Famous Faces on "The Green Hornet" (1966-67) TV Series!
Another challenge for the Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal, the Black Beauty. On Police records a wanted criminal, Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, owner-publisher of the Daily Sentinel, his dual identity known only to his secretary and to the district attorney. And now, to protect the rights and lives of decent citizens, rides THE GREEN HORNET."
List activity
7.3K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
42 people
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Beth Brickell began her film career as an actress, training in New York with Sanford Meisner Lee Strasberg, and was accepted into the legendary Actors Studio. She performed in leading roles in over 25 stage productions in and out of the city, including "Thurber Carnival" with Jean Stapleton, "Room Service" with Bill Macy, and "Take Her, She's Mine" with Walter Pidgeon.
Moving to Hollywood, she starred for two seasons in the popular CBS series, Gentle Ben (1967), with Dennis Weaver. Subsequently, she appeared in some 100 TV shows and movies, receiving Emmy consideration for guest roles on Bonanza (1959) and Hawaii Five-O (1968). Film roles include Posse (1975) with Kirk Douglas and Bruce Dern, Death Game (1977) with Sondra Locke and Seymour Cassel and The Only Way Home (1972) with Bo Hopkins.
While teaching film acting for three years at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York and Los Angeles, she developed an interest in directing. She put her acting career aside to accept a Director Fellowship at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, from which she graduated with an MFA in film directing and screen writing. She has written, produced and/or directed a dozen films. She wrote, produced and directed A Rainy Day (1979) starring Mariette Hartley and Tracey Gold. It The film received seven top festival awards, including First Place at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, and was broadcast on PBS. Summer's End (1985), also written, produced and directed by Beth, won 16 film festival awards, including a Blue Ribbon at the American Film & Video Festival in New York, a Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, and Second Place at the San Francisco International Film Festival. The film was broadcast on Showtime, A&E, Nickelodeon and PBS. She wrote, produced ad directed Mr. Christmas (2004), which was awarded "Best Family Film" at the Hollywood Moondance International Film Festival and received the "Award of Excellence" by the Film Advisory Board of Los Angeles. The movie was broadcast on PBS.
Beth has directed episodes of the CBS series Knots Landing (1979) and two dramas, Little Boy Blue (1975) starring Chynna Phillips and Robert Walden, and To Tell the Truth (1987). She developed the story for a CBS movie, "A Family Matter" and a miniseries for PBS, "Susan B.", about Susan B. Anthony and the women's suffrage movement.
Beth graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BA in political science and has been active in state and national politics. As a Field Organizer in 1988 for the Michael Dukakis for President campaign, she organized and supervised some 500 volunteers to get out the vote in 50 Beverly Hills precincts. In 1992 she organized and supervised a project that raised $250,000 for the presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. In that year she also managed the campaign for Blanche Lincoln, who was running in a congressional primary against a 26-year incumbent in Arkansas. She won the primary and the election as a US Senator from Arkansas.
Another interest, newspaper writing, resulted in a 18-article front-page investigative series for the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Arkansas Gazette" in Little Rock. The series, entitled "Mystery at Camden", uncovered a motive for the murder of attorney Maud Crawford--a one-time associate of US Sen. John L. McClennan--who disappeared in 1957 in Camden, Arkansas. That crime remains unsolved to this day.
Beth's civic activities have included Chair of the Director's Guild of America (DGA) Women's Steering Committee, member of the DGA Special Projects Committee, Board of Directors for Women in Film, Emmy Awards Panel for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Actors Studio-West Executive Steering Committee, and Screening Committee for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
She has been honored with membership in the Southwest theater Association Hall of Fame.
She divides her time between a home in Beverly Hills and a 103-acre rural retreat west of Little Rock.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)
"Dr. Hanna Thomas"- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jacques Aubuchon was born on 30 October 1924 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Silver Chalice (1954), Thunder Road (1958) and Man Against Crime (1949). He was married to Denise Caubisens. He died on 28 December 1991 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
"Tubbs"- Blue-eyed, red-haired American character actress, often seen as resolute, strong-willed women. Though born in Kansas, Barbara Babcock spent much of her early childhood in Japan, where her father, U.S. Army Major General Conrad Stanton Babcock Jr., was posted (he was also a noted equestrian, who competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics). Her mother was Chilean-born Jadwiga Florence Noskowiak (1903-2000), a former stage actress and singer.
Babcock attended universities in Lausanne and Milan and later graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She initially interviewed for a job with the State Department, aiming at a diplomatic career. When this fell through, she turned to acting, debuting on screen in 1956. From the early 60s, Babcock made guest appearances in numerous television series. She ultimately became best known for her Emmy Award-winning performance as the over-amorous Grace Gardner in NBC's Hill Street Blues (1981) and as pioneer newspaper editor Dorothy Jennings in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) (a regular role, lasting from 1993 to 1998).
Babcock featured several times on Star Trek (1966), though it was more often her voice that was utilized for assorted alien background characters. She also played a member of the 'underground' in episodes of Hogan's Heroes (1965) and Pam Ewing's fashion boss in Dallas (1978). Babcock was one of the leads in Alan Alda's sitcom The Four Seasons (1984), about four middle-aged couples who vacation together four times annually, once per season. In this, she played the orthopedist wife of Allan Arbus (of M*A*S*H (1972) fame). Babcock subsequently starred in her own right as a demure attorney, counterpoint to Jerry Orbach's vociferous, seedy 'old school' gumshoe, in the short-lived CBS mystery drama The Law and Harry McGraw (1987). One might also remember her as one of the (ill-fated) residents of Salem's Lot (1979) and as a repeat guest star on Mannix (1967) and (alternating between murder victim and villainess of the week) in Murder, She Wrote (1984).
Her occasional forays to the big screen tended to be in smaller supporting roles, first up as an Apache kidnap victim in the Glenn Ford western Day of the Evil Gun (1968). More recently in maternal roles, she portrayed an Irish immigrant, the mother of Nicole Kidman's character, in Ron Howard's big budget western Far and Away (1992). Her last motion picture appearance was as the wife of test pilot and would-be-astronaut Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood) in Space Cowboys (2000).
