Arthur Peterson Jr. (November 18, 1912 – October 31, 1996) was an American actor. He played character and supporting roles on stage, television, and feature films. On television, he played the Major in the

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' (1977–1981).

Early life

Born and raised in Mandan, North Dakota, Peterson first obtained a degree in theater from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

before becoming a professional actor with the first

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United ...

. Peterson made his media debut in 1937 with the central role on the radio serial '' The Guiding Light''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Peterson fought within General Patton's Third Army.

Acting career

In the era of

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...

, Peterson portrayed Wilton Comstock on '' Bachelor's Children'', Bill Baxter on ''The Baxters'', Judge Parsons on ''The Tom Mix Ralston Straightshooters'', and John Ruthledge on ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

''. In 1949, Peterson appeared in the ABC network's first

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

, ''That's O'Toole''. In 1960, he appeared in the episode “The Peace Officer” (S6E6) in the TV Western ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'', as well as in 1961 as “Sam Frazer” in “A Man A Day” and in 1966 as a “Drunk” in “Champion of the World”. Peterson's stage work included appearances in such plays as ''Inherit the Wind''. His film career has been sporadic, including such titles as '' The Young Animals'' (AKA ''Born Wild'') (1968) and the television movie ''

Rollercoaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

'' (1977). Peterson was guest artist at

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

, where he taught classes in acting and developed original materials such as The Monster, The Bride and Stephen based on the writings of Stephen Crane. He also co-authored with June August, a one-man show titled "Robert Frost: Fire and Ice", based on the life and works of the famous poet. After the premiere of the one-man show at the Pasadena Playhouse Interim Theatre, Peterson spent 1981 to 1991 touring the United States with the Robert Frost piece, which alternated with a Pasadena Playhouse production of "The Gin Game," performed with his wife Norma, (a play previously performed on Broadway by Jessica Tandy and her husband

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer. Early life Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...

). During Arthur's residency at George Mason, he met David Arrow, who was instrumental in bringing "Robert Frost: Fire and Ice" off-Broadway, where it played during the summer of 1984. Peterson also recorded the piece for AudioBooks. When the long run ended for these plays, Peterson retired from acting. He died on October 31, 1996, of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

in the Amberwood Convalescent Hospital in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

18 days before his 84th birthday.

Personal life

Peterson was married to Norma Ransom, an actress whom he met when the two were students at the University of Minnesota.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1912 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease People from Mandan, North Dakota University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni {{US-theat-actor-1910s-stub