Harry Landers
Harry Landers | |
---|---|
Landers with Bettye Ackerman in Ben Casey (1961) | |
Born |
Harry Sorokin 3 September 1921 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died |
10 September 2017 (aged 96) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1947–1991 |
Spouse(s) | Jeanne Vaughn Thompson |
Harry Landers (born Harry Sorokin; September 3, 1921 – September 10, 2017)[1][2] was an American character actor. He was born in New York City.
Early life and career
Landers was born on September 3, 1921, in New York City, to parents Jacob and Rose (née Landers) Sorokin, Jewish immigrants from Russia. He was the third-oldest out of seven children. Jacob abandoned the family early on in Harry's life.
During World War II, Landers served in the United States Merchant Marine.[3]
In the mid-1940s, he began his career as a worker at the Warner Bros. studio in California. An encounter with actress Bette Davis led to a membership of Screen Actors Guild and an acting career.[3] He started out as an extra and was largely uncredited. He studied at the Actors' Laboratory Theatre, known for its left-wing political affiliation.
Landers is known for being the spokesman for Taster's Choice coffee in television commercials that aired in the 1970s. He played "Go Go" in the 1953 classic, The Wild One. He had a regular role as Dr. Ted Hoffman on the television series Ben Casey. He had a small role in the Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window (1954) and a supporting role as Dr. Arthur Coleman in the final episode of the original Star Trek television series, "Turnabout Intruder", first screened in 1969. He played multiple roles in Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments (1956).
Death
Landers died September 10, 2017, aged 96.[2]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1947 | Boomerang | Uncredited | |
Kiss of Death | Convict | Uncredited | |
1949 | C-Man | Owney Shor | |
1950 | Guilty Bystander | Bert | |
Undercover Girl | Tully Mertz Vista | ||
1951 | Mister Universe | Henchman | |
1953 | Phantom from Space | Lt. Bowers | |
Jack Slade | Danton Son | Uncredited | |
The Wild One | GoGo | Uncredited | |
1954 | Drive a Crooked Road | Ralph | |
Prisoner of War | Lieutenant | Uncredited | |
About Mrs. Leslie | Soldier | Uncredited | |
Return from the Sea | Quartermaster McGivern | ||
Rear Window | Guest of Miss Lonelyhearts | Uncredited | |
1955 | The Cobweb | Intern | Uncredited |
The Indian Fighter | Grey Wolf / Captain Trask Attaché | ||
1956 | The Ten Commandments | Architect's assistant / Hebrew at Rameses' gate | |
The Black Whip | Fiddler | ||
1957 | Mister Cory | Andy | |
The Walter Winchell File | Major Daley | TV Series | |
1959 | Up Periscope | Adams | Uncredited |
1960 | The Gallant Hours | Capt. Joseph Foss | |
1968 | In Enemy Country | Pilot | |
Massacre Harbor | Col. 'Spic' Landers USA | ||
1969 | Charro! | Heff | |
1990 | Ragin' Cajun | Lacy | |
Hollywood Heartbreak Hotel | Chuck Starrman | ||
1991 | Mom | Bartender | (final film role) |
References
- ↑ "SAG-AFTRA - Summer 2018". digital.copcomm.com.
- 1 2 Haring, Bruce (January 4, 2018). "Harry Landers Dies: 'Ben Casey' Co-Star Appeared On Many TV Classics, Was 96". Deadline. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- 1 2 "Harry Landers, 96". Classic Images (513): 42. March 2018.
External links
- Harry Landers on IMDb
- Harry Landers at the American Film Institute
- Interview with Harry Landers Classic TV History Blog, April 30, 2010