Barbara Babcock retired from acting in 2004, the year she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In her private life, she has had a lifelong interest in travel and exploration and has dabbled in writing. She is known as an avid crusader for animal rights.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
"Elaine Carey" - Charles Bateman was born on 19 November 1930 in San Diego, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Green Hornet (1966), Cannon (1971) and Santa Barbara (1984).The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
"Quentin Crane" - Actor
- Director
- Writer
American character actor and teacher. Born Jewel Guy in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926, he was orphaned at three and adopted by Armen and Essa Knowland Best, who renamed him James Knowland Best and raised him in Corydon, Indiana. Following high school he worked briefly as a metalworker before joining the Army during World War II in July 1944. The majority of his service was as an MP in Wiesbaden, Germany just after the end of the war. While still in Germany, Best was transferred to Special Services and began his acting career. According to Best, he first acted in a European tour of "My Sister Eileen" directed by Arthur Penn. Upon his return to the U.S., he toured in road and stock companies in plays and musicals, and was finally spotted by a scout from Universal Pictures, who put him under contract. A handsome young man, his rural inflections perhaps kept him from frequent leading man roles. During the 1950s and '60s, he was a familiar face in movies and television in a wide range of roles, from Western bad guys to craven cowards and country bumpkins. Physical ailments curtailed his work for a long period late in his career, and he established a well-respected acting workshop in Los Angeles. He also served as artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi, teaching and directing. He worked in both acting and producing capacities for Burt Reynolds on several of the latter's films in the late 1970s, before taking on his greatest commercial success. Although the The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) TV series was far beneath his talents, his role as Sheriff Rosco Coltrane was the part that gave him his greatest fame. He continued teaching, both in Hollywood and later in Florida (at the University of Central Florida). Semi-retired, he makes personal appearances and exhibits his paintings. James Best starred in the 2007 feature film, Moondance Alexander (2007), along with Don Johnson, Lori Loughlin, Kay Panabaker, Sasha Cohen and Whitney Sloan.The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
"Yale Barton"- Bill Baldwin was born on 26 November 1913 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Rocky II (1979), Rocky (1976) and Rocky III (1982). He died on 17 November 1982 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
"Dr. Karl Bendix" - Lloyd Bochner had that wonderfully sonorous type of voice that was always tailor-made for radio or for the stage. Unsurprisingly then, by the time he was eleven, Lloyd was already employed as part-time voiceover artist and reader of drama serials by radio stations in Vancouver.
Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Frieda (Kenen) and Charles Abraham Bochner. He was of Russian Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish descent. He made his acting debut as a youth with the Joseph Barrington Juveniles. Lloyd's education at the University of Toronto was interrupted in 1943 by wartime service in the Royal Canadian Navy. However, in 1947, he graduated with a B.A. and a few years later moved to New York to further hone his acting skills. In 1953, he returned to Canada to participate in the inaugural season of the Stratford Festival getting to enact choice Shakespearean roles from Horatio in "Hamlet" to Orsino in "Twelfth Night".
Having made his screen bow in a small Canadian production, The Mapleville Story (1946), Lloyd's first significant exposure in television was as British army officer Nicholas Lacey in the half-hour NBC serial One Man's Family (1949), which had first been performed on radio and starred Bert Lytell and Marjorie Gateson. His real breakthrough came quite a few years later, once having moved to Hollywood, as co-star of the studio-bound crime series Hong Kong (1960). He played local British police-chief Neil Campbell, solving crime in tandem with an American newspaper correspondent (played by Australian actor Rod Taylor). This, in turn, led to other key roles including his almost legendary appearance in the classic The Twilight Zone (1959) episode "To Serve Man" in 1962 (at one time voted 11th in a TV guide poll of 100 best TV episodes of all time). Based on a short story by Damon Knight written in 1950, "To Serve Man" unfolds in flashback as narrated for the viewer by Lloyd's decoding expert Michael Chambers. It has all the elements of great television, with an excellent cast (including Richard Kiel, later known as 'Jaws' from the 'James Bond' movies; and Theodore Marcuse as Citizen Grigori giving an indelible impression of Nikita Khrushchev); and an unexpected and disturbing denouement when it turns out that the supposedly altruistic alien Kanamits have come to earth to harvest humans for food. Lloyd repeated his famous punch-line, "it's a cook book!", years later as a spoof in Leslie Nielsen's The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991).
For most of the 1960s and 1970s, Lloyd was cast in supporting roles, often as mellifluous, meticulously-attired, upper-class snobs, practically guaranteed to harbour treacherous intent. He appeared in several motion pictures, notably as the malicious, smooth villain Frederick Carter who unsuccessfully tangles with Lee Marvin in Point Blank (1967), and in the same year, as homosexual drug dealer Vic Rood on the receiving end of the beating from Frank Sinatra in Tony Rome (1967). However, on the whole, Lloyd's preferred medium was television. He had a recurring role in the long-running soap-opera Dynasty (1981) as Blake Carrington's manipulative rival, Cecil Colby, in league with archvillain Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins). A versatile character actor, Lloyd's clean-cut, aquiline features and quiet air of authority lent themselves to portraying a vast gallery of medical men, soldiers, politicians and executives. Some of these were men of integrity, but like many a good actor, Lloyd rather enjoyed the challenge of playing the scoundrel.
During his half century-long acting career, Lloyd Bochner garnered two Liberty Awards as best television actor, Canada's equivalent of the Emmy Awards. He was also an active member in the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists. He died at age 81 of cancer on October 29, 2005 in Santa Monica, California. His children are actors Hart Bochner, Paul Bochner, and Johanna Courtleigh.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
"Dan Carley " - Thordis Brandt was born in Germany of Norwegian and German parents. She moved to Canada as a young girl and was raised there. After school, where she completed a University degree in nursing, she moved to Santa Monica, California. As she pursued acting and dancing as careers, she continued to practice her nursing in private duty. One of her jobs in private duty was serving actress Patricia Neal. Ms. Neal recommended Thordis to other actors and actresses, thus Thordis became known as the "actor's nurse." After retiring from acting, she continued nursing in Beverly Hills.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
"Nedra Vallen" - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
After passing his screen test, Rand Brooks played a bit role in the 1938 film Love Finds a Way. He then found several other roles before landing the part of Charles Hamilton in Gone with the Wind. He went on to play small roles in films such as Laddie, And One was Beautiful, The Son of Monte Cristo, Jennie, Niagara Falls, among others. Beginning in 1946, he took over the role of Hopalong Cassidy's youthful sidekick, Lucky, and played in twelve of the feature films. Among these, which starred William Boyd as Hoppy, were The Devil's Playground, Fool's Gold, Unexpected Guest, Dangerous Venture, and Hoppy's Holiday. Brooks continued playing roles in films throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, which also started his television career. He made co-starring appearances on series such as The Roy Rogers Show, Highway Patrol, Lassie, Wagon Train, Maverick, The Real McCoys, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Bat Masterson, Laramie, Gunsmoke, The Munsters, Perry Mason, Columbo, and Bonanza, as well as nine episodes of The Lone Ranger, where he began a friendship with Clayton Moore. In 1966, Rand Brooks started Professional Ambulance Service in Glendale, California, with two used ambulances and a credit card. By 1977 his company had become the largest private ambulance 9-1-1 paramedic provider in Los Angeles County. During his ownership the company received dozens of awards and commendations and was widely recognized as one of the finest ambulance services in the country. In 1995 Brooks sold it to corporate giant American Medical Response. He lived at his ranch in Santa Barbara County with second wife Hermine, a former executive with his company, until his death in 2003. Brooks has two children; a daughter and a son, Rand Brooks Jr., who owns a trucking company in Los Angeles. Brooks can be seen portraying a police officer in the two-hour premier episode of the television series Emergency! (1972), which was first aired in January of 1972 on NBC. Rand Brooks' acting career spanned over 140 films and television series, as well as writing, producing, and directing one film called Legend of the Northwest.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
"Conway"- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stuntman and actor Roydon Elwood Clark was born on April 15, 1928 in Dalton, Pennsylvania. One in a family of eight children (said family was made up of crop tenders and migrant farm workers), Roydon starting in 1942 spent his summers around the Hudkins stables which provided livestock and wagons for Western films. Clark was taken in by the Hudkins family after his family separated and worked for twenty-five dollars per week pitching hay, taking care of the horses, and doing general chores around a stable. Roydon began his career as an actor and stuntman in Westerns for director Joseph Kane at Republic Pictures. Among the notable actors that Clark doubled for are Errol Flynn, James Garner, Sean Connery, and Joe Don Baker. Moreover, Roydon did volunteer work for four years as a stunt safety investigator for the Directors Guild of America as well as worked as both a stunt coordinator and second unit director on a handful of TV movie follow-ups to the hit TV series The Rockford Files (1974).The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
"Aldo"- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tom Drake was an American actor with a relatively lengthy career. Drake was born in 1918, in Brooklyn, New York. His real name was Alfred Sinclair Alderdice. He was educated at the Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, and Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania,
He started his acting career in 1938, with theatrical performances in Broadway, New York City. He appeared in the plays "Run Sheep Run" (1938) and "Clean Beds" (1939), He initially used the stage name "Richard Alden", but later changed his stage name to "Tom Drake".
In the early 1940s, Drake started appearing in theatrical films. Following a number of uncredited parts as an extra, his first film credit was in the film "The Howards of Virginia" (1940), as the character James Howard. The setting of the film was 18th-century Virginia. In the film, the protagonist Matt Howard (played by Cary Grant) is a war orphan. His father was killed in the Braddock Expedition (1755), a failed British campaign during the French and Indian War. The impoverished Howard gains the favor and political patronage of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), and uses this connection to acquire land and wealth, and build a new dynasty of plantation owners. But this family is undermined by the class difference and tensions between "new money" Matt and the "old money" heiress which he married.
In 1942, Drake received his first taste of fame by starring in the hit Broadway play "Janie". Afterwards, he was signed to a full contract with the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Drake was 24 years old, but was found ineligible for military service in World War II; his medical exams diagnosed a heart disease.
Drake's most memorable role during the War was the character John Truett in the musical "Meet Me in St. Louis". Truett was the boy next door, who served as the love interest for the character Esther Smith (played by Judy Garland). Following the War, Drake appeared in over 30 films and several television series. He broke out of typecasting in 1959, when playing gang leader Abe McQuown in the Western film "Warlock".
By the early 1970s, Drake's career was in decline. His final film role was the character Dr. Adam Forrest in the horror film "The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe" (1974), Drake died in 1982, suffering from lung cancer. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
"Duke Slate"- Actor
- Soundtrack
Blond, good looking Jason Evers played many seemingly ordinary, respectable men who often turned out to harbor malign intent, twisted motivations, or complicated personalities. Although probably best known for playing Dr. Bill Corter in the 1962 cult film The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), Evers did much more than meets the eye. He quit school to join the army during WWII, and later decided to become an actor after seeing such Hollywood stars as John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart. His first big break was in 1960 in the TV series Wrangler (1960) and he followed that with roles in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), House of Women (1962), and another TV series, Channing (1963).
His career began to decline in the 1970s. He appeared with Roddy McDowall in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), one of the sequels to the smash Planet of the Apes (1968), and in the made-for-TV thriller Fer-de-Lance (1974). He was a vengeful hunter out to kill a murderous grizzly bear in Claws (1977) and a biologist out to stop man-eating fish (with Wayne Crawford) in Barracuda (1978).
He made more than 65 appearances in TV series and made-for-TV films during the 1980s, and returned to the big screen in 1990 for Basket Case 2 (1990). He died of heart failure in New York City in 2005.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
"Dirk"- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Young Signe Larsson was only 12 when she started to work as a child extra at The Royal Dramatic Theater and was the youngest ever enrolled for acting studies there at 16. She quickly got leading roles in movies and always received very good reviews. In 1940 she went to Hollywood and signed a contract with RKO. Despite her talent, it didn't lead to any work and she ventured off to New York and the theater. She signed a contract with MGM and made a dozen of movies, including George Cukor's A Double Life (1947), possibly her best. However, she longed to go back to the theater and has worked in London and New York as well as touring around the US.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
"Yolanda de Lukens"- Actress
- Soundtrack
An American television actress, Lynda Day George first drew attention when she appeared in the popular TV series Mission: Impossible (1966) as Lisa Casey, a role for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. She also did numerous guest-star roles in such series as The Love Boat (1977) and Wonder Woman (1975).
While appearing in the feature The Gentle Rain (1966), she met Christopher George, the handsome lead actor of the popular war series The Rat Patrol (1966); they fell in love about three years later, when they were reunited in the John Wayne western Chisum (1970), and they were married after its release. During the 1970s, Lynda appeared in numerous films with her husband. In 1983, she and Chris co-starred in the horror film Mortuary (1982). Sadly, after its completion, Christopher George died of a heart attack, at age 54.
Lynda was devastated and felt that she couldn't act without him. She appeared in another film shortly after his death, called Young Warriors (1983), but after appearing as a guest star in a few TV series, Lynda gave up acting.The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
"Ardis Ralston" (as Lynda Day)- Actor
- Stunts
- Production Manager
Tall (6 ft 2"), brawny (220 pounds) American actor, stuntman and stunt coordinator, in films from 1952. From the time he attended school in Burbank, California, Chuck Hicks established a solid reputation as an all-round athlete, subsequently to become an alumnus of Loyola University (on a scholarship) where he played both football and rugby. He was also that institution's heavyweight boxing champion. Having enlisted in the U.S. Navy (following a hitch in the Merchant Marine), Hicks won another heavyweight boxing title in 1946. During his brief career as a professional fighter (which came to an end when he broke his hand) he was known as 'Chuck Daley'. In the Steel (1963), Hicks was later to take on the role of a formidable mechanical pugilist known as the Maynard Flash (with a robot face mask cleverly crafted by William Tuttle).
