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William Conrad

William Conrad

Highest Rated: 92% Body and Soul (1947)

Lowest Rated: 0% Two on a Guillotine (1965)

Birthday: Sep 27, 1920

Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

With his imposing physical presence and sonorous baritone voice, actor-director-producer William Conrad enjoyed a vibrant career on and off screens across several mediums, spanning more than five decades. Although he made early onscreen appearances in noirs like "The Killers" (1946), Conrad achieved early fame as the voice of Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running radio show "Gunsmoke" (CBS Radio, 1949-1960), helping to define the role later portrayed by James Arness for 20 years on television. His resonant voice made Conrad a favorite for narration work in efforts as diverse as the indelible cartoon classic "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (ABC/NBC, 1959-1964) and the wartime docudrama "The Battle of the Bulge" (1965). A deal with Warner Bros. also allowed Conrad to produce and direct B-movie potboilers like "Brainstorm" (1965), as well as executive produce director Robert Altman's feature debut, "Countdown" (1968). It was, however, a pair of late-career roles for which the portly performer would be most fondly remembered. First as the hard-nosed private eye "Cannon" (CBS, 1971-75) and then as the larger half of the investigative team of "Jake and the Fatman" (CBS, 1987-88; 1989-1992), Conrad at last achieved the fame denied him after losing out to Arness all those years before. One of the hardest working professionals in the entertainment business for decades, Conrad more than made his mark in Hollywood by the time of his 1994 passing.

Highest rated movies

92% 88% Body and Soul
88% 60% The Naked Jungle
86% 77% Sorry, Wrong Number
43% 74% East Side, West Side
33% 44% The Racket

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Vengeance Jim Dunn (Character) - 1986
No Score Yet 25% Killing Cars Mr. Mahoney (Character) - 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet Matlock: The Don D.A. James L. McShane (Character) - 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet In Like Flynn Sergeant Dominic (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shocktrauma Dr. R Adams Cowley (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Side Show Director - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Murder That Wouldn't Die William Battles (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet Turnover Smith Thaddeus Smith (Character) - 1980
67% 39% The Return of the King Lord Denethor (Voice) - 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Return of Frank Cannon Frank Cannon (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet Keefer Keefer (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet Night Cries Dr. Whelan (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 55% Moonshine County Express Jack Starkey (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Catastrophe Unknown (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet He Who Digs a Grave Frank Cannon (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cannon Frank Cannon (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Operation Cobra Unknown (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill Chief Vincent Kovac (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet 44% The Brotherhood of the Bell Bart Harris (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Power Unknown (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chubasco Producer - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Assignment to Kill Executive Producer - 1968
No Score Yet 40% The Cool Ones Executive Producer - 1967
No Score Yet 0% First to Fight Producer - 1967
No Score Yet 67% A Covenant With Death Producer - 1967
No Score Yet 14% An American Dream Producer - 1966
0% 35% Two on a Guillotine Director - 1965
No Score Yet 47% Brainstorm Director - 1965
No Score Yet 0% My Blood Runs Cold Director,
Producer
- 1965
63% 67% Battle of the Bulge Narrator - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Man From Galveston Director - 1963
No Score Yet 44% -30- Jim Bathgate (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 42% The Ride Back Sheriff Chris Hamish (Character),
Producer
- 1957
No Score Yet 10% The Conqueror Kasar (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet Johnny Concho Tallman (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 26% 5 Against the House Eric Berg (Character) - 1955
88% 60% The Naked Jungle Commissioner (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Cowboy Unknown (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet 42% Cry of the Hunted Goodwin (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Desert Song Lachmed (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 58% Lone Star Mizette (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sword of Monte Cristo Major Nicolet (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 79% Cry Danger Castro (Character) - 1951
33% 44% The Racket Det. Sgt. Turk (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Milkman Mike Morrel (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 29% Dial 1119 Chuckles (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 30% One Way Street Ollie (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 65% Tension Lt. Edgar Gonsales (Character) - 1949
43% 74% East Side, West Side Lt. Jacobi (Character) - 1949
86% 77% Sorry, Wrong Number Morano (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet 71% Four Faces West Sheriff Egan (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet To the Victor Farnsworth (Character) - 1948
92% 88% Body and Soul Quinn (Character) - 1947

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rocky & Bullwinkle Unknown (Voice) 1959-1963 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet Jake and the Fatman Jason Lochinvar "Fatman" McCabe (Character) 1987-1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Matlock Unknown (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hotel Unknown (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet 89% Murder, She Wrote Major Anatole Karzof (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fall Guy Unknown (Guest Star) 1984
90% 93% Police Squad! Unknown (Guest Star) 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe (Character) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cannon Frank Cannon (Character) 1971-1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Barnaby Jones Unknown (Guest Star) 1973 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Carol Burnett Show Guest 1973 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour Unknown (Guest Star) 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Guest 1972
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Director 1963 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Men at Law Unknown (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet The High Chaparral Unknown (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Name of the Game Unknown (Guest Star) 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet 77 Sunset Strip Maestrian (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Have Gun -- Will Travel Unknown (Guest Star),
Director
1962-1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alfred Hitchcock Hour Unknown (Character) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Route 66 Director 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bat Masterson Clark Benson (Guest Star),
Director
1958-1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Men Into Space Director 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rifleman Director 1959