Percy Helton

Percy Helton
Percy Helton
	Helton in 1913
Born	Percy Alfred Michel; January 31, 1894; Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Died	September 11, 1971 (aged 77); Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1896–1970
Spouse	Edna Eustace Helton; (m. 1931)

Percy Alfred Helton (January 31, 1894 – September 11, 1971)^[2] was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was one of the most familiar faces and voices in Hollywood of the 1950s.

Career

Helton was born in Manhattan. He began acting at the age of two, appearing in vaudeville acts with his British-born father William Alfred "Alf" Helton.^[3]^[4] He was a cast member in the Broadway production of Julie BonBon (1906).^[2] Helton performed in stock theater^[5] and the Broadway plays The Poor Nut and To the Ladies!^[6]

Helton joined the United States Army in World War I. Deployed to Europe with the American Expeditionary Forces, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his duty with the 77th Infantry Division's 305th Field Artillery.^[7] During his time in the Army he was a member of the Argonne Players, a company of actors in the 77th Division who entertained other soldiers.^[8]

A change in his voice altered Helton's career.^{[citation needed]} He remained in acting but chiefly as a character actor in a wide range of films and television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. Among those programs were three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Asa Cooperman in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Pathetic Patient", as a pawn broker in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Torrid Tapestry", and as a hotel clerk in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Careless Kitten."

Films in which he performed include the comedy Miracle on 34th Street (1947), the films noir Criss Cross (1949), The Crooked Way (1949), The Set-Up (1949), Wicked Woman (1953), and Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and the comic Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).

Personal life and death

Helton married dancer Edna Eustace on October 24, 1931, in New York City.^[6] He died on September 11, 1971, in Hollywood, California.^[9]

