SO
Simon Oakland
Actor
Born August 28, 1915Died August 29, 1983 (68 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television.
During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983. His most notable big-screen roles were in Psycho (1960), West Side Story (1961), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Bullitt (1968), The Hunting Party (1971), and Chato's Land (1972). On television, he was a regular on the cult classic horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975), and the military drama Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-1978).
Early life and career
Oakland was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of the three sons of immigrant Jewish parents, Jacob Weiss and Ethel Oaklander, born in Romania and the Russian Empire respectively. His father was a plasterer and builder. While he later claimed in media interviews to have been born in 1922 (a date repeated in his New York Times obituary), Social Security and vital records indicate he was born Simon Weiss in 1915; his stage name was derived from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander.
Film and television
In 1955, Oakland made his film debut, albeit uncredited, as an Indiana state trooper in The Desperate Hours. He appeared in two films released in 1958: as Mavrayek in The Brothers Karamazov and as journalist Edward Montgomery in I Want to Live!
Oakland's notable performance in I Want to Live! led to his playing a long series of tough-guys, either as authority figures or villains or a mix of both. He appeared in Psycho as the psychiatrist who, at the end of the film, explains Norman Bates's multiple personality disorder. He appeared in the films West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, and Bullitt.
He made two guest appearances as murder victims on CBS's Perry Mason. He appeared in the syndicated crime drama, Decoy, starring Beverly Garland. Oakland appeared once on the CBS Western Dundee and the Culhane and once on the series Sheriff of Cochise. He was also a regular, in a comedic supporting role, as General Thomas Moore, on NBC's Baa Baa Black Sheep, starring Robert Conrad. He appeared in two episodes of the original The Twilight Zone TV series (“The Rip Van Winkle Caper” and “The Thirty-Fathom Grave”) and in The Outer Limits as the alien birdman in "Second Chance". In 1974 and 1975, he was a series regular on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, playing newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo. (He had previously played the same character in two made-for-television movies.
Personal life
Oakland was married to Lois Lorraine Porta. The couple had one daughter, Barbara.
Death
Oakland continued working up to the year of his death. His last credited acting appearance was in the episode "Living and Presumed Dead" on the CBS television series Tucker's Witch. That episode aired three months before Oakland's death from colon cancer in Cathedral City, California, on August 29, 1983, the day after his 68th birthday. CLR
Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television.
During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983. His most notable big-screen roles were in Psycho (1960), West Side Story (1961), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Bullitt (1968), The Hunting Party (1971), and Chato's Land (1972). On television, he was a regular on the cult classic horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975), and the military drama Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-1978).
Early life and career
Oakland was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of the three sons of immigrant Jewish parents, Jacob Weiss and Ethel Oaklander, born in Romania and the Russian Empire respectively. His father was a plasterer and builder. While he later claimed in media interviews to have been born in 1922 (a date repeated in his New York Times obituary), Social Security and vital records indicate he was born Simon Weiss in 1915; his stage name was derived from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander.
Film and television
In 1955, Oakland made his film debut, albeit uncredited, as an Indiana state trooper in The Desperate Hours. He appeared in two films released in 1958: as Mavrayek in The Brothers Karamazov and as journalist Edward Montgomery in I Want to Live!
Oakland's notable performance in I Want to Live! led to his playing a long series of tough-guys, either as authority figures or villains or a mix of both. He appeared in Psycho as the psychiatrist who, at the end of the film, explains Norman Bates's multiple personality disorder. He appeared in the films West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, and Bullitt.
He made two guest appearances as murder victims on CBS's Perry Mason. He appeared in the syndicated crime drama, Decoy, starring Beverly Garland. Oakland appeared once on the CBS Western Dundee and the Culhane and once on the series Sheriff of Cochise. He was also a regular, in a comedic supporting role, as General Thomas Moore, on NBC's Baa Baa Black Sheep, starring Robert Conrad. He appeared in two episodes of the original The Twilight Zone TV series (“The Rip Van Winkle Caper” and “The Thirty-Fathom Grave”) and in The Outer Limits as the alien birdman in "Second Chance". In 1974 and 1975, he was a series regular on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, playing newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo. (He had previously played the same character in two made-for-television movies.
Personal life
Oakland was married to Lois Lorraine Porta. The couple had one daughter, Barbara.
