Happy birthday to Robert Foxworth
Actor Robert Foxworth was born November 1st, 1941, in Houston, Texas. Columbo fans know him as Colonel Frank Brailie, the military man covering up financial misconduct—and eventually murder—in Grand Deceptions.
Brailie puts considerable effort into an alibi involving Civil War miniatures, only to discover that Columbo is surprisingly interested in packing boxes.
Outside Columbo, Foxworth is probably best remembered as Chase Gioberti on Falcon Crest. His film appearances include Airport ’77 and Damien: Omen II, and he supplied the voice of Ratchet in several Transformers movies.
Happy birthday to Marcia Wallace
Marcia Wallace was born November 1st, 1942, in Creston, Iowa. Her Columbo appearance is a small one: she plays the superstitious woman at the inquest in Lady in Waiting, the episode featuring Susan Clark as Beth Chadwick and Leslie Nielsen as her frustrated fiancé.
Wallace became much more familiar to television viewers as receptionist Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show, and later as the voice of Bart Simpson’s teacher, Edna Krabappel, on The Simpsons. A small Columbo role, but a very recognizable voice.
She passed away October 25th, 2013, just a week before her 71st birthday.
Happy birthday to Jeannie Berlin
Actress Jeannie Berlin was born November 1st, 1949, in Los Angeles, California. She appeared as Janie Brandt in Old Fashioned Murder, caught up in the unhappy family affairs surrounding Joyce Van Patten’s museum director, Ruth Lytton.
Berlin is the daughter of actress, writer, and director Elaine May. Her performance in her mother’s The Heartbreak Kid earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. More recent audiences may recognize her as Cyd Peach in Succession or from Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans.
Remembering Oscar Beregi Jr.
Character actor Oscar Beregi Jr. passed away November 1st, 1976, at the age of 58. His Columbo contribution was a brief but entertaining turn as the restaurant proprietor in The Most Dangerous Match, featuring Laurence Harvey as chess champion Emmett Clayton.
Beregi was also a familiar face to viewers of The Twilight Zone and Hogan’s Heroes. One of those actors whose face you may remember long before you remember his name.
Remembering Ken Swofford
Ken Swofford passed away November 1st, 2018, at the age of 85. Columbo fans will remember him as Harry Stone, the overbearing campaign manager whose relationship with Jackie Cooper’s senatorial candidate Nelson Hayward ends rather badly in Candidate for Crime.
Stone thinks he can manage everything, including the candidate’s personal life. Unfortunately, Hayward has his own ideas about removing an obstacle to his political future.
Away from Columbo, Swofford played vice principal Quentin Morloch on Fame and reporter Frank Flannigan on Ellery Queen. The latter gives him a connection to another mystery series from Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link.
Comments
Post a Comment