Berry Kroeger

Berry Kroeger
Kroeger as the narrator for The Big Story, 1947.
Born (1912-10-16)October 16, 1912
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Died January 4, 1991(1991-01-04) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1932-1991
Spouse(s) Mary Agnes (?-1991) (his death)

Berry Kroeger (October 16, 1912 – January 4, 1991) was an American film, television and stage actor.

Early years

Kroeger was born in San Antonio, Texas.

Career

Kroeger got his acting start on radio as an announcer on Suspense and as an actor, playing for a time The Falcon in the radio series[1] Also on radio, he portrayed Dr. Reed Bannister on Big Sister,[2] narrated Salute to Youth,[2]:293 and was a regular as Sam Williams on Young Doctor Malone.

Kroeger debuted on Broadway in The World's Full of Girls (1943)[3] and went on to appear in Reclining Figure (1954), Julius Caesar (1950), and The Tempest (1944).[4] He portrayed the High Lama in the 1956 musical adaptation of Lost Horizon titled Shangri-La.

Kroeger was discovered by filmmaker William Wellman while performing on Broadway[5] and began appearing in films with his role in The Iron Curtain (1948). He specialized in playing slimy bad guys in films like Act of Violence (1948), The Iron Curtain (1948), a crooked lawyer in Cry of the City (1948) and a heavy in Joseph H. Lewis' crime film, Gun Crazy (1949). His flair for decadent leering and evil scowls often led to his being cast in "schlock fare", like Chamber of Horrors (1966) and The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971). He appeared in a small role as a village elder in Young Frankenstein (1974).

He appeared in dozens of television programs. He guest starred on seven episodes of Perry Mason, including murderer Edgar Whitehead in the episode, "The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff" (1961), murder victim Kirk Cameron in the episode, "The Case of the Illicit Illusion" and Rexford Wyler in the episode "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" (both 1964). He also appeared in shows such as Hawaiian Eye, Get Smart (as a character spoofing actor Sydney Greenstreet) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. His last major film role was in 1977's The Demon Seed (1977).

Death

On January 4, 1991, Berry Kroeger died of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 78. He was survived by his wife[3] and a sister.[5]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 13.
  2. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  3. 1 2 Fraser, C. Gerald (January 12, 1991). "Berry Kroeger, 78, An Actor in Radio, Theater and Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "("Berry Kroeger" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Berry Kroeger". Variety. January 13, 1991. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.

Turner Classic Movies


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