Death
Oakland continued working up to the year of his death. His last credited acting appearance was in the episode "Living and Presumed Dead" on the CBS television series Tucker's Witch. That episode aired three months before Oakland's death from colon cancer in Cathedral City, California, on August 29, 1983, the day after his 68th birthday. CLR
Known For
Featured Videos
Filmography
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch (TV Series) |
| 1981 | Bret Maverick (TV Series) · as Delwood Crestmore |
| 1979 | Matt and Jenny (TV Series) · as Amos Crawford |
| 1979 | The Littlest Hobo (TV Series) · as Tom Beecher |
| 1978 | David Cassidy: Man Undercover (TV Series) · as Sgt. Abrams |
| 1978 | Evening in Byzantium (TV Series) · as Walter Klein |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) |
| 1977 | Lou Grant (TV Series) |
| 1977 | Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy · as Delaney |
| 1977 | CHiPs (TV Series) · as Bruno |
| 1977 | The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (TV Series) |
| 1976 | The Feather And Father Gang (TV Series) · as Cosgrove |
| 1976 | Gibbsville (TV Series) · as Sam Chapman |
| 1976 | Quincy, M.E. (TV Series) |
| 1976 | Charlie's Angels (TV Series) · as Sgt. Cates |
| 1976 | The Flying Misfits · as Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore |
| 1976 | Black Sheep Squadron (TV Series) · as Thomas Moore |
| 1975 | Demon and the Mummy · as Tony Vincenzo |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen (TV Series) |
| 1975 | Switch (TV Series) · as Sam |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. (TV Series) · as Frank Hunter |
| 1974 | Crackle of Death · as Tony Vincenzo |
| 1974 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker (TV Series) · as Tony Vincenzo |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files (TV Series) · as Vern St. Cloud |
| 1973 | Key West · as Gen. Tom Luker |
| 1973 | Kojak (TV Series) · as Tom Donnelly |
| 1973 | The Starlost (TV Series) · as Dr. Asgard |
| 1973 | The New Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Frank Emmett |
| 1973 | Happy Mother's Day, Love George · as Sheriff Roy |
| 1973 | Emperor of the North · as Policeman |
| 1973 | Toma (TV Series) · as Inspector Spooner |
| 1973 | Police Story (TV Series) |
| 1973 | The Night Strangler · as Tony Vincenzo |
| 1973 | Wide World of Mystery (TV Series) · as Mickey Costigan |
| 1972 | Chato's Land · as Jubal Hooker |
| 1972 | The Night Stalker · as Tony Vincenzo |
| 1971 | Crosscurrent · as Capt. E. J. Goodlad |
| 1971 | Cade's County (TV Series) · as Roger Phillips |
| 1971 | Man and the City (TV Series) · as Ed Rauch |
| 1971 | The Hunting Party · as Matthew Gunn |
| 1971 | Scandalous John · as Barton Whittaker |
| 1970 | Dan August (TV Series) · as Maury Abrams |
| 1970 | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever · as Dr. Conrad Fuller |
| 1969 | The Young Lawyers (TV Series) |
| 1969 | Medical Center (TV Series) |
| 1969 | Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) · as Harry Burke |
| 1968 | Bullitt · as Captain Sam Bennett |
| 1968 | The Mod Squad (TV Series) |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game (TV Series) · as Luis Fierro |
| 1968 | Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) · as Benny Kalua |
| 1968 | The Outsider (TV Series) |
| 1968 | Chubasco · as Laurindo |
| 1968 | It Takes a Thief (TV Series) · as Col. Savrille |
| 1967 | Tony Rome · as Rudy Kosterman |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Ted Berringer, Sr. |
| 1967 | Gentle Ben (TV Series) · as Packy Benner |
| 1967 | Judd for the Defense (TV Series) |
| 1967 | Off to See the Wizard (TV Series) · as Attalos |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip (TV Series) |
| 1967 | Dundee and the Culhane (TV Series) · as Kneeland |
| 1967 | Good Morning, World (TV Series) · as Harry Lewis |
| 1967 | Captain Nice (TV Series) |
| 1966 | The Sand Pebbles · as Stawski |
| 1966 | Mission: Impossible (TV Series) · as Jack Wellman |
| 1966 | The Felony Squad (TV Series) |
| 1966 | Tarzan (1966) (TV Series) |
| 1966 | The Plainsman · as Chief Black Kettle |
| 1965 | Get Smart (TV Series) · as Cowboy |
| 1965 | Trials of O'Brien (TV Series) · as Harry |
| 1965 | The Wild Wild West (TV Series) · as Diamond Dave Desmond |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as Nikos Kapralos |
| 1965 | The Big Valley (TV Series) · as Adam Howard |
| 1965 | The Satan Bug · as Tasserly |
| 1964 | Profiles in Courage (TV Series) · as Perry Fuller |
| 1964 | Mr. Broadway (TV Series) · as Shaw |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) · as Bickford |
