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Bert Freed

Bert Freed

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 — August 2, 1994) was a prolific American character actor, voice over actor, and the first actor to portray "Detective Columbo" on television. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending Penn State University, and made his Broadway debut in 1942. Following World War II Army service in the European Theatre, he appeared in the Broadway musical The Day Before Spring in 1945 and dozens of television shows between 1947 and 1985. His film debut occurred, oddly enough, in a musical Carnegie Hall (1947). A prominent role was as the villainous Ryker in the television series Shane, in which Freed added a unique touch of realism by beginning the show clean-shaven and growing a beard from one week to the next, never shaving again through the season. Freed played Columbo in a live 1960 episode of the "Chevy Mystery Theatre" seven years before Peter Falk played the role. Thomas Mitchell also played the part on stage prior to Falk's version, which is probably where many of the eccentric Columbo traits originated; only a few were visible in Freed's straightforward interpretation, although the character as played by Freed is recognizably Columbo. He appeared (sometimes more than once) in television shows such as The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley,The Virginian, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, Then Came Bronson, Run For Your Life, Get Smart, The Lucy Show, Hogan's Heroes, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Combat!, Petticoat Junction, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Ironside, The Green Hornet, The Munsters, and many, many more. He directed one episode of T.H.E. Cat. Freed appeared as a racist club owner in No Way Out (1950), a gangster in Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950), a Marine private in Halls of Montezuma (1951 film), an Army sergeant in Take the High Ground! (1953), the Police Chief in Invaders From Mars (1953), Sgt. Boulanger in Paths of Glory (1957), the hangman in Hang 'Em High (1968), Max's father in Wild in the Streets (1968), as Chief of Detectives in Madigan (1968), a homosexual prison guard in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) and Bernard's father in Billy Jack (1971) in which he got "whumped" on the side of the face by Billy Jack's right foot "just for the hell of it." He retired from acting in 1986, and died of a heart attack in Canada in 1994 while on a fishing trip with his son. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert Freed,  licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Personal information

Birthday

1919-11-03

Birth Place

The Bronx, New York USA

Movies and TV shows :

711 Ocean Drive

711 Ocean Drive

1950

6.3

Movie
poster

77 Sunset Strip

1958

6.7

TV
poster

Adventures in Paradise

1959

5.7

TV
poster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955

7.7

TV
Are You My Mother?

Are You My Mother?

1986

0.0

Movie
poster

Arrest and Trial

1963

7.0

TV
poster

Barnaby Jones

1973

6.9

TV
Barracuda

Barracuda

1978

4.1

Movie
poster

Ben Casey

1961

5.7

TV
Billy Jack

Billy Jack

1971

5.9

Movie
poster

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

1963

5.5

TV
Boomerang!

Boomerang!

1947

6.9

Movie
poster

Bourbon Street Beat

1959

5.0

TV
Breakout

Breakout

1970

0.0

Movie
poster

Bronk

1975

6.2

TV
poster

Cain's Hundred

1961

4.7

TV
poster

Cannon

1971

6.5

TV
Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase

Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase

1981

0.0

Movie
poster

Charlie's Angels

1976

6.7

TV
poster

Combat!

