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.
Photos
William Conrad
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Vengeance | Jim Dunn (Character) | - | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
|
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% |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
The Cool Ones | Executive Producer | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
First to Fight | Producer | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Covenant With Death | Producer | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
An American Dream | Producer | - | 1966 |
0% |
|
Two on a Guillotine | Director | - | 1965 |
No Score Yet |
|
Brainstorm | Director | - | 1965 |
No Score Yet |
|
My Blood Runs Cold |
Director, Producer |
- | 1965 |
63% |
|
Battle of the Bulge | Narrator | - | 1965 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Man From Galveston | Director | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet |
|
-30- | Jim Bathgate (Character) | - | 1959 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Ride Back |
Sheriff Chris Hamish (Character), Producer |
- | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Conqueror | Kasar (Character) | - | 1956 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Johnny Concho | Tallman (Character) | - | 1956 |
No Score Yet |
|
5 Against the House | Eric Berg (Character) | - | 1955 |
88% |
|
The Naked Jungle | Commissioner (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Cowboy | Unknown (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet |
|
Cry of the Hunted | Goodwin (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Desert Song | Lachmed (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lone Star | Mizette (Character) | - | 1952 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Sword of Monte Cristo | Major Nicolet (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet |
|
Cry Danger | Castro (Character) | - | 1951 |
33% |
|
The Racket | Det. Sgt. Turk (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Milkman | Mike Morrel (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dial 1119 | Chuckles (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet |
|
One Way Street | Ollie (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet |
|
Tension | Lt. Edgar Gonsales (Character) | - | 1949 |
43% |
|
East Side, West Side | Lt. Jacobi (Character) | - | 1949 |
86% |
|
Sorry, Wrong Number | Morano (Character) | - | 1948 |
No Score Yet |
|
Four Faces West | Sheriff Egan (Character) | - | 1948 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | To the Victor | Farnsworth (Character) | - | 1948 |
92% |
|
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 |