Dale Swann
Encyclopedia
William Dale Swann was an American
character actor
known for his numerous roles in television
, film
and commercials.
. He graduated from East Alton-Wood River High School. Swann received his bachelor's degree
in fine arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
.
following college, where he lived for more than thirty years, in order to pursue his acting
career. He pursued television and films roles. Swann was particularly proud of his role a 1987 television movie
called Proud Men, which was produced
, directed
and written
by actor Charlton Heston
. According to family members, Swann received a personal letter from Heston thanking him for his role in the movie following the end of production.
Swann's film roles included Black Day Blue Night
, Gremlins 2: The New Batch
and Tango and Cash. He spent three weeks filming on location in Yugoslavia
during the production of the 1991 film, Born to Ride, in which Swann appeared opposite John Stamos
.
Swann's television credits included parts in Beverly Hills, 90210
, Melrose Place, Quantum Leap, Hunter, Baywatch
and L.A. Law
. He also appeared in the television miniseries, 13 Days to Glory: The Alamo.
To earn income between jobs, Swann worked at the UCLA Medical Center in the admitting and bill
ing departments. He also worked in Los Angeles as a telemarketing sales representative for the now-defunct company, SBS Skyline.
, in 2003, where he took a position at a company called Fabrication Specialist of Illinois.
Dale Swann suffered a stroke
in February 2009. He died at his home in Alton, Illinois, on April 9, 2009, at the age of 61. He was survived by his sister, Betty Swann, who described her brother as "...a good actor. He loved acting; he really did. He was able to express a lot of his emotions while acting," in an April 2009 interview with The Telegraph
of Alton. Swann never married and had no children, "He loved being independent. He loved just one woman his whole life, even though they never got married or had children," his sister told the paper.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
known for his numerous roles in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and commercials.
Early life
Swann was born on January 21, 1948, in Harrisburg, IllinoisHarrisburg, Illinois
Harrisburg is a city and township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. It is located about southwest of Evansville, Indiana, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The 2010 population was 9,017, with a township population of 10,790. It is the county seat of Saline County...
. He graduated from East Alton-Wood River High School. Swann received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in fine arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
.
Career
Swann relocated to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
following college, where he lived for more than thirty years, in order to pursue his acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
career. He pursued television and films roles. Swann was particularly proud of his role a 1987 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
called Proud Men, which was produced
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, directed
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and written
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
by actor Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
. According to family members, Swann received a personal letter from Heston thanking him for his role in the movie following the end of production.
Swann's film roles included Black Day Blue Night
Black Day Blue Night
- Plot :A wife's husband is cheating on her. She decides to go on a road trip with her husband's other woman. While driving the two women pick up a hitchhiker. The man they pick up may be a robber and murderer on the run from the cops...
, Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American horror comedy film, and the sequel to Gremlins . It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker...
and Tango and Cash. He spent three weeks filming on location in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
during the production of the 1991 film, Born to Ride, in which Swann appeared opposite John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
.
Swann's television credits included parts in Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Melrose Place, Quantum Leap, Hunter, Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
and L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
. He also appeared in the television miniseries, 13 Days to Glory: The Alamo.
To earn income between jobs, Swann worked at the UCLA Medical Center in the admitting and bill
Bill (payment)
A bill or invoice is a document requesting payment for an order previously supplied. Presentation of a bill is common practice on the part of credit card companies, utilities, and other service providers...
ing departments. He also worked in Los Angeles as a telemarketing sales representative for the now-defunct company, SBS Skyline.
Later life
Swann returned to his native Alton, IllinoisAlton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
, in 2003, where he took a position at a company called Fabrication Specialist of Illinois.
Dale Swann suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in February 2009. He died at his home in Alton, Illinois, on April 9, 2009, at the age of 61. He was survived by his sister, Betty Swann, who described her brother as "...a good actor. He loved acting; he really did. He was able to express a lot of his emotions while acting," in an April 2009 interview with The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Alton)
The Telegraph is a newspaper that serves the St. Louis Metro-East. It was founded in 1836 as the Alton Telegraph by Lawson A. Parks.. It is published seven days a week and has an average daily circulation of 20,441. The paper is owned by Freedom Communications...
of Alton. Swann never married and had no children, "He loved being independent. He loved just one woman his whole life, even though they never got married or had children," his sister told the paper.