After being dropped by the L.A. Rams football team in 1951, Hicks tried his hand as a lifeguard at the Pickwick Pool in Burbank before an opportunity arose to work as a movie extra. Thereafter, he was often used as a stand-in for Clint Walker on the western series Cheyenne (1955). In the course of the next six decades, Hicks worked as stand-in or stunt double for the likes of Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, Brian Dennehy and Paul Sorvino.
On the screen, Hicks found himself frequently on the receiving end of a beating at the hands of Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry (1971), The Enforcer (1976), Bronco Billy (1980)). In the movie Dick Tracy (1990), he had a small featured role as The Brow, one of the minor villains. Hicks appeared in innumerable small film roles as bar brawlers, henchmen, bodyguards, crooked cops, bouncers, prizefighters and even zombies. He was stunt coordinator for the famous fight scene in Cool Hand Luke (1967).
Hicks retired in 2010. He was a past president of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, an inductee into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Screen Actors Guild.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
Henchman for Peter Eden (uncredited)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
Henchman for Peter Eden (uncredited)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Geoffrey Horne was born on 22 August 1933 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an actor, known for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Big Daddy (1999) and The Green Hornet (1966). He has been married to Kristin Andersson since 2000. He was previously married to Robin Schierenbeck, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Nancy Berg and Rebecca Callaway."Peter Eden"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)- Diana Hyland, a striking, knowing beauty with a confident air about her, was born Joan Diane (or Joan Diana) Gentner on January 25, 1936, in Ohio and appeared on stage in summer stock, as a teen, before graduating from Cleveland Heights High School.
Moving to New York in 1955, aged 19, to test her acting mettle, the slim-faced, honey-blonde actress began to find TV roles almost immediately (one of her first being a Robert Montgomery Presents (1950) episode) in-between supplementing her income as a switchboard operator. Initially billed as Diane Gentner, she changed it to Diana Hyland.
Following a tour of the play, "Look Back in Anger", she broke through quite impressively on the Broadway boards as the damaged (by a long-ago tryst with the lead male character) ingénue of a dangerously powerful Southern politician in the acclaimed 1959 Tennessee Williams production of "Sweet Bird of Youth", starring Paul Newman and Geraldine Page. Her role of "Heavenly Finley" could have made her a film star, had she been allowed to take it to the big screen, but Shirley Knight was given the role in the somewhat sanitized film version.
In the early 1960s, she focused on the small screen with strong, emotional roles on such soaps as Young Dr. Malone (1958) and Peyton Place (1964) (in a particularly showy role as a minister's alcoholic wife). She also scored well in a series of guest parts, notably The Twilight Zone (1959), The Fugitive (1963), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) and Alcoa Premiere (1961), the last for which she received an Emmy nomination. She was a particularly sought-after presence on medical shows, as well, spicing up such popular tearjerkers as Ben Casey (1961), Dr. Kildare (1961), The Doctors (1963),The Doctors and the Nurses (1962), Medical Center (1969) and Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969).
She made noticeably few films during her career, her best showcase being that of the unconventional minister's wife opposite Don Murray's Rev. Norman Vincent Peale in One Man's Way (1964). In addition to a small, downbeat supporting turn in The Chase (1966) starring Marlon Brando, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, she also co-starred with Fess Parker in the routine western yarn, Smoky (1966). Remaining focused on television, she continued to brightened up that medium into the 1970s, the last decade of her too-short life, with an emphasis on crime dramas (Kojak (1973), Harry O (1973), Cannon (1971), Mannix (1967), etc.).
In 1969, Hyland married actor Joseph Goodson. The couple had one son, Zachary Goodson (born 1973). The couple eventually split. A highly independent, intelligent and outspoken woman in real-life, she subsequently began a May-December affair with a much younger actor, John Travolta, in 1976. Travolta, who was 18 years Diana's junior, had just come into his own with the sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter (1975). The two met while appearing together in the TV-movie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). John played the special-needs title role and Diana, along with Robert Reed, were cast as his parents. Interestingly, around that time, Diana was cast as a sophisticated wealthy woman who has designs on the much younger "Fonz" in the early 1977 Happy Days (1974) episode, Fonzie's Old Lady (1977).
Around that time, she won the regular role of Dick Van Patten's wife, "Joan Bradford", mother to a large brood, in the upcoming family series, Eight Is Enough (1977). Career-wise, things couldn't have looked more promising for the actress. Sadly, it would be a short-lived celebration. A couple of years earlier, Diana had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite undergoing a mastectomy, the cancer returned around Christmas time of 1976 and the disease spread rapidly. The 41-year-old actress died a few months later, on March 27, 1977, having shot just four episodes of her new series. The rest of the episodes during that first season explained her as being "away". When the series returned that fall, it was revealed that her Joan character had also died. The second season was then devoted to having Dick Van Patten's widower character return to the dating scene and eventually remarrying.
With her terribly untimely death, Hollywood lost a truly superb actress. In a most fitting tribute, the actress was awarded a posthumous Emmy for her touching supporting performance in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). John Travolta accepted on her behalf at the awards ceremony.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
"Attorney Claudia Bromley " - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Victor Jory was born in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. His burly physique made him a wrestling and boxing champion during his military service in the United States Coast Guard. After a few appearances on Broadway, he made his way into Hollywood in the early 1930s. His acting career spanned exactly 50 years, during which he played in nearly 200 films and TV series. In his early years he was cast in romantic roles, but it wasn't long before he began playing villainous parts, likely due to his "black eyes" which could easily give the impression of intimidation. He is remembered for his role as the ruthless overseer Jonas Wilkerson in Gone With the Wind, and his role as Lamont Cranston in The Shadow. He also played Oberon in the 1935 film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Among these many co-starring roles, he also appeared in 7 Hopalong Cassidy films between the years 1941 and 1943, usually cast as the villain or a right hand man. The only Hopalong film in which he did not play a 'bad guy' was in Riders of the Timberlane where he played a hot blooded, broad-shouldered lumberjack. During his film career, Victor's voice also offered him the an extensive career in radio. He was the lead role in the radio series, Dangerously Yours, and he also narrated "Tubby the Tuba" and "Bumpo the Ballerina" for children. In the 1950s and 1960s, he began acting in television series while remaining in the film industry. He played the lead role of Detective Howard Finucane in the police drama series, Manhunt, which ran from 1959 to 1961. In 1962 he played Helen Keller's father in the film, The Miracle Worker, for which his co-stars Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft won Oscars. In 1964, he along with fellow actors Susan Seafourth and Coleen Gray testified before the United States Congress as part of Project Prayer, arguing in favor of an amendment which would restore school prayer, something which the United States had eliminated in the early 1960s. Victor Jory continued acting until he retired in 1980. He was married to Jean Inness Jory from 1928 until her death in 1978. Together they had two children, Jon and Jean. At age 79, Victor died of a heart attack on February 12, 1982, in Santa Monica, California.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
"Charles Delaclaire"- Norman Leavitt was born on 1 December 1913 in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Off Limits (1952), Trackdown (1957) and Bonanza (1959). He was married to Irene Nelson and Emily A Kipp. He died on 11 December 2005 in Solvang, California, USA.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
"Walter Melvin - Zookeeper" - Actor
- Art Department
- Script and Continuity Department
Keye Luke was born in Canton, China. He grew up in Seattle, Washington, and entered the film business as a commercial artist and a designer of movie posters. He was hired as a technical advisor on several Asian-themed films, and made his film debut in The Painted Veil (1934). It seemed that he appeared in almost every film that called for Chinese characters, usually in small parts but occasionally, as in The Good Earth (1937), in a meatier, more substantial role. In addition, he played Dr. Kildare's rival at the hospital in the Dr. Kildare series at MGM, but it was as Charlie Chan's #1 son in that series that Luke achieved his greatest recognition. In the 1970s a new generation was made aware of his talents by virtue of his recurring role in the TV series Kung Fu (1972).The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
"Mr. Chang"- Actor
- Production Designer
- Soundtrack
Born in Japan, Makoto Iwamatsu was living there with his grandparents while his parents studied art in the United States, when Japan and the U.S. went to war in 1941. His parents remained in the U.S., working for the Office of War Information, and, at the cessation of the conflict, were granted U.S. residency by Congress. "Mako", as he became known, joined his parents in New York and studied architecture.
