George Mitchell (actor)
Encyclopedia
George Mitchell was an American actor working from 1935 through 1971 in film and television, and on Broadway.
, that he decided to be an actor.
(1971), directed by Robert Wise
, co-starring Arthur Hill
, and based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton
. He played the comic relief
as a cranky town drunk
who, along with an infant, were among the only survivors of exposure to the Andromeda Strain. On television, Mitchell's credits include acting in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
called "Wally the Beard" (original air date March 1, 1965) with co-stars Larry Blyden and Kathie Brown, where he played a knowledgeable and cranky seller of boats. On Broadway, 1969–70, he portrayed Chief Joseph in the play Indians
, the source of Robert Altman
's film Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
.
George Mitchell acted in several films and television episodes with his wife Katherine Squire
, the two of them often playing a husband-and-wife couple intrinsic to the story. One example was the two of them as an elderly couple in the Jack Nicolson film "Ride in the Whirlwind" — they first appear as a refuge for the two men on the run, but who then become instrumental to the fugitives' destruction. Other examples occurred in their roles in episodes of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Productions:
, Westinghouse Studio One, and The United States Steel Hour
) to the Westerns of the 1960s (including Tales of Wells Fargo
, Zane Grey Theater, Death Valley Days
, Gunsmoke, Laramie
, Bonanza
, The Virginian
, and Have Gun, Will Travel).
He was in the 1956 NBC adventure/musical The Adventures of Marco Polo, and several episodes of both The Twilight Zone
and One Step Beyond. Another speciality was police/crime shows: Perry Mason
, Peter Gunn
, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
, The Untouchables
, Stoney Burke
, Sam Benedict
, and Naked City
.
He even tried comedy (Hazel
, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
, Bewitched
), medical (Ben Casey
), and science-fiction-adventure shows (Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants
, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
). He was also on Daktari
, Lassie
, Run for Your Life
, and the Civil War drama The Americans
.
On the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows
, he originated the role of Matthew Morgan (taken over by actor Thayer David
).
in 1940, also an actor, with whom he often worked on stage, in film, and on television (she died in 1995). He died on January 18, 1972, in Washington, D.C.
Early life
George Mitchell was born February 21, 1905, in Larchmont, New York. It was not until he was thirty-five years old, and newly married to actress Katherine SquireKatherine Squire
Katherine Squire was an American actress who appeared on Broadway and in regional theater, movies and television, from the 1920s through the 1980s.-Early life:...
, that he decided to be an actor.
Roles of note
George Mitchell's major acting credits include the film The Andromeda StrainThe Andromeda Strain (film)
The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 American science-fiction film, based on the novel published in 1969 by Michael Crichton. The film is about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial origin that causes rapid, fatal blood clotting. Directed by Robert Wise, the film...
(1971), directed by Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
, co-starring Arthur Hill
Arthur Hill (actor)
Arthur Edward Spence Hill was a Canadian actor best known for appearances in British and American theater, movies and television...
, and based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
. He played the comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
as a cranky town drunk
Town drunk
The town drunk is a stock character, almost always male, who is drunk more often than sober.The town drunk typically dwells in a small enough town that he is the only conspicuous alcoholic...
who, along with an infant, were among the only survivors of exposure to the Andromeda Strain. On television, Mitchell's credits include acting in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
called "Wally the Beard" (original air date March 1, 1965) with co-stars Larry Blyden and Kathie Brown, where he played a knowledgeable and cranky seller of boats. On Broadway, 1969–70, he portrayed Chief Joseph in the play Indians
Indians (play)
Indians is a play by Arthur Kopit.At its core is Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. The play examines the contradictions of Cody's life and his work with Native Americans....
, the source of Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
's film Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson is a 1976 revisionist Western directed by Robert Altman and based on the play Indians by Arthur Kopit. It stars Paul Newman as William F...
.
George Mitchell acted in several films and television episodes with his wife Katherine Squire
Katherine Squire
Katherine Squire was an American actress who appeared on Broadway and in regional theater, movies and television, from the 1920s through the 1980s.-Early life:...
