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Karl Swenson

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

Personal information

Birthday

1908-07-23

Birth Place

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Movies and TV shows :

poster

77 Sunset Strip

1958

6.7

TV
A Howling in the Woods

A Howling in the Woods

1971

5.2

Movie
poster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955

7.7

TV
Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

1955

0.0

Movie
poster

Bat Masterson

1958

6.3

TV
poster

Ben Casey

1961

5.7

TV
poster

Black Saddle

1959

6.0

TV
Brighty of the Grand Canyon

Brighty of the Grand Canyon

1966

5.5

Movie
poster

Bronco

1958

4.8

TV
poster

Cannon

1971

6.5

TV
poster

CBS Playhouse

1966

7.0

TV
poster

Cimarron Strip

1967

5.0

TV
December 7th

December 7th

1943

5.7

Movie
poster

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

1956

5.5

TV
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind

Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind

1995

8.3

Movie
Disney's Halloween Treat

Disney's Halloween Treat

1982

5.9

Movie
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

1967

0.0

Movie
poster

Doc Elliot

1973

0.0

TV
poster

Dr. Kildare

1961

5.4

TV
poster

Emergency!

1972

7.8

TV
Flaming Star

Flaming Star

1960

6.4

Movie
Four Boys and a Gun

Four Boys and a Gun

1957

6.3

Movie
Gateways to the Mind

Gateways to the Mind

1958

0.0

Movie
poster

General Electric True

1962

0.0

TV
poster

Ghost Story

1972

7.1

TV
poster

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

1964

7.1

TV
poster

Gunsmoke

1955

6.5

TV
poster

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951

8.7

TV
poster

Happy Days

1974

7.7

TV
poster

Have Gun, Will Travel

1957

7.4

TV
poster

Hawaii Five-O

1968

7.1

TV
poster

Hawaiian Eye

1959

5.2

TV
poster

Hogan's Heroes

1965

7.5

TV
poster

Hong Kong

1960

0.0

TV
Hour of the Gun

Hour of the Gun

1967

6.4

Movie
How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won

1962

7.0

Movie
Ice Palace

Ice Palace

1960

5.8

Movie
poster

Ironside

1967

6.9

TV
poster

Johnny Ringo

1959

5.7

TV
poster

Judd for the Defense

1967

7.5

TV
Judgment at Nuremberg

Judgment at Nuremberg

1961

8.0

Movie
Kings Go Forth

Kings Go Forth

1958

6.1

Movie
poster

Klondike

1960

6.3

TV
poster

Lassie

1954

6.1

TV
poster

Leave It to Beaver

1957

7.0

TV
poster

Little House on the Prairie

1974

8.0

TV
poster

Lock-Up

1959

6.2

TV
Lonely are the Brave

Lonely are the Brave

1962

7.3

Movie
Major Dundee

Major Dundee

1965

6.7

Movie
poster

Maverick

1957

6.8

TV
poster

Mission: Impossible

1966

7.6

TV
poster

Mr. Lucky

1959

7.0

TV
poster

Mr. Novak

1963

6.5

TV
No Name on the Bullet

No Name on the Bullet

1959

6.6

Movie
North to Alaska

North to Alaska

1960

6.5

Movie
One Foot in Hell

One Foot in Hell

1960

5.3

Movie
poster

Outlaws

1960

6.2

TV
Pericles on 31st Street

Pericles on 31st Street

1962

0.0

Movie
poster

Perry Mason

1957

7.7

TV
poster

Playwrights '56

1955

6.0

TV
poster

Portia Faces Life

1954

1.0

TV
poster

Profiles in Courage

1964

5.0

TV
poster

Rawhide

1959

7.1

TV
poster

Riverboat

1959

6.2

TV
poster

Robert Montgomery Presents

1950

5.2

TV
poster

Sam Benedict

1962

6.0

TV
poster

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

1951

7.0

TV
Seconds

Seconds

1966

7.3

Movie
Strangers All

Strangers All

1935

5.5

Movie
poster

Sugarfoot

1957

4.8

TV
poster

Surfside 6

1960

5.0

TV
poster

Tarzan

1966

6.7

TV
poster

The Adventures of Jim Bowie

1956

3.7

TV
poster

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

1962

7.8

TV
poster

The Amazing Spider-Man

1978

5.9

TV
poster

The Andy Griffith Show

1960

7.6

TV
poster

The Big Valley

1965

6.0

TV
poster

The Bill Dana Show

1963

6.0

TV
The Birds

The Birds

1963

7.5

Movie
The Cincinnati Kid

The Cincinnati Kid

1965

7.0

Movie
poster

The Court of Last Resort

1957

0.0

TV
poster

The Dakotas

1963

5.7

TV
poster

The Fugitive

1963

7.2

TV
The Gallant Hours

The Gallant Hours

1960

6.6

Movie
poster

The Greatest Show on Earth

1963

5.0

TV
The Gun and the Pulpit

The Gun and the Pulpit

1974

6.5

Movie
poster

The Guns of Will Sonnett

1967

6.3

TV
The Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree

1959

6.7

Movie
poster

The Immortal

1970

7.4

TV
poster

The Lieutenant

1963

6.0

TV
The Man from Galveston

The Man from Galveston

1963

5.2

Movie
poster

The Mod Squad

1968

6.5

TV
The New Healers

The New Healers

1972

0.0

Movie
poster

The Odd Couple

1970

7.8

TV
poster

The Outcasts

1968

5.3

TV
The Prize

The Prize

1963

6.8

Movie
poster

The Rat Patrol

1966

7.2

TV
poster

The Rebel

1959

5.3

TV
poster

The Rifleman

1958

7.0

TV
The Sons of Katie Elder

The Sons of Katie Elder

1965

7.0

Movie
The Spiral Road

The Spiral Road

1962

5.2

Movie
The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone

1963

7.2

Movie
poster

The Texan

1958

5.5

TV
poster

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters

1963

5.3

TV
poster

The Virginian

1962

6.4

TV
poster

The Walter Winchell File

1957

5.0

TV
poster

The Westerner

1960

6.7

TV
The Wild Country

The Wild Country

1970

6.0

Movie
poster

The Young Rebels

1970

4.5

TV
Tick... Tick... Tick...

Tick... Tick... Tick...

1970

6.5

Movie
poster

Tightrope

1959

5.5

TV
poster

Trackdown

1957

6.4

TV
Ulzana's Raid

Ulzana's Raid

1972

7.0

Movie
Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point

1971

7.1

Movie
Walk on the Wild Side

Walk on the Wild Side

1962

6.5

Movie
poster

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

1958

5.3

TV