William Conrad
Known for: Acting
William Conrad (September 27, 1920 - February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director. He was born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a theatre-owner who moved to southern California, where he excelled at drama and literature while at school. Starting work in radio in the late 1930s in California, Conrad went on to serve as a fighter pilot in World War II. He entered the army in 1942, and was commissioned at Luke Field, Arizona in 1943 (now Luke Air Force Base). On the day of his commission he married June Nelson. He returned to the airwaves after the war, going on to accumulate over 7,000 roles in radio by his own estimate. Among Conrad's various film roles, where he was usually cast as threatening figures, perhaps his most notable role was his first credited one, as one of the gunmen sent to eliminate Burt Lancaster in the 1946 film The Killers. He also appeared in Body and Soul (1947), Sorry, Wrong Number, Joan of Arc (both 1948), and The Naked Jungle (1954). As a producer for Warner Brothers, he made a string of feature films, including An American Dream (1966, retitled See You in Hell, Darling for British release), A Covenant With Death (1966), First to Fight (1967) and The Cool Ones (1967), and also directed My Blood Runs Cold, Brainstorm and Two on a Guillotine (all 1965).
Filmography
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Anatole Karzof
1984
Series
The Fugitive
Narrator
1963
Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Sergent Cresse
1962
Series
Matlock
James McShane
1986
Series
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
Series
Have Gun, Will Travel
Moses Kadish
1957
Series
The Bullwinkle Show
Narrator (voice)
1959
Series
Hotel
1982
Series
Cannon
Frank Cannon
1971
Series
The Carol Burnett Show
Self - Guest / Various Characters
1967
Series
The Carol Burnett Show
Self
1967
Series
The Name of the Game
Arnold Wexler
1968
Series
Bambi
Self
1948
Series
Jake and the Fatman
Jason McCabe
1987
Series
Barnaby Jones
Frank Cannon
1973
Series
Gunsmoke
Narrator (voice)
1955
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
The High Chaparral
China Pierce
1967
Series
77 Sunset Strip
Bystander (uncredited)
1958
Series
77 Sunset Strip
Clapper (uncredited)
1958
Series
77 Sunset Strip
Baseball Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
1958
Series
Bat Masterson
Clark Benson
1958
Series
Bat Masterson
Dick MacIntyre
1958
Series
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self
1968
Series
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Self
1973
Series
The Dean Martin Show
1965
Series
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
Series
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
1971
Series
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
Self
1971
Series
Tombstone Territory
Frank Banter
1957
Series
How the West Was Won
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1977
Series
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends
Narrator (voice)
1959
Series
F Troop
1965
Series
The Aquanauts
Corey
1960
Series
The Sonny and Cher Show
Self
1976
Series
Tony Orlando and Dawn
Self
1974
Series
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe
1981
Series
Police Squad!
Stabbed Man
1982
Series
General Electric True
1962
Film
Hudson Hawk
Narrator (voice)
1991
Series
The Man and the Challenge
1959
Film
The Box
Self (voice) (uncredited)
2009
Series
Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected
Narrator
1977
Series
The Dudley Do-Right Show
1969
Film
Battle of the Bulge
Narrator (uncredited)
1965
Film
Battle of the Bulge
Narrator (voice)
1965
Film
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "The Killers") (archive footage)
1982
Film
Chisum
Narrator - Opening Credits (voice) (uncredited)
1970
Series
The Highwayman
Narrator
1987
Film
The Brotherhood of the Bell
Bart Harris
1970
Film
Sorry, Wrong Number
Morano
1948
Film
The Killers
Max
1946
Film
The Return of the King
Lord Denethor (voice)
1980
Film
The Naked Jungle
Commissioner
1954
Film
Joan of Arc
Guillaume Erard, a Prosecutor
1948
Film
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Opening Narrator / Draconian officer (uncredited) (voice)
1979
Film
5 Against the House
Eric Berg
1955
Film
The Making of Star Wars
Narrator (voice)
1977
Film
Two on a Guillotine
Fat Man in Hall of Mirrors (uncredited)
1965
Film
Body and Soul
Quinn
1947
Film
The Conqueror
Kasar
1956
Film
Arch of Triumph
Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
1948
Film
East Side, West Side
Lt. Jacobi
1949
Film
The Racket
Turk
1951
Film
Any Number Can Play
Frank Sistina
1949
Film
The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One
Narrator (voice)
1974
Film
Chamber of Horrors
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1966
Film
The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill
Chief Vincent Kovac
1971
Film
Zero Hour!
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1957
Film
Countdown
TV Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)
1967
Film
The Ride Back
Sheriff Chris Hamish
1957
Film
Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo
Jim Dunn
1986
Film
Cry of the Hunted
Goodwin
1953
Film
Shock-Trauma
Dr. R. Adams Cowley
1982
Film
The Sword of Monte Cristo
Major Nicolet
1951
Film
Lone Star
Mizette
1952
Film
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
Keegan
1971
Film
Brainstorm
Mental Patient (uncredited)
1965
Film
Moonshine County Express
Jack Starkey
1977
Film
The Murder That Wouldn't Die
William Battles
1980
Film
The Return of Frank Cannon
Frank Cannon
1980
Film
Killing Cars
Mr. Mahoney
1986
Film
The Mikado
The Mikado
1983
Film
One Way Street
Ollie
1950
Film
The Force of Evil
Narrator (voice)
1977
Film
Four Faces West
Sheriff Egan
1948
Film
The Milkman
Mike Morrel
1950
Film
Night Cries
Dr. Whelan
1978
Film
Cry Danger
Louie Castro
1951
Series
This Man Dawson
Narrator (voice only)
1959
Film
The Desert Song
Lachmed
1953
Film
-30-
Jim Bathgate
1959
Film
To the Victor
Farnsworth
1948
Daws Butler: Voice Magician
Self—Host
1987
Film
Cannon
Frank Cannon
1971
Film
The City
Narrator (voice)
1977
Film
Hamburgers
Self
1974
Film
The Macahans
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1976
Film
Johnny Concho
Tallman
1956
Film
Pillow to Post
First Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
1945
Blitz
Mr. Mahoney
1985
Film
Dial 1119
Chuckles
1950
Film
Tension
Lt. Edgar Gonsales
1949
Film
Side Show
Ring Announcer (voice)
1981
Film
Catastrophe
Narrator (voice)
1977
Film
Keefer
Col. Keefer
1978
Film
Turnover Smith
Thaddeus Smith
1980
Film
In Like Flynn
Sgt. Dominic
1985
Film
Eggs Benedict
Narrator
1965
Film
The Naked Sea
Narrator
1955
The Cremation of Sam McGee: A Poem by Robert W. Service
Narrator
1982
Voices
Narrator (voice)
1974
Film
Design for Disaster
Narrator
1962