyer (Character) | - | 1959 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Playhouse 90 - Charley's Aunt | Unknown (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | How to Be Very, Very Popular | Toby Marshall (Character) | - | 1955 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
93% | 81% | Superstore | Dr. Fogler (Guest Star) | 2018 |
64% | 88% | The Guest Book | Edgar (Guest Star) | 2017 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Bold And The Beautiful, The Beginning | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2016 |
85% | 90% | Modern Family | Marty (Guest Star) | 2016 |
72% | 89% | Desperate Housewives | Roy Bender (Guest Star) | 2010-2012 |
No Score Yet | 84% | Hot in Cleveland | Dan (Guest Star) | 2011 |
84% | 85% | How I Met Your Mother | Bob (Guest Star) | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Women's Murder Club | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2007 |
83% | 84% | The Closer | Donald Baxter (Guest Star) | 2007 |
65% | 66% | Two and a Half Men | Norman (Guest Star) | 2005 |
No Score Yet | 95% | Cold Case | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 7th Heaven | Patient (Guest Star) | 2003 |
No Score Yet | 96% | Becker | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
16% | No Score Yet | Normal, Ohio | Bill Gamble (Character) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | 88% | Will & Grace | Professor Joseph Dudley (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Family Law | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | 80% | The King of Queens | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
61% | 78% | Ally McBeal | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Thanks | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dr. Quinn | Loren Bray (Character) | 1993-1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Diagnosis Murder | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Facts of Life | Oliver Thompson (Guest Star) | 1986-1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Super Password |
Unknown (Guest Star), Guest |
1984-1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Fall Guy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Match Game |
Guest, Self |
1976-1977 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tattletales | Guest | 1974-1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | What's My Line? | Guest | 1966-1967 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I've Got a Secret | Guest | 1966 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Vacation Playhouse | Unknown (Character) | 1964 |
92% | 96% | The Twilight Zone | James B.W. Bevis (Character) | 1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The United States Steel Hour | Lester (Character) | 1954 |