Partial filmography

The Fairy and the Waif (1915) as The Waif
The Flower of Faith (1916) as Tom Judson
The Master Mind (1920) as Younger brother
Silver Wings (1922) as John (play)
Insinuation (1922) as Jimmie
The Offenders (1922)
Frankie and Johnny (1936) as Undetermined role (uncredited)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as Drunken Santa Claus (uncredited)
Call Northside 777 (1948) as William Decker, Mailman (uncredited)
Let's Live Again (1948) as Mr. President
Hazard (1948) as Beady Robbins
Larceny (1948) as Charlie Jordan
That Wonderful Urge (1948) as Monroe Township Jail Drunk (uncredited)
Chicken Every Sunday (1949) as Mr. Sawyer (uncredited)
Criss Cross (1949) as Frank
Alias Nick Beal (1949) as Lawyer (uncredited)
The Set-Up (1949) as Red
The Crooked Way (1949) as Petey
Lust for Gold (1949) as Barber (uncredited)
Red, Hot and Blue (1949) as Mr. Perkins, Stage Manager
Abbott & Costello Meet The Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) as Abernathy
Thieves' Highway (1949) as Roadside Bar Manager (uncredited)
My Friend Irma (1949) as Mr. Clyde
Free for All (1949) as Joe Hershey
The Secret Fury (1950) as Justice of the Peace Roy T. Palmer (uncredited)
Tyrant of the Sea (1950) as Crewman (uncredited)
Harbor of Missing Men (1950) as 'Rummy' Davis
Wabash Avenue (1950) as Ship Captain (uncredited)
Riding High (1950) as Pawnbroker (uncredited)
Fancy Pants (1950) as Mayor Fogarty (uncredited)
A Life of Her Own (1950) as Hamburger Proprietor (uncredited)
Copper Canyon (1950) as 'Scamper' Joad
The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950) as Reporter, Feature Syndicate
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) as Bellerose
Under Mexicali Stars (1950) as Nap Wellington
Three Guys Named Mike (1951) as Mr. Hawkins, Hotel Manager
Inside Straight (1951) as Lawyer Anderson (uncredited)
Night Into Morning (1951) as Drunk (uncredited)
Never Trust a Gambler (1951) as Sunbeam Liquor Store Clerk (uncredited)
Darling, How Could You! (1951) as Cabbie (uncredited)
The Tall Target (1951) as Beamish, Passenger in Club Car (uncredited)
Chain of Circumstance (1951) as Fogel
The Family Secret (1951) as Charlie (uncredited)
The Barefoot Mailman (1951) as Dewey Durgan (uncredited)
The Stooge (1952) as Sam Robertson (uncredited)
A Girl in Every Port (1952) as Drive-In Manager
The Belle of New York (1952) as Presents Angela with Flowers (uncredited)
I Dream of Jeanie (1952) as Mr. Horker
Three for Bedroom "C" (1952) as Alcoholic Train Passenger (uncredited)
She's Back on Broadway (1953) as News Vendor (scenes deleted)
Call Me Madam (1953) as Senator Wilkins
Scared Stiff (1953) as Man in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953) as Marlowe
Ride, Vaquero! (1953) as Storekeeper (uncredited)
Vice Squad (1953) as Mr. Jenner (uncredited)
Down Laredo Way (1953) as Judge Sully
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) as Mr. Hammersmith, Book Seller (uncredited)
City of Bad Men (1953) as Old-Timer at Training Camp (uncredited)
The Robe (1953) as Caleb - Wine Merchant (uncredited)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) as Mr. Benton (uncredited)
Wicked Woman (1953) as Charlie Borg
Geraldine (1953) as Pop (uncredited)
Lucky Me (1954) as Brown (uncredited)
About Mrs. Leslie (1954) as Mr. Hackley
A Star Is Born (1954) as William Gregory (uncredited)
The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954) as Kerbelai, Hajji's Barber Father (uncredited)
White Christmas (1954) as Train Conductor (uncredited)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) as Coach Driver
Crashout (1955) as Doctor Louis Barnes
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) as Doc Kennedy
Jail Busters (1955) as Warden B.W. Oswald
Trial (1955) as Youval (uncredited)
No Man's Woman (1955) as Otto Peterson
Diane (1956) as Court Jester (uncredited)
Fury at Gunsight Pass (1956) as Peter Boggs
Terror at Midnight (1956) as Speegie
The Boss (1956) as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956) as Hiram, the Funeral Director
The Phantom Stagecoach (1957) as Mr. Wiggins
The Vintage (1957) as Voice Dub for Berger (uncredited)
This Could Be the Night (1957) as Charlie (uncredited)
Spook Chasers (1957) as Mike Clancy
The Last Stagecoach West (1957) as Telegrapher (uncredited)
Jailhouse Rock (1957) as Sam Brewster (uncredited)
The Sheepman (1958) as Station Master (uncredited)
The Proud Rebel (1958) as Photographer (uncredited)
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) as Waldo Pike, the Plumber (uncredited)
Ask Any Girl (1959) as Janitor in Meg Wheeler's Building (uncredited)
Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) as Baldy (uncredited)
Where the Boys Are (1960) as Fairview Motel Manager (uncredited)
Ride the High Country (1962) as Luther Samson (uncredited)
The Music Man (1962) as Train Conductor (uncredited)
The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as Deke (uncredited)
4 for Texas (1963) as Jonas Ansel
Get Yourself A College Girl (1964) as Senator's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) as Funeral Director
Dear Brigitte (1965) as Kraft, Man at Computer Lab (uncredited)
Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) as Mr. Richardson
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) as Mr. Peevey
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title (1966) as Diner Customer (uncredited)
A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966) as Kevin McKenzie (uncredited)
The Green Hornet (1966) as Gus
The Big Mouth (1967) as Sanitation Man (uncredited)
Head (1968) as Heraldic Messenger
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as Sweetface (uncredited)
The Day of the Wolves (1971) as The Farmer
Legend of the Northwest (1978) as Doc Graham