He entered the U.S. Army in the early 1950s and acted in shows for military personnel, discovering a talent and love for the theatre. He abandoned his plans to become an architect and instead enrolled at the famed Pasadena Community Playhouse. Following his studies there, he appeared in many stage productions and on television. In 1966, he won an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his first film role, as the coolie "Po-Han" in The Sand Pebbles (1966). He worked steadily in feature films since.
He appeared on Broadway in the leading role in Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures", and co-founded and served as artistic director for the highly-acclaimed East-West Players theatre company in Los Angeles.
Following a long battle with cancer, Mako passed away on July 21, 2006, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Shizuko Hoshi (who co-starred in episodes of M*A*S*H (1972)) as well, and his children and grandchildren.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
"Low Sing"- Mort Mills was born on 11 January 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Touch of Evil (1958), Psycho (1960) and Torn Curtain (1966). He was married to Elizabeth (Betty) Dell Pentland and Mary Loretta Grady. He died on 6 June 1993 in Ventura, California, USA.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
"Alex Colony " - Actor
- Additional Crew
Gary Owens was an American voice actor, radio announcer and narrator who was known for being the original voice actor of Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost, Powdered Toast Man from The Ren & Stimpy Show and Blue Falcon from Dynomutt, Dog Wonder. George Lowe became Owens' successor as the voice of Space Ghost since 1994. He passed away from diabetes complications in February 2015.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
Newscaster
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
Commentator
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
Newscaster
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
Newscaster
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
Newscaster
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)
Newscaster- Tim Scott was tall and thin, who sometimes went unshaven, and because of this rough yet unthreatening appearance he was often cast in westerns. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, but as a young boy moved with his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He loved the theater deeply and he became the co-founder of the "New MET Theatre" in Los Angeles, California, with one of his best friends, actor James Gammon.
Tim died unexpectedly at the age of 57 from complications of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California, on 15 June 1995. He was a fabulous actor and is dearly missed by many.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)
"Honey Boy" - Actor
- Soundtrack
Burly American character actor with a deep gravelly voice who was equally adept at comedy and drama. The son of a theatrical costume designer, Strauss worked as a salesman and also as a singing waiter and busboy before finding success in the stage version of "Detective Story" on Broadway. He appeared with José Ferrer in the Broadway revival of "Twentieth Century." Also on Broadway, he played "Animal" in "Stalag, 17", and repeated the role in the film version (Stalag 17 (1953)). The wildly comic yet appealing character brought Strauss an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He had appeared in films as early as 1942 but became most familiar during the 1950s in memorable roles in such films as The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). He continued to appear on stage and also in many television programs and commercials into the '70s. He died of complications from a stroke, leaving a widow and three children from his first marriage.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
"Bud Crocker"- Sheilah Wells was born on 23 August 1941 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. She is an actress, known for The Blues Brothers (1980), Island of the Lost (1967) and The Green Hornet (1966). She was previously married to Phil Proctor, Fred Beir and Dr. Carl Herman Almond.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
"Laura Spinner" - Grant Woods arrived in Hollywood after a stint in the U.S. Navy. He worked as a stuntman, occasionally using the name Grant Lockwood. Most notably he is known to Star Trek (1966) fans as Lieutenant Kelowitz in three episodes, This Side of Paradise (1967), Arena (1967), and The Galileo Seven (1967).
Woods died in a motorcycle accident in late October 1968, his girlfriend who was riding with him lost the ability to speak.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
"Steve" - Producer
- Actor
- Writer
William Dozier was an American TV and movie producer who made it to the top of the TV heap briefly in the mid-1960s with his show Batman (1966). Born on February 13, 1908 in Omaha, Nebraska, Dozier was also known for his wives. After divorcing his first wife, he was married to Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine from 1946 to 1951 and to movie star Ann Rutherford from 1953 to his death on April 23, 1991.
In 1948, he and Fontaine launched Rampart Productions, which produced Max Ophüls' Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) starring his wife, and You Gotta Stay Happy (1948), which starred Fontaine and James Stewart. He served as executive producer on both pictures.
Turning to TV as the new decade of the Fifties dawned, Dozier produced the series Danger (1950), which ran for five years from 1950-55. In the Fifties and Sixties, he continued his career as a TV producer, bringing to the tube the short-lived TV series Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953) (1953), The Loner (1965) (1965).
In 1966, he achieved the height of TV success with "Batman" which ran for three seasons and was a cultural sensation. The TV show spun off a Batman: The Movie (1966) feature film. That same year, he also launched , a modest success, and The Tammy Grimes Show (1966), a notorious flop that shot five episodes and was canceled after four.
Dozier retired as a producer after the 1969 movie _The Big Bounce (1969) flopped, though he enjoyed a modest second career as an actor in the Seventies and early Eighties."Narrator" (voice) (uncredited)
(26 episodes, 1966-1967)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
You could probably shoehorn actor Van Williams right in there with the other dark-haired, impossibly handsome film and TV heartthrobs Tom Tryon, Robert Logan, Gardner McKay, Brian Kelly, Adam West, Roger Smith and John Gavin of the late 1950s/early 1960s who were saddled with colorless heroic leads to play on film and/or TV -- roles that played off their photogenic prowess, manly charisma and charm but seldom tested their dramatic mettle.
