365 Days of Columbo: May 7th

Happy Birthday Anne Baxter

Actress Anne Baxter was born May 7, 1923, in Michigan City, Indiana. Columbo fans know her as Nora Chandler, the aging Hollywood star at the center of Requiem for a Falling Star. 

Baxter was no mere guest star of the week. She had a major film career long before she crossed paths with Lieutenant Columbo, winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for The Razor’s Edge and earning another Oscar nomination for All About Eve. That makes her casting in “Requiem” especially clever: she was playing a fading screen goddess, but the audience brought its own memory of Baxter as the real thing. 

Baxter passed away December 12, 1985, at the age of 62. 

Happy Birthday Lawrence Cook

Actor Lawrence Cook was also born on May 7 — in 1930, in New York City. His Columbo appearance came in Short Fuse, the Season 1 episode starring Roddy McDowall as murderous chemistry whiz Roger Stanford. Cook played Quincy the chauffer/detective.

Cook has the dubious distinction of being the only black actor to portray a murder victim on Columbo, even though he was mostly collateral damage. 

Outside of Columbo, Cook is best remembered for The Spook Who Sat by the Door, along with appearances in films such as Cotton Comes to Harlem, Trouble Man, Colors, and Posse. 

He died December 27, 2003, in Marina del Rey, California.

Happy Birthday Jon Lormer

May 7th also marks the birthday of veteran character actor Jon Lormer, born in Canton, Ohio, in 1906. His Columbo credit came in Lady in Waiting, where he played the hearing officer during the inquest scenes following Beth Chadwick’s killing of her brother Bryce. 

Lormer had a long career as a reliable supporting player, with credits across classic television and film. Sci-fi fans often remember him from Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, while horror fans may recognize him from Creepshow. 

He died March 19, 1986, in Burbank, California.