Peter Turgeon

Peter Turgeon
Turgeon in Airport 1970
Born
Boyd Higginson Turgeon[1][2]

(1919-12-25)December 25, 1919
DiedOctober 6, 2000(2000-10-06) (aged 80)
Occupation(s)Film, television and theatre actor
Years active1940–1989
Spouse
Virginia Richardson
(m. 1954; died 1993)
[3][4]
Children2[5]

Boyd Higginson Turgeon (December 25, 1919 – October 6, 2000), known professionally as Peter Turgeon, was an American film, television, and theatre actor. He was perhaps best known for playing the caustic and interfering passenger Marcus Rathbone in the 1970 film Airport.[6]

Life and career

Turgeon was born in Hinsdale, Illinois.[2] He began his career in 1940, appearing in a touring production titled Life With Father.[1] He then served in the United States Army Air Corps, returning to acting in 1946.[1] Turgeon appeared in stage plays including Call Me Mister, Brigadoon, The Beggar's Opera, A Thurber Carnival and Send Me No Flowers.[5][7] In 1954 to 1955 he was an assistant stage manager for the Broadway play The Tender Trap.[7]

On screen Turgeon played Jack Peterson in seven episodes of the television sitcom Mister Peepers, starring Wally Cox.[2] He also appeared in the television soap operas Dark Shadows, The Edge of Night and General Hospital.[1] Turgeon guest-starred in television programs including The Phil Silvers Show, L.A. Law, The Jeffersons, The Defenders, The Patty Duke Show and Naked City.[1] He also appeared in films such as Muscle Beach Party, Me, Natalie, Some Kind of a Nut, Dear Heart, The World of Henry Orient and The Possession of Joel Delaney.[1]

After retiring from film and television in 1989, Turgeon worked as an actor, director and writer for the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut, also working at the John Drew Theatre at Guild Hall of East Hampton in East Hampton, New York.[1][5]

Death

Turgeon died in October 2000 at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, New York.[1][5]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1964 The World of Henry Orient Orchestra Member
1964 Muscle Beach Party Theodore
1964 Dear Heart Peterson
1968 What's So Bad About Feeling Good? Security Expert Uncredited
1969 Last Summer Mr. Caudell Uncredited
1969 Me, Natalie Attorney
1969 Some Kind of a Nut Thomas Allen Defoe
1970 Airport Marcus Rathbone
1972 The Possession of Joel Delaney Detective Brady
1973 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Counterman
1980 American Gigolo Julian's Lawyer

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lentz, Harris (June 2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000. McFarland. p. 224. ISBN 9780786410248 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c Tucker, Fredrick (November 15, 2021). Sweet Oddball – The Story of Alice Pearce. BearManor Media. p. 686. ISBN 9781629337364 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Willis, John (1996). Theatre World 1993-1994. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 246. ISBN 9781557832351 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Kosmal, Edward (August 3, 1955). "Wally Cox's Pal Peter Turgeon". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 47. Retrieved December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b c d "Peter Turgeon, 80, Stage and Screen Actor". The New York Times. October 15, 2000. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Andreychuk, Ed (September 2015). Burt Lancaster: A Filmography and Biography. McFarland. p. 150. ISBN 9781476606491 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b "Peter Turgeon". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 19, 2021.