Born on February 27, 1934 as Van Zandt Jarvis Williams, he was the son of a cattle rancher. He majored in animal husbandry and business at Texas Christian University but moved to Hawaii which changed the course of his life. While operating a salvage company and a skin-diving school during the mid-1950s, he was approached by Elizabeth Taylor and husband/producer Mike Todd, who were filming there. Encouraged by Todd to try his luck, Van arrived in Hollywood with no experience. Todd perished in a plane crash before he was able to help Van, but the young hopeful ventured on anyway, taking some acting/voice lessons, and was almost immediately cast in dramatic TV roles.
Warner Brothers had a keen eye for camera-loving hunks and smartly signed Van up. Fitting in perfectly, he was soon showing just how irresistible he was as a clean-cut private eye on the series Bourbon Street Beat (1959). Although the show lasted only one season, Warners carried his Kenny Madison character into the more popular adventure drama Surfside 6 (1960) opposite fellow pin-up / blond beefcake bookend Troy Donahue. Series-wise, Van tried comedy next opposite Walter Brennan in The Tycoon (1964) . After his contract expired at Warners, 20th Century-Fox handed him his most vividly recalled role, that of the emerald-suited superhero The Green Hornet (1966) with the late Bruce Lee as his partner Kato. The show, inspired by the huge cult hit Batman (1966) enjoyed a fast start but, like its predecessor, met an equally untimely finish.
Never a strong draw in films, Van revealed quite a bit of himself (literally) in his debut in Tall Story (1960) coming out of a shower. Although handed a typically staid second lead in the drama The Caretakers (1963), he focused strictly on the TV medium. Continuing well into the 1970s to guest sporadically on such TV classics as The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), Love, American Style (1969), Mission: Impossible (1966), The Big Valley (1965)", Nanny and the Professor (1970), Barnaby Jones (1973), and The Rockford Files (1974). Another starring series attempt with Westwind (1975) failed to make the grade and he soon let his career go.
Van let his career subside and went quite successfully into business with telecommunications, real estate and law enforcement supplies among his lucrative ventures. With his glossy, pretty-boy years far behind him, he had no need to look back at his show biz success with the exception of an occasional autograph convention. He died of renal failure in Scottsdale, Arizona, on November 28, 2016, at age 82.Ï"Britt Reid/ Green Hornet"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and European cinema and audiences the way it has over the past four decades. The influence of East Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation... and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.
Lee was born Lee Jun Fan November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. Approximately one year later, the family returned to Kowloon in Hong Kong and at the age of five, a young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) and Fu gui fu yun (1948). At the age of 12, Bruce commenced attending La Salle College. Bruce was later beaten up by a street gang, which inspired him to take up martial arts training under the tutelage of Sifu Yip Man who schooled Bruce in wing chun kung fu for a period of approximately five years. This was the only formalized martial arts training ever undertaken by Lee. The talented and athletic Bruce also took up cha-cha dancing and, at age 18, won a major dance championship in Hong Kong.
However, his temper and quick fists got him in trouble with the Hong Kong police on numerous occasions. His parents suggested that he head off to the United States. Lee landed in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1959 and worked in a close relative's restaurant. He eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington, where he enrolled at university to study philosophy and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. In 1963, Lee met Linda Lee Cadwell (aka Linda Emery) (later his wife) and also opened his first kung fu school at 4750 University Way. During the early half of the 1960s, Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the United States, including kenpo karate expert Ed Parker and tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee. He made guest appearances at notable martial arts events including the Long Beach Nationals. Through one of these tournaments Bruce met Hollywood hair-stylist Jay Sebring who introduced him to television producer William Dozier. Based on the runaway success of Batman (1966), Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character the Green Hornet to television and was on the lookout for an East Asian actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. Around this time Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood.
Bruce's screen test was successful, and The Green Hornet (1966) starring Van Williams aired in 1966-1967 with mixed success. His fight scenes were sometimes obscured by unrevealing camera angles, but his dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. The show was canceled after only one season (twenty-six episodes), but by this time Lee was receiving more fan mail than the series' nominal star. He then opened a third branch of his kung fu school in Los Angeles and began providing personalized martial arts training to celebrities including film stars Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. In addition he refined his prior knowledge of wing chun and incorporated aspects of other fighting styles such as traditional boxing and Okinawan karate. He also developed his own unique style Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist). Another film opportunity then came his way as he landed the small role of a stand over man named Winslow Wong who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Wong pays a visit to Garner and proceeds to demolish the investigator's office with his fists and feet, finishing off with a spectacular high kick that shatters the light fixture. With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the television series Longstreet (1971).
With his minor success in Hollywood and money in his pocket, Bruce returned for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started Golden Harvest productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in The Big Boss (1971). In it, Lee plays a distant cousin coming to join relatives working at an ice house, where murder, corruption, and drug-running lead to his character's adventures and display of Kung-Fu expertise. The film was directed by Wei Lo, shot in Thailand on a very low budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However, when it opened in Hong Kong the film was an enormous hit. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee and quickly assembled another script entitled Fist of Fury (1972). The second film (with a slightly bigger budget) was again directed by Wei Lo and was set in Shanghai in the year 1900, with Lee returning to his school to find that his beloved master has been poisoned by the local Japanese karate school. Once again he uncovers the evildoers and sets about seeking revenge on those responsible for murdering his teacher and intimidating his school. The film features several superb fight sequences and, at the film's conclusion, Lee refuses to surrender to the Japanese police and seemingly leaps to his death in a hail of police bullets.
Once more, Hong Kong streets were jammed with thousands of fervent Chinese movie fans who could not get enough of the fearless Bruce Lee, and his second film went on to break the box office records set by the first! Lee then set up his own production company, Concord Productions, and set about guiding his film career personally by writing, directing and acting in his next film, The Way of the Dragon (1972). A bigger budget meant better locations and opponents, with the new film set in Rome, Italy and additionally starring hapkido expert In-shik Hwang, karate legend Robert Wall and seven-time U.S. karate champion Chuck Norris. Bruce plays a seemingly simple country boy sent to assist at a cousin's restaurant in Rome and finds his cousins are being bullied by local thugs for protection.
By now, Lee's remarkable success in East Asia had come to the attention of Hollywood film executives and a script was hastily written pitching him as a secret agent penetrating an island fortress. Warner Bros. financed the film and also insisted on B-movie tough guy John Saxon starring alongside Lee to give the film wider appeal. The film culminates with another show-stopping fight sequence between Lee and the key villain, Han, in a maze of mirrors. Shooting was completed in and around Hong Kong in early 1973 and in the subsequent weeks Bruce was involved in completing overdubs and looping for the final cut. Various reports from friends and co-workers cite that he was not feeling well during this period and on July 20, 1973 he lay down at the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei after taking a headache medicine called Equagesic and was later unable to be revived. A doctor was called and Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead that evening. The official finding was death due to a cerebral edema, caused by a reaction to the headache tablet Equagesic.