1962

7.6

TV
Death Scream

Death Scream

1975

6.6

Movie
poster

Decoy

1957

6.2

TV
Detective Story

Detective Story

1951

7.0

Movie
poster

Dr. Kildare

1961

5.4

TV
Evel Knievel

Evel Knievel

1971

4.9

Movie
Fate Is the Hunter

Fate Is the Hunter

1964

6.4

Movie
poster

General Electric Theater

1953

6.0

TV
poster

Get Smart

1965

7.9

TV
poster

Gunsmoke

1955

6.5

TV
poster

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951

8.7

TV
Halls of Montezuma

Halls of Montezuma

1951

5.9

Movie
Hang 'em High

Hang 'em High

1968

6.8

Movie
poster

Hogan's Heroes

1965

7.5

TV
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan

In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan

1977

8.2

Movie
Incident at Vichy

Incident at Vichy

1973

0.0

Movie
Invaders from Mars

Invaders from Mars

1953

5.9

Movie
Invitation to a Gunfighter

Invitation to a Gunfighter

1964

5.9

Movie
poster

Ironside

1967

6.9

TV
poster

Johnny Staccato

1959

5.6

TV
Key to the City

Key to the City

1950

6.1

Movie
poster

Knight Rider

1982

7.6

TV
poster

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

1974

7.6

TV
poster

Lancer

1968

4.7

TV
poster

Law of the Plainsman

1959

6.0

TV
poster

Lincoln

1974

8.0

TV
Love and the Midnight Auto Supply

Love and the Midnight Auto Supply

1977

3.5

Movie
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town

1950

6.1

Movie
Madigan

Madigan

1968

6.1

Movie
poster

Mannix

1967

6.7

TV
poster

McCloud

1970

7.1

TV
Men of the Fighting Lady

Men of the Fighting Lady

1954

6.2

Movie
poster

Mission: Impossible

1966

7.6

TV
poster

Mr. Novak

1963

6.5

TV
Nevada Smith

Nevada Smith

1966

6.8

Movie
No Way Out

No Way Out

1950

6.9

Movie
Norma Rae

Norma Rae

1979

7.2

Movie
P.J.

P.J.

1968

5.2

Movie
poster

Paper Moon

1974

6.3

TV
Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

1957

8.3

Movie
poster

Perry Mason

1957

7.7

TV
poster

Peter Gunn

1958

6.5

TV
poster

Petticoat Junction

1963

5.9

TV
poster

Police Story

1973

7.1

TV
Red Mountain

Red Mountain

1951

6.2

Movie
poster

Riverboat

1959

6.2

TV
poster

Route 66

1960

6.4

TV
poster

Run for Your Life

1965

7.2

TV
poster

Shane

1966

6.0

TV
Shock Treatment

Shock Treatment

1964

6.7

Movie
Skag

Skag

1980

0.0

Movie
poster

Studio One

1948

4.7

TV
Take the High Ground!

Take the High Ground!

1953

5.7

Movie
Tangier Incident

Tangier Incident

1953

5.0

Movie
poster

Target: The Corruptors!

1961

3.5

TV
poster

Tarzan

1966

6.7

TV
The Andersonville Trial

The Andersonville Trial

1970

6.7

Movie
The Atomic City

The Atomic City

1952

5.2

Movie
poster

The Big Valley

1965

6.0

TV
poster

The Chevy Mystery Show

1960

6.0

TV
The Cobweb

The Cobweb

1955

5.8

Movie
The Company She Keeps

The Company She Keeps

1951

5.9

Movie
poster

The Dakotas

1963

5.7

TV
The Desperate Hours

The Desperate Hours

1955

7.0

Movie
poster

The Detectives

1959

5.6

TV
poster

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

1959

6.3

TV
poster

The Fall Guy

1981

7.5

TV
The Gazebo

The Gazebo

1960

6.9

Movie
The Goddess

The Goddess

1958

5.9

Movie
poster

The Green Hornet

1966

7.2

TV
poster

The Guns of Will Sonnett

1967

6.3

TV
poster

The High Chaparral

1967

6.5

TV
poster

The Loner

1965

5.7

TV
The Long, Long Trailer

The Long, Long Trailer

1954

6.8

Movie
poster

The Lucy Show

1962

7.1

TV
poster

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

1959

5.9

TV
poster

The Millionaire

1955

5.0

TV
poster

The Mod Squad

1968

6.5

TV
poster

The Munsters

1964

8.0

TV
poster

The Outer Limits

1963

7.8

TV
poster

The Outsider

1968

5.2

TV
poster

The Philco Television Playhouse

1948

6.0

TV
The Plot to Kill Stalin

The Plot to Kill Stalin

1958

0.0

Movie
poster

The Rifleman

1958

7.0

TV
poster

The Rookies

1972

6.9

TV
poster

The Sixth Sense

1972

6.3

TV
The Snows of Kilimanjaro

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

1952

5.9

Movie
poster

The Streets of San Francisco

1972

7.0

TV
The Strike

The Strike

1954

7.5

Movie
The Subterraneans

The Subterraneans

1960

4.8

Movie
The Swinger

The Swinger

1966

5.4

Movie
poster

The Thin Man

1957

7.6

TV
poster

The Virginian

1962

6.4

TV
Then Came Bronson

Then Came Bronson

1969

5.2

Movie
There Was a Crooked Man...

There Was a Crooked Man...

1970

6.8

Movie
poster

Tightrope

1959

5.5

TV
Till Death

Till Death

1978

6.3

Movie
Twilight of Honor

Twilight of Honor

1963

6.7

Movie
Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers

Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers

1956

5.8

Movie
poster

Vega$

1978

7.0

TV
poster

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

1958

5.3

TV
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

1962

7.9

Movie
Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

1950

7.2

Movie
Why Must I Die

Why Must I Die

1960

5.0

Movie
Wild in the Streets

Wild in the Streets

1968

5.9

Movie