| 1964 | Slattery's People (TV Series) · as Murray Keller |
| 1964 | The Rogues (TV Series) · as Absalom Macbride |
| 1963 | Alexander the Great · as Attalos |
| 1963 | The Raiders · as Sgt. Austin Tremaine |
| 1963 | My Favorite Martian (TV Series) · as Lt. Murphy |
| 1963 | Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (TV Series) · as Frederic Sterne |
| 1963 | Mr. Novak (TV Series) · as Carl Green |
| 1963 | East Side/West Side (TV Series) · as Harry Bernstein |
| 1963 | The Bill Dana Show (TV Series) |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits (TV Series) · as Empyrian |
| 1963 | Wall of Noise · as Johnny Papadakis |
| 1962 | Combat! (TV Series) · as Sgt. Tom Akers |
| 1962 | Stoney Burke (TV Series) |
| 1962 | The Doctors and the Nurses (TV Series) · as Charley |
| 1962 | Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man · as Joe Boulton |
| 1962 | The Virginian (TV Series) · as Bob Coulter |
| 1962 | Saints and Sinners (TV Series) · as Alberto Bianco |
| 1962 | Third of a Man · as Doon |
| 1962 | Follow That Dream · as Nick |
| 1961 | West Side Story · as Schrank |
| 1961 | The New Breed (TV Series) · as Felix Pascal |
| 1961 | Ben Casey (TV Series) |
| 1961 | Bus Stop (TV Series) |
| 1961 | Cain's Hundred (TV Series) · as Walter Hayes |
| 1961 | Follow The Sun (TV Series) · as Franklyn Davis |
| 1961 | Car 54, Where Are You? (TV Series) · as Secret Service Agent Cordner |
| 1961 | The Defenders (TV Series) · as District Attorney |
| 1960 | Murder, Inc. · as William Tobin |
| 1960 | The Law and Mr. Jones (TV Series) · as Marek |
| 1960 | Route 66 (TV Series) |
| 1960 | Outlaws (TV Series) |
| 1960 | Checkmate (TV Series) · as Lewis Bates |
| 1960 | Psycho · as Fred Richman |
| 1960 | The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond · as Lt. Moody |
| 1960 | Who Was That Lady? · as Belka |
| 1959 | The Detectives (1959) (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Adventures in Paradise (TV Series) · as Martin Quirk |
| 1959 | The Alaskans (TV Series) |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) · as De Cruz |
| 1959 | Men into Space (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Deadline (TV Series) · as Lyons |
| 1959 | Laramie (TV Series) · as Vernon Kane |
| 1959 | Bonanza (TV Series) · as William Poole |
| 1959 | Tightrope (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Brenner (TV Series) · as Mike Dover |
| 1959 | The Third Man (TV Series) · as Demos Recuite |
| 1959 | The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Russ Bogan |
| 1959 | Black Saddle (TV Series) · as Grat Mowery |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Sheriff Blaine |
| 1958 | I Want to Live! · as Edward S. 'ed' Montgomery |
| 1958 | The Buccaneer · as British Soldier At Port |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) |
| 1958 | Naked City (TV Series) · as Duke |
| 1958 | Bronco (TV Series) |
| 1958 | The Brothers Karamazov · as Mavrayek |
| 1957 | Decoy (TV Series) · as Lieutenant |
| 1957 | Captain David Grief (TV Series) · as Esteban |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Howard Walters |
| 1957 | The Thin Man (TV Series) · as Ernie |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Alonzo Galezio |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) |
| 1957 | The Silent Service (TV Series) · as Captain Kossler |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Poderio |
| 1957 | O. Henry Playhouse (TV Series) · as John Tom |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series) · as Jesse Harp |
| 1956 | The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series) · as Charlie Moon |
| 1955 | Alcoa Hour (TV Series) · as Bert |
| 1955 | The Desperate Hours · as State Trooper (uncredited) |
| 1955 | I Spy (TV Series) · as Yon Richter |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Enoch Mills |
| 1954 | Producers' Showcase (TV Series) · as General Javorsky |
| 1953 | The United States Steel Hour (TV Series) · as Barney |
| 1953 | You Are There (TV Series) · as Craterus |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) · as Director |
| 1951 | Goodyear Television Playhouse (TV Series) · as Ward |
| 1950 | Ashley Banjo’s Big Town Dance (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1950 | The Web (1950) (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1950 | The Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV Series) · as Herbert Holland |
| 1949 | Red Light · as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Big Story (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1949 | Suspense (TV Series) |
| 1947 | Kraft Television Theatre (TV Series) · as Hank Kovatch |