Fans worldwide were shattered that their virile idol had passed at such a young age, and nearly thirty thousand fans filed past his coffin in Hong Kong. A second, much smaller ceremony was held in Seattle, Washington and Bruce was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetary in Seattle with pall bearers including Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Dan Inosanto. Enter the Dragon (1973) was later released in the mainland United States, and was a huge hit with audiences there, which then prompted National General films to actively distribute his three prior movies to U.S. theatres... each was a box office smash.
Fans throughout the world were still hungry for more Bruce Lee films and thus remaining footage (completed before his death) of Lee fighting several opponents including Dan Inosanto, Hugh O'Brian and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was crafted into another film titled Game of Death (1978). The film used a lookalike and shadowy camera work to be substituted for the real Lee in numerous scenes. The film is a poor addition to the line-up and is only saved by the final twenty minutes and the footage of the real Bruce Lee battling his way up the tower. Amazingly, this same shoddy process was used to create Game of Death II (1980), with a lookalike and more stunt doubles interwoven with a few brief minutes of footage of the real Bruce Lee.
Tragically, his son Brandon Lee, an actor and martial artist like his father, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Crow (1994). Bruce Lee was not only an amazing athlete and martial artist but he possessed genuine superstar charisma and through a handful of films he left behind an indelible impression on the tapestry of modern cinema."Kato/ The Valet"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)- New York City native Walter Brooke, born on October 13, 1914, made his first try at dramatics by reciting a poem in German at the Grunewald gymnasium in Berlin Germany where he spent five years as a schoolboy. He won first prize.
Walter's father, a professional Chef and his mother, a nurse, brought him back to New York in the mid nineteen twenties where he finished his schooling the hard way, in and out of a score of schools.
He launched his stage career at that time by accident. At 16 years old attending Dewitt Clinton High school young Walter took a wrong turn in the school corridor which took him into a drama class. He enrolled in the class hoping to make an impression on a certain teen-age charmer he knew.
After graduation from Dewitt Clinton, he took a job ushering at the World Theater and from there, he went to work at the William Demuth Pipe Company on Long Island while he gained practical stage experience at night by playing at the Davenport Theater on West 27th Street.
From summer stock plays on Governors Island to East Hampton L.I. and then full-fledged productions, his career picked up momentum.
His first Broadway experience was gained as a walk-on and understudy in John Gielgud's production of "Hamlet" at the distinguished Empire Theater.
Just before WWII he went to Hollywood to study with Max Reinhardt and spent 18 months with the "Professor" appearing in classical plays and developing his acting technique. Then came a part on tour in "Romeo and Juliet" with Sir Lawrence Olivier.
Upon his return to Los Angeles, he helped found the Beachwood Studio under the direction of Vladimir Sokoloff, an original member of the Moscow Art Theater. Working with Sokoloff resulted in a notable change in his dramatic technique.
Warner Brothers soon discovered him and placed him under contract, but he wasn't handsome enough to be a juvenile or old enough for young character parts. He played a dozen parts in as many films, then by mutual consent, was released from his contract.
He sped back to Broadway where he played the lead in "The Barber Had Two Sons". Shortly after he was offered a job at M-G-M as the dialogue director on "Kismet" which Willam Dieterle was directing.
After Pearl Harbor, Walter had been able to avoid the service because his draft board had classified him as 4F, a conscientious objector, but at his own request, Walter went into the Army and was assigned to the 776th Field Artillery Battalion.
Corporal Brooke served for 2 1/2 years, including 144 days of uninterrupted combat where his outfit slugged from the Bulge to Bastogne, to a point further east than any other similar unit. One of his overseas duties was interpreting the words of German military prisoners making use of his knowledge of the German language.
Bombs would explode right next to his fox hole he had dug and had to live in for weeks at a time. He received a Purple Heart for leaving his fox hole to drag a wounded comrade back to their hole. Experiencing the terror of war as he did, had a profound effect on him for his entire life.
Discharged in 1946 he returned to the stage on tour with Tallulah Bankhead in "The Eagle Has Two Heads". Followed by "Two Blind Mice" with Melvyn Douglas, "Twilight Walk" opposite Nancy Kelly, and "Seagulls Over Sorrento".
In 1948 he again deserted Broadway for summer stock, this time going to Williamsburg VA, to play the role of Thomas Jefferson in Paul Greens "The Common Glory". While there he took special courses in Philosophy at William and Mary College.
Brooke credits his biggest professional break to Franchot Tone with whom he appeared in "The Second Man." Directed by Jean Dalrymple, the play successfully toured the straw-hat circuit from Maine to Florida and California.
Television's top brass saw the play and almost at once Walter jumped into starring roles on virtually all major TV shows then on the air.
During an eight-week period he did 12 leads, appearing on four one-hour shows, and eight 30-minute programs, while at the same time playing a running part on "One Man's Family". Few actors can equal or top this record. After "One Man's Family" went off the air, he resumed free-lancing.
For one year he acted the heavy on CBS's "The Brighter Day". He followed this for six months in "Three Steps to Heaven", which he left for a one-picture deal with Paramount as the star in their 3 1/2-million-dollar film "Conquest of Space" produced by George Pal.
1953 saw him appear in two plays with Ilka Chase in Nassau L.I., the following summer of 1954 he appeared with Marie Wilson and Melville Cooper in "The Little Hut".
Slim and dapper Walter Brooke met pert Elizabeth Wragge, the pretty blonde NBC Radio Star, on a blind date at an AFTRA ball at the Waldorf-Astoria. They were married four years later on January 14th, 1951. The couple had two children, Thomas Brooke and Christina Lynne Brooke.
They divided their time between a home in Elberon. N.J. and a mellow apartment, The Osborne on West 57th Street.
Quiet and dignified Walter confessed that he had an evocation for photography and liked to take photographs of his actress wife and their two children. He was an expert photographer.
As time moved forward it soon became apparent that Hollywood was the best place for Walter to be for film and television work, so he started spending more time on the west coast and by 1960 his career as an actor looked assured so he relocated to Hollywood as his wife and children stayed in midtown Manhattan pursuing their own theatrical careers.
As evidenced by his dozens of appearances in films and on television he was able to live a respectable "Hollywood lifestyle". One of his main hobbies was gardening and landscaping. He would have swimming pools installed in neglected homes that he would purchase as fixer uppers, then rent out to new Hollywood types.
This became as much of an occupation as film and television work, and he and his third partner, whom he married in Las Vegas, 1 year prior to his death in 1986, enjoyed every minute.