Television appearances

Dangerous Assignment (1952) (TV series) (Season 1 Episode 29: "The Red Queen Story") as Max
Adventures of Superman (1953) (Season 2 Episode 10: "The Face and the Voice") as Hamlet
Death Valley Days (1953-1958) (3 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 17: "Little Oscar's Millions") (1953) as Little Oscar
- (Season 4 Episode 8: "The Hangman Waits") (1955) as Alex Grant
- (Season 7 Episode 6: "Big Liz") (1958) as Scrubby
The Life of Riley (1953-1956) (3 episodes) as Mr. Cox
- (Season 2 Episode 10: "Riley's Burning Ambition") (1953)
- (Season 2 Episode 13: "Riley the Worrier") (1953)
- (Season 4 Episode 20: "Riley's Raffle") (1956)
The Lone Ranger (1955) (Season 4 Episode 18: "Dan Reid's Sacrifice") as Pete Travis
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1961) (7 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 2: "Premonition") (1955) as Gerald Eaton
- (Season 1 Episode 24: "The Perfect Murder") (1956) as Lawyer
- (Season 1 Episode 38: "The Creeper") (1956) as George the Janitor
- (Season 2 Episode 16: "Nightmare in 4-D") (1957) as Charlie the Building Super
- (Season 3 Episode 27: "Disappearing Trick") (1958) as Newspaperman
- (Season 6 Episode 22: "The Horseplayer") (1961) as Morton
- (Season 7 Episode 10: "Services Rendered") (1961) as Cyrus Rutherford
Father Knows Best (1957) (Season 3 Episode 24: "Trip to Hillsborough") as Desk Clerk
Science Fiction Theatre (1957) (Season 2 Episode 36: "Gravity Zero") as Professor John Hustead
The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin (1957-1959) (3 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 16: "Higgins' Last Stand") (1957) as Conductor
- (Season 4 Episode 24: "Wind-Wagon McClanahan") (1958) as Ichabod Pillajohn
- (Season 5 Episode 22: "Pillajohn's Progress") (1959) as Ichabod Pillajohn
Maverick (1957–1960) (2 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 14: "Comstock Conspiracy") (1957) as Mr. Venner
- (Season 4 Episode 11: "Bolt from the Blue") (1960) as Bradley
Lassie (1959) (Season 6 Episode 14: "In Case of Emergency") as Jason Blalock
Lawman (1959–1961) (3 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 7: "Shadow Witness") (1959) as Oren, the murder witness
- (Season 3 Episode 7: "Dilemma") (1960) as Ellery Purvy
- (Season 4 Episode 9: "The Cold One") (1961) as Thatcher
Gunsmoke (1959–1966) (5 episodes)
- (Season 5 Episode 16: "Thick 'N' Thin") (1959) as Otie
- (Season 7 Episode 29: "The Summons") (1962) as Duffer
- (Season 9 Episode 31: "Trip West") (1964) as Arbuckle
- (Season 11 Episode 18: "The Raid: Part 1") (1966) as Mr. Early
- (Season 11 Episode 19: "The Raid: Part 2") (1966) as Mr. Early
Bonanza (1959–1967) (4 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 5: "Enter Mark Twain") (1959) as Blurry Jones
- (Season 4 Episode 21: "The Hayburner") (1963) as Lafe
- (Season 5 Episode 11: "The Legacy") (1963) as Pete
- (Season 8 Episode 20: "The Unseen Wound") (1967) as Bleeker
The Untouchables (1960) (2 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 16: "The St. Louis Story") as Mr. Meyer
- (Season 1 Episode 21: "The Unhired Assassin: Part 2") as Jocko Monaghan
The Texan (1960) (Season 2 Episode 29: "The Guilty and the Innocent") as Lem Munson
Law of the Plainsman (1960) (Season 1 Episode 23: "Dangerous Barriers") as Del Martin
Mr. Lucky (1960) (Season 1 Episode 21: "Big Squeeze") as Pop Markel
Sugarfoot (1960-1961) (2 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 19: "Funeral at Forty Mile") (1960) as Doc Lever
- (Season 4 Episode 7: "Angel") (1961) as John McTavish
Cheyenne (1961) (Season 6 Episode 6: "Retaliation") as Matthew Beasely
Rawhide (1961) (Season 3 Episode 30: "Incident of the Wager on Payday") as Bartender
Laramie (1961–1963) (3 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 23: "Run of the Hunted") (1961) as Wes Snyder, Auctioneer
- (Season 3 Episode 3: "Siege at Jubilee") (1961) as Clemson Frazer
- (Season 4 Episode 21: "The Renegade Brand") (1963) as Opie
Perry Mason (1961–1965) (3 episodes)
- (Season 4 Episode 23: "The Case of the Torrid Tapestry") (1961) as Pawnbroker
- (Season 5 Episode 7: "The Case of the Pathetic Patient") (1961) as Asa Cooperman
- (Season 8 Episode 24: "The Case of the Careless Kitten") (1965) as Hotel Desk Clerk
Mister Ed (1962–1965) (2 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 21: "Bald Horse") (1962) as Dr. Evans
- (Season 6 Episode 6: "Anybody Got a Zebra?") (1965) as Zoo Attendant
Hazel (1963) (Season 2 Episode 22: "Hazel's Day Off") as Cyrano
The Twilight Zone (1963–1964) (2 episodes)
- (Season 4 Episode 5: "Mute") (1963) as Tom Poulter
- (Season 5 Episode 32: "Mr. Garrity and the Graves") (1964) as Lapham
The Fugitive (1964) (Season 1 Episode 22: "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads: Part 1") as Hobo
Bewitched (1964)
Honey West (1965) (Season 1 Episode 12: "A Million Bucks in Anybody's Language") as Wiley
Petticoat Junction (1965–1970) (2 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 31: "The Chicken Killer") (1965) as Hinky Mittenfloss
- (Season 7 Episode 23: "Last Train to Pixley") (1970) as Mr. Benton
The F.B.I. (1966) (Season 1 Episode 18: "The Sacrifice") as Bum
Daniel Boone (1966-1968) (2 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 4: "Grizzly") (1966) as Mr. Stubbs
- (Season 4 Episode 15: "The Scrimshaw Ivory Chart") (1968) as Jud
Green Acres (1966–1969) (3 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 2: "Water, Water Everywhere") (1966) as Willie
- (Season 3 Episode 15: "No Trespassing") (1967) as Ira Hatch
- (Season 4 Episode 25: "The Milk Maker") (1969) as Luke Needlinger
The Jerry Lewis Show (1967)
Green Hornet (1967) (Season 1 Episode 20: "Ace in the Hole") as Gus
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1967) (Season 1 Episode 22: "The Furnace Flats Affair") as Mesquite Swede
The Mothers-in-Law (1967) (Season 1 Episode 9: "How Do You Moonlight a Meatball?") as Dean Roberts
The Virginian (1967) (Season 6 Episode 13: "Execution at Triste") as Storekeeper
Batman (1968) (Season 3 Episode 18: "Louie's Lethal Lilac Time") as Gus
Get Smart (1968) (Season 3 Episode 22: "Spy, Spy, Birdie") as A.J. Pfister
Land of the Giants (1968) (Season 1 Episode 2: "Ghost Town") as Akman
The Wild Wild West (1968) (Season 4 Episode 12: "The Night of Miguelito's Revenge") as Proprietor
The Beverly Hillbillies (1968–1969) (6 episodes) as Homer Cratchit
- (Season 7 Episode 9: "Bonnie, Flatt, and Scruggs") (1968)
- (Season 7 Episode 14: "Christmas in Hooterville") (1968)
- (Season 7 Episode 15: "Drysdale and Friend") (1969)
- (Season 7 Episode 19: "Jed Clampett Enterprises") (1969)
- (Season 7 Episode 21: "The Hired Gun") (1969)
- (Season 7 Episode 22: "The Happy Bank") (1969)
Love American Style (1970) (Season 1 Episode 16: segment "Love and Those Poor Crusaders' Wives") as Wharton
Mission: Impossible (1971) (Season 5 Episode 16: "The Missile") as Dailey

