Youre the hitch-hiker, right? the stranger asked. Because if I lose it, it means losing my wife and those kids you just met. The camera then moved in on Talmans anguished face. All were naked. In 1951 his wife sued him for divorce, citing extreme cruelty. A boy who was with them was killed and it later turned out that the car was stolen. Does William Talman Dead or Alive? Bill Talman is really a wonder, Gardner later said. Talman always maintained his innocence, and following the trial the judge in the case criticized the police for arresting him. Talman decided bravely to make an anti-smoking commercial for the American Cancer Society, a move that was considered bold for an actor of that era. Plus, officers found dirty movies, spicy books, and lewd photos.. He spent six weeks in Vietnam entertaining the troops and worked with Doris Day in The Ballad of Josie, a comedy Western. Smoking was the thing to do, says Rimer, now retired and living in North Carolina. He died of cancer. Lola DeWitt was a notorious stripper, model, prostitute, child murderer, and yes, also an actress and a singer. Once worked in nightclubs as a dancer and emcee. A heavy smoker for most of his life, he was angered by a newspaper article he read about actors being afraid to make anti-smoking messages for fear of losing opportunities to make lucrative cigarette commercials. She left a suicide note blaming her poor health. Best known and loved by his fans as Paul Drake on the hugely popular Perry Mason television series (1957 to 1966), William DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was born in New York City, the son of movie actress-turned-gossip-columnist Hedda Hopper and the legendary Broadway actor William DeWolf Hopper, who was 32 years her. Mr. Burr left the Navy in 1946. [1], Talman founded the drama club at the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was the first actor to ever make such a commercial. . "I don't approve of their conduct," the judge ruled, "but it is not for you and me to approve but to enforce the statutes. job. Age if still allive and other unique data for William Talman. That meant I had to fight my way in and out. " He remained off the show until December of 1960, when CBS reinstated him after a flood of fan mail from supporters. A boy who was with them was killed and it later turned out that the car was stolen. Stuck at home that fall because of a lingering illness, the 10-year-old schoolboy was jolted by the black-and-white images he saw flickering across the screen of the familys RCA television. Jim Caldwell, scared straight as a youngster, figures that if William Talmans final role saved just a single life his own then the eternal loser went out with a winning performance. While tabloids had a field day, the network quickly fired Talman for violating the morals clause in his contract. AKA. 107. years. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The ambitious Talman began his career in the 40s and featured in some Broadway shows. That was shown to American Cancer Society volunteers for fundraising purposes and had limited circulation. He was the first actor to ever make such a commercial. Thats roughly 443,000 victims annually, including more than 49,000 from exposure to second-hand smoke. The stunned actor watched his assailant calmly return to his car and drive off. Growing up, Talman tried different sports and was described as athletic by his son Tim during an interview. Near the end of his life, Talman did something that, while common nowadays, was an extraordinarily courageous thing for an actor to do at that time. His best known role was as escaped killer and kidnapper Emmett Myers in the classic film noir The Hitch-Hiker (1953), directed by Ida Lupino. William Talman was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Ada Barber and William Whitney Talman, a vice president of an electronics company. That sat me right up, let me tell you. Source: Passport Magazine At one point, Hespelt ran or was employed by Budget Finance Plan, in the L.A. area. Back row, left to right: Ray Collins (as Police Lt. Arthur Tragg) and William Talman (as Hamilton Burger). Fictional TV District Attorney Hamilton Burger would be shocked to learn about certain real-life exploits of the all-too-real actor William Talman, who played Burger on the original, long-running legal series, Perry Mason. He left Dartmouth in his sophomore year after an incident in which a freshman he knew "loaned" him a car so that he could go visit a girlfriend at Smith College. His father was wealthy, having made it big manufacturing yachts and heat-measuring devices. Besides Talman, the group consisted of Reibold, Talmans friend, James H. (Jimmie) Baker, Peter and Suzanne Hespelt, and three women, in their twenties or thirties: a Mrs. Peggy Louise Flannigan, a Mrs. Willie Donovan, and all-around bad girl, Miss Lola DeWitt. Prior to leaving for active duty he married actress Lynne Carter. Famous Actor William Talman is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: December, 2018). ",William Talman died of cardiac arrest due to complications from lung cancer at West Valley Community Hospital in Encino, California, on August 30, 1968, at the age of 53. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Director 44 Credits Arthur Marks 75 Episodes 1966 Jesse Hibbs 44 Episodes. Talman always maintained his innocence, and following the trial the judge in the case criticized the police for arresting him. Before he left, Talman was promoted to the rank of a major. After the "Perry Mason" show ended in 1966, Talman went on a six-week tour of Vietnam to entertain the troops. nine seasons As the blacklisted actor scrounged around for work in Hollywood, the members of Perry Masons remarkably close-knit cast worked hard to have CBS reinstate him. