He was an actor who was on his way up and sadly died before his career
hit its peak. He is best remembered for his role as 'Mr. Wilson' on the
"Dennis the Menace" TV series and most worthy for inclusion on
any list of great character actors. He was of medium height with a squarish
face, dark, greased down hair, bespectacled over owlish eyes and a prissy,
but dignified, manner about him. He was born on February 12, 1907 in Salt
Lake City, Utah. His parents moved to California before he was of school
age and he was educated in San Francisco and San Diego. He attended college
at the University of Utah where he paid his tuition by teaching a course
in theatrical makeup. He got his start in show business working in radio
in the 1940s on such shows as "Adventures of Sam Spade"; "Burns
and Allen"; "The Cinnamon Bear"; "Suspense" and
many others. His very brief film career started with his debut in "Hard,
Fast and Beautiful" (1951) as J.R. Carpenter. His other films were:
Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) as Voice of the Doorknob;
"Our Miss Brooks" (1956) the film version, as Mr. Stone; "The
Girl Most Likely" (1957) as Mr. Schlom; "The Gift of Love"
(1958) as Mr. Rynicker; "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) as Mr. Burke,
his last film. His television debut came in "Our Miss Brooks"
(1953-55) as Superintendent Stone. He was also a regular on the TV series:
"Dennis the Menace" (1959-62) as Mr. George Wilson. He also guest
starred on other TV series including: "I Love Lucy"; "How
to Marry a Millionaire"; "My Little Margie"; "Gunsmoke";
"Perry Mason" and "The Donna Reed Show." He was an avid
organist and his Hollywood home was built around a huge organ. He died of
a cerebral hemorrhage on February 17, 1962 in Los Angeles, California five
days after his 55th birthday.