, the two of them often playing a husband-and-wife couple intrinsic to the story. One example was the two of them as an elderly couple in the Jack Nicolson film "Ride in the Whirlwind" — they first appear as a refuge for the two men on the run, but who then become instrumental to the fugitives' destruction. Other examples occurred in their roles in episodes of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Broadway career
George Mitchell appeared in the following BroadwayProductions:
- The Merry WidowThe Merry WidowThe Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
, playing Cascada, July 15, 1942 - August 16, 1942 - The New MoonThe New MoonThe New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg written in the style of Viennese operetta...
, playing Jacques, August 18, 1942 - September 6, 1942 - The PatriotsThe Patriots (play)The Patriots is an award-winning play written in a prologue and three acts by Sidney Kingsley in 1943. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle award for Best Play, and ran for 173 performances.-Synopsis:...
, playing Ned, January 29, 1943 - June 26, 1943 - Blossom Time, playing Von Schwind, September 4, 1943 - October 9, 1943
- The New Moon, playing Captain Paul Duval, May 17, 1944 - ?
- Goodbye, My Fancy, playing Dr. Pitt, November 17, 1948 - December 24, 1949
- The Day After Tomorrow, playing Dr. Shaw, October 26, 1950 - November 11, 1950
- Desire Under the ElmsDesire Under the ElmsDesire Under the Elms is a play by Eugene O'Neill, published in 1924, and is now considered an American classic. Along with Mourning Becomes Electra, it represents one of O'Neill's attempts to place plot elements and themes of Greek tragedy in a rural New England setting. It is essentially a...
, playing Peter Cabot, January 16, 1952 - February 23, 1952 - The CrucibleThe CrucibleThe Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, playing John Willard, January 22, 1953 - July 11, 1953 - IndiansIndians (play)Indians is a play by Arthur Kopit.At its core is Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. The play examines the contradictions of Cody's life and his work with Native Americans....
, playing Chief Joseph, October 13, 1969 - January 3, 1970
Film career
George Mitchell appeared in films both well-known and obscure.- Virginia (1941) (uncredited) .... Guest
- Captain Eddie (1945) .... Lt. Johnny De Angelis
- The Phenix City StoryThe Phenix City StoryThe Phenix City Story is a film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. The drama features John McIntire, Richard Kiley, among others.-Plot:...
(1955) .... Hugh Britton - 3:10 to Yuma (1957) .... Bartender
- The Wild and the InnocentThe Wild and the InnocentThe Wild and the Innocent is a 1959 Western film starring Audie Murphy and Sandra Dee as two inexperienced young people who get into trouble when they visit a town for the very first time.-Cast:*Audie Murphy as Yancy Hawks*Joanne Dru as Marcy Howard...
(1959) .... Uncle Lije Hawks - Rymdinvasion i Lappland (1959) (also known as Horror in the Midnight Sun, Invasion of the Animal People, Space Invasion from Lapland) (uncredited) .... Diane's psychiatrist
- Birdman of AlcatrazBirdman of Alcatraz (film)Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his life with birds. In spite of the title, much of the action is set at...
(1962) (uncredited) .... Father Matthieu - FallguyFallguy- Cast :*Ed Dugan as Sonny Martin*George Mitchell as Carl Tamin*Louis Gartner as Police Chief*Don Alderette as Sam Johnson*Madeline Frances as June Johnson*Dick O'Neill...
(1962) (as George Andre) .... Carl Tamin - Third of a Man (1962)
- Kid GalahadKid GalahadKid Galahad is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. The film was released by United Artists. The film opened at #9 at the box office when released in the United States in August 1962...
(1962) .... Harry Sperling - Twilight of HonorTwilight of HonorTwilight of Honor is a 1963 film starring Richard Chamberlain, Nick Adams, Claude Rains, and featuring Joey Heatherton and Linda Evans in their film debuts. Twilight of Honor is a courtroom drama based on Al Dewlen's novel, with a screenplay by Henry Denker...
(1963) .... District Attorney Paul Farish - The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) .... Monsignor Ryan
- Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1964) .... Dr. Frederick Munson
- Attack of the Mayan Mummy (1964) (TV) .... Dr. Frederick Munson
- House of the Black Death (1965) (as George Andre) ,,,, ?