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Tim has gone to become an actor in his own right and has appeared in movies like "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "In the Orchard," but he continues to keep his father's legacy by staying away from cigarettes. Baker was big in the music scene and helped out with many charitable organizations, including the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, which was intended to be located on a 4-acre site behind the Hollywood Bowl but never got past the planning stage. William Talman died of cardiac arrest due to complications from lung cancer at West Valley Community Hospital in Encino, California, on August 30, 1968, at the age of 53. Charges were dropped against the entire group. He remained off the show until December of 1960, when CBS reinstated him after a flood of fan mail from supporters. She's survived by her son, daughters Johanna Katt and Juanita King, 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Were he still alive, Bobby Buntrock would be be 62 year old. In 1953, Talman played a sadistic, psychopathic killer in a movie directed by Lupino, the film noir The Hitch-Hiker. It was then that he switched to the production and made movies like 'Ironside,' 'The Outer Limits' and 'The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.' Robert Benevides was the gay partner of Raymond Burr. Talman rose to fame in the 1950s as the district attorney Hamilton Burger on the popular television show Perry Mason, and his sexuality has often been a source of speculation amongst fans.Talman never publicly confirmed whether or not he was gay, and he passed away in 1968, leaving many . He said, I didnt write a word. He did it all off the cuff. He was proud of the fact that his teams won both the boxing and baseball championships of the Western Pacific. They divorced in 1952, with his ex-wife claiming extreme cruelty. He too passed away in 1968 at the age of 53. The only straight one was Barbara Hale, and she made it an iron-clad policy (no pun intended hahahahahahaha) to never lend her clothes to a cast member. Burger did defeat Mason twice on the television series: in The Case of the Terrified Typist (episode 1-38), and in The Case of the Deadly Verdict (episode 7-4), a much-publicized episode that begins with Masons client being sentenced to death. Public school. His first marriage, to actress Lynne Carter, lasted from just before he left for active service in 1942 to September 1952 and produced one daughter, Lynda. William Talman (William Whitney Talman Jr.) was born on 4 February, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, is an Actor, Writer. Talman's third wife was Margaret Louise Larkin Flannigan, whom he married in 1963; she had a son, Steve, and daughter, Debbie, from a previous marriage. DVD releases, and fans old and new keep it alive. His first picture was Red, Hot and Blue (1949), in which he played gangster Bunny Harris. All performed in the drama club. Jim Caldwell considers Talman a savior. "Perry Mason" was an American hit show in the years it aired, but one of its main characters, William Talman, left a valuable lesson to his fans before his death to cancer a few weeks after. As Talman ruefully noted, I lost that case before I was 12.. William Talman, a television and movie actor is best known for playing Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger in the long-running series, Perry Mason. Nearly 20 years after the series ended, Raymond Burr returned to his Emmy-winning role in a number of successful TV-movies. If you do smoke, quit! He was appearing in "Spring Again" at Henry Miller's Theatre in January of 1942 when he received his draft notice for induction into the US army. He entered the army as a private and saw 30 months of service in the Pacific, where he won a commission and eventually was promoted to the rank of major. [2], Talman began his acting career on the stage. There, Talmanand his reptile eyes that dont fully close at nightmenace a driver and his passenger who simply were out for a fishing trip and made the mistake of helping a hitchhiker. Born William Whitney Talman Jr., the son of a wealthy businessman, his father was the vice-president of an electric company, which manufactured devices for yachts. William Hopper lived life as an actor, a car salesman, and a naval officer who served in World War II. His breakthrough role was in director Richard Fleischer's 1950 film noir thriller Armored Car Robbery, inspired by the Great Brink's Robbery. Coda . The divorce was granted in September of 1952 with custody of the couple's three-year-old daughter, Lynda, and 24% of Talman's income awarded to his former spouse. Talman is remembered as an affable man with a wry sense of humor and a live-and-let-live attitude that instantly put strangers at ease. Talman moved to Hollywood in 1949 to start making movies. Talman had a younger brother, Tom, who would go on to teach at Douglas College (Rutgers). The core of the longer film was a 60-second public service announcement. You know, Talman said later, I never won an Academy Award, but I guess that was about as close as I ever will come to one., In 1956, CBS announced it was creating a television show based on fictional Los Angeles defense attorney Perry Mason, a character found in the crime novels of Erle Stanley Gardner. He claimed that it was all some kind of mistake, and that he had just dropped by for a drink. As a matter of fact, Burger in a good many instances has joined Mason in action against unethical attorneys, lying witnesses, or any one else obstructing justice. In 1953, Talman played a sadistic, psychopathic killer in a film noir The Hitch-Hiker. In December, due largely to a letter-writing campaign orchestrated by Burr, CBS brought Talman back. A lifelong heavy smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and knew he was dying when he filmed the commercial. He was born William Whitney Talman Jr. Talman volunteered to make a short film for the American Cancer Society, part of which was shown in late 1968 and 1969 as a television anti-smoking commercial. After his 1993 death, NBC aired several more episodes with Paul Sorvino or Hal Holbrook playing a defense attorney friend of an out-of-town Mason. After graduating college, William joined a stock company to begin his stage acting career. It wasn't until 1981 that Mrs. Talman was forced to get a job. What did mrs.talman do after her husband died? Talman was married three times. It was the first of 271 hourlong episodes, all but one shot in black and white. His father was involved with the all-male Players Club of Detroit, which, by 1925, was staging its one-act frolics from a newly built clubhouse on East Jefferson. Burger would always present a seemingly airtight case against Masons hapless client, observed an Associated Press writer. William Talman: TV's Hamilton Burger. Raymond Burr was a class act all the way and William Talman was a great, great man. When Talman acknowledged that he was, the man got out of his car, walked over to Talmans convertible, and slapped him hard across the face. Talman's talent soon attracted producers, and he was called to appear in films like "The Racket," "Armored Car Robbery," "Smoke Signal," and "Two-Gun Lady.". William Hopper and Paul Drake. If you enjoy the monthly content in Hour Detroit, Like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter for more frequent updates. Talman's father and namesake was born in 1878 in the family home at Congress and St. Antoine, then attended the University of Michigan before embarking on a career in industrial electronics. Talman was fired from Perry Mason for a short period in 1960. Family and education [ edit] | Photo: Getty Images. 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