Anthony Jared Zerbe (born May 20, 1936) is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in ''

The Omega Man ''The Omega Man'' (stylized as ''The Ωmega Man'') is a 1971 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston as a survivor of a pandemic. It was written by John William Corrington and Joyce Corrington, ba ...

'', a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, '' I Am Legend''; as an Irish Catholic coal miner and one of the

Molly Maguires The Molly Maguires were an Irish people, Irish 19th-century secret society active in Ireland, Liverpool and parts of the Eastern United States, best known for their activism among Irish-American and Irish diaspora, Irish immigrant coal miners i ...

in the 1970 film '' The Molly Maguires''; as a corrupt gambler in '' Farewell, My Lovely''; as the leper colony chief Toussaint in the 1973 historical drama prison film '' Papillon''; as Abner Devereaux in '' Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park''; as villain Milton Krest in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film ''

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. It sees Bond suspended from MI6 as he pursu ...

''; Rosie in '' The Turning Point''; Roger Stuart in '' The Dead Zone''; Admiral Dougherty in '' Star Trek: Insurrection''; and Councillor Hamann in ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to '' The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Lau ...

'' and ''

The Matrix Revolutions ''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...

''.

Life and career

Zerbe was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, the son of Catherine (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Scurlock) and Arthur LeVan Zerbe. He went to

Newport Harbor High School Newport Harbor High School is a public high school in Newport Beach, in Orange County, California, in the United States. It is part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. The school primarily serves students in western Newport Beach and sou ...

. He attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popu ...

, graduating in 1958. His parents were also alumni of Pomona College. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

from 1959 to 1961. Zerbe's interest in acting was kindled by stage productions when he was 17. He studied at the Stella Adler Studio in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He made his

stage debut at the Greenwich Mews Theatre on October 15, 1961 with The Cave Dwellers. On television, he has played guest roles on such series as '' Naked City'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

'' (2 episodes), ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour ...

'', '' Route 66'', ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'', '' Twelve O'Clock High'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'' (5 episodes), ''

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 chara ...

'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' (4 episodes), '' It Takes a Thief'', '' The Chisholms'', '' Ironside'', ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', '' The Rookies'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'', ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'', as well as numerous others. He had a starring role in '' The Young Riders''; and co-starred on ''

Harry O ''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American Detective fiction, private detective series that aired for two seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was exec ...

'' in that series' second and final seasons. Zerbe was also seen as

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

in the miniseries ''

A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

'' and as General Grant in '' North and South: Book II''. He was also in many episodes of the mini-series ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

'', in 1978. His latest appearance is in the 2013 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

American Hustle ''American Hustle'' is a 2013 American historical black comedy crime film directed by David O. Russell. It was written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell, inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It stars Chris ...

''. Zerbe is the former artistic director of ''Reflections, A New Plays Festival'' at the Geva Theatre in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, and has toured the United States, in 1981, with ''Behind the Broken Words'', a performance of contemporary poetry and comedy plus dramatic works with fellow actor

Roscoe Lee Browne Roscoe Lee Browne (May 2, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American actor and director. He resisted playing stereotypically black roles, instead performing in several productions with New York City's Shakespeare Festival Theater, Leland Hayward ...

. In 1976, Zerbe won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Lieutenant K.C. Trench in the private detective series ''

''. In 1981, he played eldest brother Benjamin Hubbard in a Broadway revival of '' The Little Foxes''.

Personal life

Zerbe has been married to Arnette Jens (sister of actress Salome Jens), since October 7, 1962; the couple has two children.

Selected filmography

* 1967 ''

Cool Hand Luke ''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison ca ...

'' as "Dog Boy" * 1967 '' Will Penny'' as "Dutchy" * 1970 '' The Molly Maguires'' as Dougherty * 1970 ''

The Liberation of L.B. Jones ''The Liberation of L.B. Jones'' is a 1970 American neo noir film directed by William Wyler, his final project in a career that spanned 45 years. The screenplay by Jesse Hill Ford and Stirling Silliphant is based on Ford's 1965 novel ''The Lib ...