Besides his career as a prolific actor. Walter was an environmentalist and a Universalist. Swimming was one of his passions. In all the homes he lived in, he would create and care for a garden where he grew many types of vegetables. Picked fresh and prepared on the same day.
His motto was "Each Day Will Be Better Than the Last, If You Let It"."D.A. Frank Scanlon"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966) - Actress
- Stunts
Beautiful, vibrant-looking 60s actress Wende Wagner (her real name) was born in Connecticut in 1941. Of French, German and Native American heritage, her exotic looks would later serve her well on TV and in motion pictures. She inherited her athletic genes from her parents; her father was a former Olympic swimming/diving coach turned Naval Commander and her mother was a champion downhill skier.
The sweet-looking beauty entered the entertainment arena as a model and made her TV debut in 1959 on the Wagon Train (1957) western series. Very much a free spirit, she was more interested in surfing and traveling around the world than a career. She combined both passions when she earned work as an underwater female stunt double for Lloyd Bridges on his hit series Sea Hunt (1958) as well as the TV series The Aquanauts (1960), which took her to ideal tropical settings. She also stunted for such movies as September Storm (1960) co-starring Joanne Dru and Mark Stevens.
On that movie set, she met and subsequently married fellow stunt diver Courtney Brown (he was Mr. Stevens' double in that film), who coached her in underwater shooting. They had a daughter, Tiffany. During this time, they based their lives in the Bahamas where most of their shooting occurred. They divorced, however, after a short time and she returned to Hollywood where she won the role of an Apache girl in the movie Rio Conchos (1964) with Richard Boone, Anthony Franciosa and Stuart Whitman. A few years later, she married actor James Mitchum, Robert Mitchum's eldest son, but they too split. Wende's career continued in the 60s with a couple of movies and a role in the The Green Hornet (1966) TV adventure series but she eventually dropped out of sight. Little was heard from her until reports of her death from cancer in 1997."Lenore Case"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)- Lloyd Gough was born on 21 September 1907 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Sunset Boulevard (1950), All My Sons (1948) and The Green Hornet (1966). He was married to Karen Morley and Mildred Munson. He died on 23 July 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA."Mike Axford"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 2
Give 'Em Enough Rope (16 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 3
Programmed for Death (23 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 4
Crime Wave (30 Sep. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 5
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966) - Annazette Chase was born on 18 December 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Truck Turner (1974), The Toy (1982) and The Greatest (1977).The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
Telephone Operator (as Annazette Williams) - Pamela Curran was born on 6 February 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Blob (1958), The Green Hornet (1966) and The Loved One (1965). She was married to Robert 'Bob' Sweeny and Joseph Austin Wade Jr.. She died on 3 September 2023 in West Hollywood, California, USA."Vanessa Vane"
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 7
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 Oct 1966)
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 8
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 Oct 1966) - Charles Francisco was born on 23 October 1926 in East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Green Hornet (1966), Hazel (1961) and Slattery's People (1964). He was married to Suzanne McDonald and Patricia Warner. He died on 19 October 2019 in Richmond, Virginia, USA.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 1
The Silent Gun (9 Sep. 1966)
"Al Trump" - Actor
- Producer
The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 10
The Preying Mantis (18 Nov 1966)
"Jimmy Kee"- After graduating from St. Louis University in 1947 and serving a hitch in the Marines, Warren Kemmerling began his professional acting career. He debuted on Broadway in 1953 in a new musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein, "Me and Juliet". After several years of performing in Broadway plays and musicals, which included another Rodgers & Hammerstein effort, "Pipe Dream", as well a musical called "Ankles Aweigh", he decided to try his hand in Hollywood. He spent the next thirty-odd years as a supporting player, mainly in television, making several appearances in, among other shows, Gunsmoke (1955), Bonanza (1959), Ironside (1967), and How the West Was Won (1976). He appeared in King (1978) as President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Kemmerling served for 18 years on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG), where he was a leading advocate of benefits for actors. After his death in 2005, he received a posthumous tribute at that year's SAG Awards.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 13
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 Dec 1966)
"Bert Selden" - Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
"Judo" Gene LeBell the "Godfather of Grappling" was both a renowned ex-world champion in both wrestling/judo, and one of Hollywood's busiest stuntmen. He is highly respected by many martial artists all over the world, and considered a groundbreaker in many aspects of the art of grappling.
Gene started training in judo at a young age, and at the age of 20 in 1954, he won National AAU Heavyweight Judo Championship and the USA Overall Judo Championship title. He went on to win the both the Heavyweight and overall champion title 1955 as well. After an illustrious judo career, he tried his hand at professional wrestling, and actually won the heavyweight title in Amarillo, Texas. However, in his excitement, Gene swung the title belt around his head, which accidentally hit one of the wrestling commissioners on the head, causing a nasty gash. The belt was immediately seized from the shocked Gene, which in later years would cause him to comment, "Well, at least I was the champ for 12 seconds and I retired as champion."
Gene went on to fight numerous opponents over the years including practitioners from other fighting arts that scoffed at his prowess, however they learned the hard way that Gene's superb grappling skills were the real deal. He has trained with numerous other world champion martial artists including Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, and Benny Urquidez.
He acted and contributed stunt work to Hollywood productions for over fifty years. He can be seen in TV shows including Mission: Impossible (1966), I Spy (1965), The Wild Wild West (1965), Baretta (1975), Married... with Children (1987), and Baywatch (1989). His feature film appearances include Raging Bull (1980), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), Bad Guys (1986), Ed Wood (1994), and Men in Black II (2002).
LeBell was still teaching grappling and doing stunts in his 70s. He was a Nevada and California Athletic Commission judge. He judged UFC 74 (Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga) plus he had a highly popular website visited by martial arts and film fans all over the globe.
Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI agent daughter Monica LeBell Pandis. He also had 8 grandchildren.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 11
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 Nov 1966)
"Barney"- After leaving acting, Bob McQueeney became a golf pro. After he and his wife separated, he studied to be a Catholic priest. He was ordained and for the last twenty years of his life served as the director of the Padre Pio Foundation in Cromwell, Connecticut. His wife Patricia became one of Hollywood's most popular agents.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 9
The Ray Is for Killing (11 Nov 1966)
"Thornton Richardson" - Shepherd Sanders was born on 31 December 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Kelly's Heroes (1970), Rocky II (1979) and The Baltimore Bullet (1980). He died on 14 September 2016 in Palm Springs, California, USA.The Green Hornet: Season 1, Episode 6
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 Oct. 1966)
Carney (as Shep Sanders) - Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Glenn R. Wilder was born on 1 September 1933 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Monster (2003), Point Break (1991) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). He died on 7 July 2017 in Gotha, Florida, USA.The Green Hornet : Season 1, Episode 12
Deadline for Death (2 Dec 1966)
"Murf"