Commercial appearances

Mandom, Japanese Perfume Commercial (1976) as Hotel Doorman

References

^ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W9T-X41 ^{[bare URL]}
^ ^a ^b "Percy Helton". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
^ "What's-His-Name Is Really Last of Leprechauns". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. March 15, 1969. p. 20. Retrieved March 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:2W9T-X41 ^{[bare URL]}
^ "Juvenile Roles Were Specialty of Percy Helton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. April 21, 1935. p. 57. Retrieved March 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Percy Helton Marries". The New York Times. October 25, 1931. p. 27. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
^ Obituary, "Percy Helton, Actor in 200 Films, Is Dead." The New York Times. September 14, 1971. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
^ Hopkins, John (October 1919). "The Fighting Actors of the A. E. F." Shadowland. p. 63. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0. Retrieved June 28, 2024.

External links

Percy Helton at IMDb
Percy Helton at the Internet Broadway Database
Percy Helton at Find a Grave

[1] ttps://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W9T-X41 ^{[bare URL]}

[ibdb-2] "Percy Helton". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.

[vt-3] "What's-His-Name Is Really Last of Leprechauns". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. March 15, 1969. p. 20. Retrieved March 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[fs-4] ttps://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:2W9T-X41 ^{[bare URL]}

[pi-5] "Juvenile Roles Were Specialty of Percy Helton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. April 21, 1935. p. 57. Retrieved March 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[wedding-6] "Percy Helton Marries". The New York Times. October 25, 1931. p. 27. Retrieved June 28, 2024.

[7] Obituary, "Percy Helton, Actor in 200 Films, Is Dead." The New York Times. September 14, 1971. Retrieved April 6, 2017.

[8] Hopkins, John (October 1919). "The Fighting Actors of the A. E. F." Shadowland. p. 63. Retrieved June 28, 2024.

[9] Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0. Retrieved June 28, 2024.

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