Karl Swenson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne
Swenson was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Swedish parentage. Planning to be a doctor, he enrolled at Marietta College and undertook pre-medical studies but left that field to pursue acting.
Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s.
Swenson entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter, followed by more than thirty-five roles in feature films and television movies. No Name on the Bullet (1959) is only one of the many westerns in which he performed for both film and television.
Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963) and had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Seconds (1966). In 1967, Swenson appeared in the western Hour of the Gun, and played the role of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the western film Brighty of the Grand Canyon, with co-stars Pat Conway and Joseph Cotten. His later film appearances included roles in ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972).
Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins.
Swenson died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. Swenson was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut. CLR
Acted in
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
1995
as (voice) (archive footage)
Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
1990
as Merlin (archive footage) (voice)
Disney's Halloween Treat
1982
as Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
The Amazing Spider-Man
1978
Disney's Greatest Villains
1977
as Merlin (voice) (archive footage)
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Lars Hanson
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Mr. Hanson
The Gun and the Pulpit
1974
as Adams
Happy Days
1974
Doc Elliot
1973
Ulzana's Raid
1972
as Rukeyser
Ghost Story
1972
as Ed Barnes
The New Healers
1972
as Mr. Fisherman
Emergency!
1972
as Gus
A Howling in the Woods
1971
as Apperson
Cannon
1971
Vanishing Point
1971
as Clerk
The Wild Country
1970
as Jensen
The Odd Couple
1970
as Captain Potter
The Immortal
1970
The Young Rebels
1970
Tick... Tick... Tick...
1970
as Frank Braddock Sr.
The Mod Squad
1968
The Outcasts
1968
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Abel Morgan
Hour of the Gun
1967
as Dr. Charles Goodfellow
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
1967
as Dr. Keller
Judd for the Defense
1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
1967
Cimarron Strip
1967
Ironside
1967
as Vet
CBS Playhouse
1966
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
1966
as Theodore Roosevelt
Seconds
1966
as Dr. Morris
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Colonel Dubov
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Dr. Ziegler
The Rat Patrol
1966
as Colonel Seidner
Tarzan
1966
The Cincinnati Kid
1965
as Mr. Rudd
Hogan's Heroes
1965
as Dr. Karl Svenson
The Big Valley
1965
as Bert Hadley
The Big Valley
1965
as Aaron Moyers
The Big Valley
1965
as Steve Minter
The Sons of Katie Elder
1965
as Doc Isdell
Major Dundee
1965
as Captain Waller
Profiles in Courage
1964
as Chynoweth
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
The Prize
1963
as Hilding
The Sword in the Stone
1963
as Merlin (voice)
The Man from Galveston
1963
as Sheriff
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
1963
as Coley Bishop
Mr. Novak
1963
as Mr. Haskell
The Bill Dana Show
1963
The Fugitive
1963
as Axel Nielsen - Service station owner
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
The Fugitive
1963
as Morgan
The Lieutenant
1963
The Birds
1963
as Drunken Doomsayer in Diner
The Dakotas
1963
How the West Was Won
1962
as Train Conductor (uncredited)
General Electric True
1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
as George Sherston
The Virginian
1962
as Col. Theodore Roosevelt
The Virginian
1962
as Karl Swenson
The Virginian
1962
as Ben Wallace
Sam Benedict
1962
The Spiral Road
1962
as Insp. Bevers
Lonely are the Brave
1962
as Rev. Hoskins
Pericles on 31st Street
1962
as Louie DeBella
Walk on the Wild Side
1962
as Schmidt
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961
as Heinrich Geuter
Ben Casey
1961
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Judge
Flaming Star
1960
as Dred Pierce
North to Alaska
1960
as Lars Nordqvist
Klondike
1960
Surfside 6
1960
The Andy Griffith Show
1960
as Mr. McBeevee
The Westerner
1960
as Ben Potts
Outlaws
1960
One Foot in Hell
1960
as Sheriff Ole Olson
The Gallant Hours
1960
as Bill Bailey
Hong Kong
1960
as John Olwine
Ice Palace
1960
as Scotty Ballantyne
Mr. Lucky
1959
Hawaiian Eye
1959
The Rebel
1959
as Lew Bussey
Johnny Ringo
1959
as Kramer
Lock-Up
1959
Riverboat
1959
as Ansel Torgin
Tightrope
1959
The Hanging Tree
1959
as Tom Flaunce
No Name on the Bullet
1959
as Stricker
Black Saddle
1959
as Dr. Wyle
Rawhide
1959
Gateways to the Mind
1958
as Hal - the Cameraman (uncredited)
77 Sunset Strip
1958
Bat Masterson
1958
as Jim Pate
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
The Rifleman
1958
The Texan
1958
Bronco
1958
Kings Go Forth
1958
as The Colonel
Trackdown
1957
Leave It to Beaver
1957
as George Haskell
The Court of Last Resort
1957
The Walter Winchell File
1957
Maverick
1957
Maverick
1957
as Captain Nares
Maverick
1957
as Sheriff Griffin
Perry Mason
1957
as Axel Norstaad
Perry Mason
1957
as Corley Ketchum
Perry Mason
1957
as Charles Norman
Perry Mason
1957
as Unk Hazekian
Sugarfoot
1957
as Andy Burke
Sugarfoot
1957
as Alexi Sharlokov
Sugarfoot
1957
as Dennis O'Hara
Sugarfoot
1957
as Bill Manning
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
Four Boys and a Gun
1957
as Mr. Badek
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Lee Willis
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Lud Greening
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Will Harmon
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
1956
as Andre Rochambeau
Alice in Wonderland
1955
as Humpty Dumpty
Playwrights '56
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Ed Holland
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as John
Gunsmoke
1955
as Hank Luz
Gunsmoke
1955
as Raff
Gunsmoke
1955
as Hutch
Gunsmoke
1955
as Adam
Gunsmoke
1955
as Tabe
Gunsmoke
1955
as Ian McGovern
Gunsmoke
1955
as Lars Karlgren
Gunsmoke
1955
as McGruder
Gunsmoke
1955
as Mr. Hubert
Lassie
1954
Portia Faces Life
1954
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Humpty Dumpty
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Asmussen
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
December 7th
1943
as Machine-Gunner (uncredited)
Strangers All
1935
as Protester at Communist Meeting