- Ride in the WhirlwindRide in the WhirlwindRide in the Whirlwind is a 1965 western directed by Monte Hellman, starring Jack Nicholson, Millie Perkins, and Harry Dean Stanton. Nicholson also wrote and produced the film.- Plot :...
(1965) .... Evan - Nevada SmithNevada SmithNevada Smith is a 1966 American Western film starring Steve McQueen and made by Embassy Pictures and Solar Productions, in association with and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie was produced and directed by Henry Hathaway with Joseph E...
(1966) .... Paymaster - The Flim-Flam ManThe Flim-Flam ManThe Flim-Flam Man is a 1967 American film directed by Irvin Kershner, starring George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin and Sue Lyon, based on the novel The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man by Guy Owen. The film boasts a cast of well-known character actors in supporting roles, including Jack Albertson, Slim...
(1967) .... Tetter - The Learning TreeThe Learning TreeThe Learning Tree is a 1969 drama film which tells the story of a young African American growing up in rural Kansas during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when racial discrimination was a social norm, legally sanctioned in parts of the United States. Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film...
(1969) .... Jake Kiner - Two-Lane BlacktopTwo-Lane BlacktopTwo-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road movie directed by Monte Hellman, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Esquire magazine declared the film its movie of the year for 1971, and even published the entire screenplay in its April, 1971...
(1971) .... Truck Driver at Accident - The Andromeda StrainThe Andromeda Strain (film)The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 American science-fiction film, based on the novel published in 1969 by Michael Crichton. The film is about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial origin that causes rapid, fatal blood clotting. Directed by Robert Wise, the film...
(1971) .... Jackson
Television career
George Mitchell had roles on television in shows ranging from the 1950s dramas of the Golden Age of Television (such as Goodyear Television PlayhouseGoodyear Television Playhouse
The Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
, Westinghouse Studio One, and The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
) to the Westerns of the 1960s (including Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
, Zane Grey Theater, Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
, Gunsmoke, Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
, Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, and Have Gun, Will Travel).
He was in the 1956 NBC adventure/musical The Adventures of Marco Polo, and several episodes of both The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
and One Step Beyond. Another speciality was police/crime shows: Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season...
, The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
, Stoney Burke
Stoney Burke (TV series)
Stoney Burke is a short-lived Western television series broadcast on the ABC television network from October 1, 1962 until May 20, 1963. The series starred Jack Lord, who would later go on to star in the popular television series, Hawaii Five-O....
, Sam Benedict
Sam Benedict
Sam Benedict is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman....
, and Naked City
Naked City (TV series)
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
.
He even tried comedy (Hazel
Hazel (TV series)
Hazel is a Screen Gems television series about a fictional live-in maid named Hazel Burke and her employers, the Baxters. The five-season, 154-episode series aired in primetime from September 1961 until April 1966...
, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series)
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir is a situation comedy based on the 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was based on the 1945 novel by R.A. Dick. It starred Hope Lange as Carolyn Muir, a young widow who rents Gull Cottage, near the fictional fishing village of Schooner Bay, Maine along with her two...
, Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
), medical (Ben Casey
Ben Casey
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
), and science-fiction-adventure shows (Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants was an hour-long American science fiction television program lasting two seasons beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. Land of the Giants was the fourth of Allen's science fiction TV series. The show was...
, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
). He was also on Daktari
Daktari
Daktari is an American children's drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series, an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television, stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour in East...
, Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
, Run for Your Life
Run for Your Life (TV series)
Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to 1968. The series was created by Roy Huggins, who had previously explored the "man on the move" concept with The Fugitive.-Synopsis:Gazzara plays lawyer...
, and the Civil War drama The Americans
The Americans (TV series)
The Americans was a television series broadcast in the United States by NBC-TV in 1961, about the American Civil War as seen through the eyes of brothers on opposite sides of the conflict.- Background :...
.
On the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, he originated the role of Matthew Morgan (taken over by actor Thayer David
Thayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
).
Personal life
He married Katherine SquireKatherine Squire
Katherine Squire was an American actress who appeared on Broadway and in regional theater, movies and television, from the 1920s through the 1980s.-Early life:...
in 1940, also an actor, with whom he often worked on stage, in film, and on television (she died in 1995). He died on January 18, 1972, in Washington, D.C.