• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

TV ACTORS WHO DIED DURING PRODUCTION

gregg75

gregg75

I've been watching some Dennis The Menace shows on Antenna TV and noticed that the original
Mr. Wilson (Joseph Kearns) was replaced by Gale Gordon. Kearns died after filming the 100th
episode "The Man Next Door" in which Mr. Wilson thinks his neighbor is the stocking bandit.
The last year with Gordon doesn't seem to be as enjoyable.

On Bewitched Gladys Kravitz (Alicia Pearce) died of cancer after the 2nd season. She was
awarded and Emmy for best supporting actess after she had passed. Her replacement
Sandra Gould was a good replacement, as she resembled the original Gladys.
 
Wasn't Marion Lorne also a "Bewitched" in-production death? I seem to remember Elizabeth Montgomery accepting a posthumous Emmy on her behalf.

Others I can think of were Ward Bond, "Wagon Train", Ann Sheridan, "Pistols and Petticoats", and more recently, John Ritter.
 
Redd Foxx (The Royal Family)
Jim Davis Dallas)
Michael Conrad (Hill Street Clues)
Pete Duel (Alias Smith and Jones)
Sammee Tong (Mickey)
Barton Yarborough (Dragnet)
Will Geer (The Waltons)
Jack Soo (Barney Miller)
 
Barbara Pepper (Doris Ziffel on "Green Acres")....per Wiki, her heart ailments forced her to leave the show. Still, she passed away in 1969 when "Acres" was still running.

cd
 
Didnt we do this thread not long ago? Maybe it was on the other tv board.

Freddie Prinz-Chico and the Man
Jon-Erik Hexum--Voyagers
Diana Hyland--Eight is Enough
Nicholas Colasanto--Cheers
Phil Hartman--NewsRadio
 
WMC2006 said:
Didnt we do this thread not long ago? Maybe it was on the other tv board.

Freddie Prinz-Chico and the Man
Jon-Erik Hexum--Voyagers
Diana Hyland--Eight is Enough
Nicholas Colasanto--Cheers
Phil Hartman--NewsRadio
Click to expand...

Jon-Erik Hexum died from an on-set firearms accident during filming of Cover Up in 1984. Voyagers! aired in the 1982-83 season.

The series tried to continue with another actor, but although the ratings held up for awhile, it wasn't the same show.
 
Bea Benaderet died during the run of "Petticoat Junction"
(1968); June Lockhart was brought in as Dr. Janet Craig during
the last two seasons.
 
Ernie Kovacs died in an auto accident while his monthly series of ABC specials was on in 1962. I've been watching The Ernie Kovacs Collection on Netflix recently, and the last show that was shown a few weeks after his death and had a tribute to him was included.
 
George Cleveland who played "Gramps" in the early seasons of the "Lassie" series passed away in July, 1957. By that time, the series was to work in Jon Provost to become Lassie's owner with the "Gramps" character having died and the original family (Tommy Rettig & Jan Clayton) moving and unable to take the dog with them. Cleveland's passing came as the script was apparently already ready to change.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the succession of female bailiffs on Night Court starring Harry Anderson and John Laroquette. If it wasn't sad, it would almost be comical.

They started out with veteran TV comedy actress and writer Selma Diamond (who was often seen with a cigarette in her lips on the show... maybe even during the opening credits?). She died of cancer after a couple of seasons and Florence Halop replaced her. She also died of cancer during the show's production and Marcia Warfield replaced her.

Warfield was asked if she thought it was bad luck to play a role where the two previous actresses had died. She said it was good luck she was getting a continuing role on a successful sitcom and laughed off any fears of her own mortality. She was right. She stayed with the series till it ended, got a daytime Talk show for a year or two and I believe is still a stand up comedianne.



Gregg
[email protected]
 
dhett said:
Jon-Erik Hexum died from an on-set firearms accident during filming of Cover Up in 1984. Voyagers! aired in the 1982-83 season..
Click to expand...

That's what I meant. ;D
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dan Blocker ("Hoss" on Bonanza).

Also coming to mind (although I'm not sure "Perry Mason" was still actually in production) was William Tallman (DA Hamilton Burger) who was in the series The Invaders when he died.
 
Wally Cox and Charley Weaver both died while they were panelists on Hollywood Squares.

Also Fred Allen and Dorothy Kilgallem on What's My Line.
 
John Ritter (8 Simple Rules)
Kevin Peter Hall (Harry & The Hendersons--he was Harry in both the TV series and theatrical movie)
 
Larry Keating (Roger Addison on "Mister Ed") died in 1963;
Leon Ames replaced him for the remainder of the run.

Somebody mentioned game-show panelists; I can think of
at least one game-show host: Allen Ludden died during the
run of "Password Plus" (1981); Bill Cullen filled in temporarily
before Tom Kennedy became the permanent replacement.
(Garry Moore's leaving "To Tell The Truth" doesn't count, since
he lived until 1993.) Make it two: Cullen replaced Jack Barry
as host of "The Joker's Wild" following Barry's death in 1984.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom