George Petrie (actor)

George O. Petrie
Petrie as the star of Charlie Wild, Private Detective on radio, 1950
Born	George O. Petrie (1912-11-16)November 16, 1912 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	November 16, 1997(1997-11-16) (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1996
Spouse	Patricia Pope
Children	2

George O. Petrie (November 16, 1912 – November 16, 1997) was an American radio and television actor.[1]

Early years

Petrie was born on November 16, 1912, in New Haven, Connecticut.[2] He graduated from the University of Southern California and served in the Army during World War II.[3]

Stage

Petrie's career began on stage.[3] In 1938 he portrayed attorney George Simon in a Federal Theatre Project production of Counsellor-At-Law.[4] His Broadway credits include The Girl from Wyoming (1938), Jeremiah (1939), The Night Before Christmas (1941), Mr. Big (1941), Cafe Crown (1942), Army Play-by Play (1943), Winged Victory (1943), and Brighten the Corner (1945).[5]

In 1974 Petrie returned to the stage after a 12-year absence when he co-starred in Stag at Bay, produced by the Florida State University School of Theater.[6]

Radio

Petrie started in radio drama, including playing the title roles in Charlie Wild, Private Detective[7] and in The Adventures of the Falcon.[8] He played Bill Grant in Call the Police[9] and appeared on programs such as the syndicated horror program Murder at Midnight in 1947 and the recurring role of DA Markham in the syndicated Philo Vance radio series from 1948 to 1950.

Film

Petrie's film credits include At Sword's Point (1952), Baby Boom (1987), and Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987).

Television

Petrie portrayed prosecuting attorney Pete Quinn on The Edge of Night for more than a decade.[6] On The Honeymooners, he had recurring character roles throughout the series. He played Eddie Haskell's father in season 6 of Leave it to Beaver. He appeared on the prime-time soap opera Dallas and the 1996 sequel TV movie Dallas: J.R. Returns, in the recurring role of Ewing family attorney Harv Smithfield.

Other television credits include: Rawhide; 77 Sunset Strip; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Twilight Zone; The Andy Griffith Show; Perry Mason; Dr. Kildare; Bonanza; The Addams Family; The Munsters; The Wild Wild West; Hawaii Five-O; Little House on the Prairie; Ironside; Combat!; Maude; Gunsmoke; The Paper Chase;[10] Three's Company; Cagney & Lacey; Dynasty; Quincy, M.E.; Knight Rider; St. Elsewhere; Wiseguy; Night Court; Gomer Pyle, USMC; Mad About You; L.A. Law and Who's the Boss.

Death

Petrie died of lymphoma on his 85th birthday in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Patricia, had two children.[3]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1944	Winged Victory	Barker
1947	Boomerang	Harry O'Shea, Public Defender	Uncredited
1950	Swiss Tour	Sidney
1952	At Sword's Point	Chalais
1962	Gypsy	George
1963	Hud	Joe Scanlon
1963	Wall of Noise	Mr. Tom Harrington
1964	Dead Ringer	Eddie Krauss	Uncredited
1964	He Rides Tall	Crowley
1968	What's So Bad About Feeling Good?	Bolton	Uncredited
1976	Raid on Entebbe	Chaim Zadok	TV movie
1977	Telefon	Hotel Desk Clerk
1978	The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2	Doctor in Los Angeles
1981	Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood	Frank	TV movie
1983	Wavelength	Dr. Savianno
1987	Baby Boom	Everett Sloane
1987	Planes, Trains and Automobiles	Martin
1992	Folks!	Sammy

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Rawhide	Deputy	Season 4 Episode 4: "Judgment at Hondo Seco"
1963	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Detective Rogers	Season 1 Episode 26: "An Out for Oscar"
1963	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Henry	Season 2 Episode 11: "How to Get Rid of Your Wife"

References

1. Oliver, Myrna (19 November 1997). "George Petrie; Veteran TV and Movie Actor". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
2. DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. Pp. 215-216.
3. "George O. Petrie, enduring character actor". The Herald. Florida, Miami. Los Angeles Times Service. November 20, 1997. p. 48. Retrieved September 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "George Petrie May Repeat Local Triumph On Broadway Stage". The Hartford Daily Courant. June 25, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "George Petrie". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
6. Conklin, Diane (January 20, 1974). "Stars of MacArthur Play Are Acting Veterans". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 9 E. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
7. Dunning, John (1998). "Charlie Wild, Private Detective". On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 149–150. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
8. Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 13.
9. Dunning, John (1998). "Call The Police". On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
10. The Paper Chase, Season 1, Episode 17: "The Apprentice" (YouTube)

External links

• George O. Petrie at IMDb
• George Petrie at Find a Grave