Lou Antonio

Louis Antonio (born January 23, 1934) is an American actor and TV director best known for performing in the films Cool Hand Luke and America America. He also starred in two short-lived TV series, Dog and Cat, and Makin' It.

Lou Antonio
Antonio in 1973.
Born
Louis Demetrios Antoniou

(1934-01-23) January 23, 1934
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • Director
Years active1960–2007
Spouse(s)
Lane Bradbury
(m. 1965; div. 1980)
Children2

Early years

Born in Oklahoma City of Greek descent (the family name was originally Antoniou), he made a name for himself as a sports reporter on the Daily Oklahoman.[1]

Career

Antonio made appearances (sometimes in multiple episodes as different characters) on 1960s and 1970s series including The Rookies, The Naked City, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Twelve O'Clock High, The Monkees, The Defenders, The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O, Night Gallery, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, and I Dream of Jeannie.[2] He guest-starred as the human version of a chimpanzee-turned-human on a fifth-season episode of Bewitched titled "Going Ape" - episode 162 - which also guest-starred Danny Bonaduce. He starred as Barney in The Snoop Sisters.[2]

On Star Trek, he starred (with Frank Gorshin) in Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (1969),[2] which eventually became one of the most popular of the series. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated Let That Be Your Last Battlefield the 11th best television episode of all Star Trek franchise television shows prior to Star Trek: Discovery including live-action and animated series but not counting the movies.[3] Also in 2016, SyFy ranked guest stars Frank Gorshin as Bele and Lou Antonio as Lokai (the black and white aliens) as the 10th best guest stars on the original series.[4]

As a director, Antonio mostly worked in television (The Rockford Files, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, Dawson's Creek, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Boston Legal, and The West Wing).[2][5]

In January 1962 he was a guest artist at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, NY, where he directed Enid Bagnold's The Chalk Garden.

Personal life

Antonio was married to fellow Actors Studio member, Lane Bradbury[6] and they had two daughters. The couple divorced in 1980. Their daughter Elkin Antoniou is a writer, director and award-winning documentarian.[7]

Antonio's elder brother, Jim Antonio, and sister-in-law, Hildy Brooks, are also actors.[8]

Filmography

As director

References
  1. "A Dog's Life for Lou", The Robesonian, May 1, 1977, p. 13.
    "He was born in Oklahoma City, where he made a name for himself as a sports reporter on the Daily Oklahoman while still in his teens".
  2. "Lou Antonio". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. ""Homefront" and "Paradise Lost" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". HollywoodReporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  4. Kaye, Don (2016-09-16). "The 17 best Star Trek: The Original Series guest stars (hero or villain)". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  5. Lou Antonio on IMDb
  6. "Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids". wisc.edu. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  7. "Elkin Antoniou : Best Documentary (Humanitarian)". thewifts.org. The Women's International Film & Television Showcase. 2013.
  8. "A Dog's Life for Lou", The Robesonian, May 1, 1977, pg. 13.
    "As a college student, Antonio attended a play in which his brother Jim appeared. He decided that he too should try acting, so he enrolled in two university drama courses and appeared in a number of plays."
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