“Forgotten Hollywood”- Passing Parade Claims Fine Actor…
Manny P. here…
“`Don Gordon was a prolific player in motion pictures and television. He was also a personal friend of Steve McQueen. His pal offered him parts in Bullitt, Papillon, and The Towering Inferno. Twice, he guest starred on McQueen’s CBS Western, Wanted: Dead or Alive. He additionally played Lt. Frank Bertelli in over 30 episodes of Blue Angels.
“`After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Gordon decided to join the Navy. Despite being only 15 at the time, he served on both the USS Saratoga and the USS Yorktown. After the war ended, he began his acting career. Don started as an extra in the early 1950s; receiving his initial screen credit as a guest star on the television show Space Patrol.
“`Gordon was a reliable actor, and he made several appearances on television in The Twilight Zone, Peyton Place, The F.B.I., The Untouchables, and The Outer Limits. Don also appeared on 77 Sunset Strip, Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, The Invaders, The Fugitive, The Wild Wild West, Combat, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Bionic Woman, T. J. Hooker, Knight Rider, Hart to Hart, The Dukes of Hazzard, Charlie’s Angels, Remmington Steele, Starsky and Hutch, MacGyver, and Columbo. He earned an Emmy nomination for a memorable performance in The Defenders.
“`On the big screen, Gordon was cast in Twelve O’Clock High, Halls of Montezuma, The Benny Goodman Story, It’s a Big Country, The Omen III, Lethal Weapon, and The Exorcist III. Fittingly, his last credited screen work was the documentary Steve McQueen – The Essence of Cool in 2005.
“`Don donated some of his career earnings to Lange Foundation, an animal rescue, care, and placement facility.
“`Don Gordon was 90.
Until next time> “never forget”
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