Craig Stevens (actor)

Craig Stevens (* 8. July 1918 in Liberty , Missouri as Gail Shikles, Jr. , † 10. May 2000 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor who mainly through the title role in the television series Peter Gunn great fame reached.

life and career

The son of a high school teacher attended the University of Missouri – Kansas City , where he graduated in 1936 as a dentist. It was at the university that he first discovered his interest in acting. He trained at the Pasadena Playhouse and Paramount Pictures' drama school . For his acting career, Gail Shikles Jr. chose the stage name Craig Stevens . In 1939 he made his film debut as a sailor in the adventure film Coast Guard by director Edward Ludwig . His mostly emphatically masculine roles were initially rather insignificant. During World War II, he served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Army Air Corps , which produced propaganda and exercise films for the troops. After the end of the war, supporting roles followed in films such as Humoreske (1946), Faustrecht der Großstadt (1948) and A Stranger Calls (1952). Despite these roles, he did not make it to become a Hollywood star.

It wasn't until the television series Peter Gunn by Blake Edwards , in which he played the title role of the smart detective, that Craig Stevens made known to a wide audience. A total of 114 episodes of the series were produced between 1958 and 1961. 1967 Stevens represented the role of Peter Gunn again in the movie Gunn , in which Edward Asner and Laura Devon also starred . He had other leading roles in the television series Man of the World (1962-1963) and Mr. Broadway (1964). In 1975 he played the role of laboratory manager Walter Carlson in the short-lived television series The Invisible . Towards the end of his career, he was a guest actor on series such as Love Boat , Murder is Her Hobby and Dallas . In 1988 he played his final role in the television movie Marcus Welby, MD: A Holiday Affair .

From 1944 until her death in 1993, he was married to fellow actor Alexis Smith . Craig Stevens died of cancer in 2000 at the age of 81.

Filmography (selection)

• 1939: Coast Guard
• 1939: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• 1941: The Heartbreaker (Affectionately Yours)
• 1941: Dive Bomber
• 1944: Hollywood Canteen
• 1944: Since You Went Away (Since You Went Away)
• 1945: A Roughly Speaking Woman
• 1945: God Is My Co-Pilot
• 1946: Humoresque (Humoresque)
• 1947: Visit to California (The Man in Love)
• 1949: Glück in Seenot (The Lady Takes a Sailor)
• 1950: Blues Busters
• 1950: Law of the Big City (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
• 1952: A stranger calls (Phone Call from a Stranger)
• 1953: Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
• 1953: The Alluring Venus (The French Line)
• 1957: Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series, 1 episode)
• 1957: The Deadly Mantis
• 1958: His Colt was faster (Buchanan Rides Alone)
• 1958–1961: Peter Gunn (TV series, 114 episodes)
• 1962–1963: Man of the World (TV series, 20 episodes)
• 1964: Mr. Broadway (TV series, 14 episodes)
• 1967: Gunn
• 1970: A Sheriff in New York ( McCloud , TV series, 1 episode)
• 1971: The Men from Shiloh Ranch ( The Men from Shiloh , TV series, 1 episode)
• 1972: Owen Marshall - Defense Attorney ( Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law , TV series, 1 episode)
• 1974: The Elevator
• 1975–1976: The Invisible Man ( The invisible Man , TV series, 12 episodes)
• 1977: Rich and Poor ( Rich Man, Poor Man , TV series, 2 episodes)
• 1981: SOB - Hollywood's Last Howler (SOB)
• 1981: Dallas (TV series, 2 episodes)
• 1982: A woman like a fish (La truite)
• 1983–1985: Hotel (TV series, 3 episodes)
• 1986: Murder is her hobby ( Murder, She Wrote , TV series, 1 episode)
• 1988: Marcus Welby, MD: A Holiday Affair (TV movie)

Web links

• Craig Stevens in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Craig Stevens at Allmovie
2. ↑ Obituary for Craig Stevens ( memento of the original dated February 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.