'' as Willie Joe Worth * 1970 ''

They Call Me Mister Tibbs! ''They Call Me Mister Tibbs!'' is a 1970 American DeLuxe Color crime drama film directed by Gordon Douglas. The second installment in a trilogy, the release was preceded by '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967) and followed by '' The Organizatio ...

'' as Rice Weedon * 1971 ''

'' as Jonathan Matthias * 1972 ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...

'' (TV Movie) as Dr. John Mortimer * 1972 ''

The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie ''The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed by Jack Starrett and starring Bonnie Bedelia and Ken Howard. Plot A traveling salesman is lured by a precocious teenage girl to her shack in the desert for some sex ...

'' as Fry * 1972 '' The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' as The Hustler * 1973 '' Papillon'' as Toussaint * 1973 '' She Lives!'' (TV Movie) as "Dr. W" * 1973 ''Carola'' (TV Movie) as Campan * 1973 '' The Laughing Policeman'' as Steiner * 1974 '' The Parallax View'' as Professor Nelson Schwartzkopf (uncredited) * 1975 '' Farewell, My Lovely'' as Laird Brunette * 1975 '' Rooster Cogburn'' as "Breed" * 1977 '' The Turning Point'' as Rosie * 1978 ''

Child of Glass A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

'' (TV movie) * 1978 '' Who'll Stop the Rain'' as Antheil * 1978 '' Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park'' as Abner Devereaux * 1980 ''

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean ...

'' (TV Movie) as William Kunstler * 1980 ''

The First Deadly Sin ''The First Deadly Sin'' is a 1980 American crime thriller film produced by and starring Frank Sinatra. The film features Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, Brenda Vaccaro, James Whitmore, and Martin Gabel in his final role. The film is based on the 197 ...

'' as Captain Broughton * 1981 ''Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.'' as Morgan * 1983 ''

Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair'' is a 1983 American made-for-television action-adventure film based on the 1964–1968 television series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' starring Robert Vaughn and David McCa ...

'' as Justin Sepheran * 1983 '' The Dead Zone'' as Roger Stuart * 1986 '' Off Beat'' as Mr. Wareham * 1986 ''Opposing Force'' as Becker * 1987 ''

P.I. Private Investigations ''P.I. Private Investigations'' (also known as ''Private Investigations'') is a 1987 crime- thriller film directed by Nigel Dick and starring Clayton Rohner, Ray Sharkey and Paul Le Mat. Premise A young architect finds himself being stalked b ...

'' as Charles Bradley, Joey's Father * 1987 ''

Steel Dawn ''Steel Dawn'' is a 1987 American post-apocalyptic science fiction action film directed by Lance Hool and starring Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi. The working title of the film, which mixes the genres of science fiction and western, was ''Desert W ...

'' as Damnil * 1989 '' Listen to Me'' as Senator McKellar * 1989 ''

See No Evil, Hear No Evil ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil'' is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller. The film stars Richard Pryor as a blind man and Gene Wilder as a deaf man who work together to thwart a trio of murderous thieves. This is the third film (in ...

'' as Sutherland * 1989 ''

'' as Milton Krest * 1997 ''

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

'' as Father Donahue * 1998 '' Star Trek: Insurrection'' as Admiral Matthew Dougherty * 1999 ''

True Crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...

'' as Henry Lowenstein * 2003 ''Behind the Broken Words'' * 2003 ''

'' as Councillor Hamann * 2003 ''

'' as Councillor Hamann * 2007 '' Veritas, Prince of Truth'' as Porterfield * 2013 ''

'' as Senator Horton Mitchell * 2014 ''

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' is a 2001 play by American playwright Richard Alfieri. It is a play with only two characters: Lily Harrison, the formidable widow of a Baptist minister, and Michael Minetti, a gay and acerbic dance instructor ...

'' as Mr. Crumwald * 2016 ''The Investigation'' as Ash

Television

*'' Naked City'' (TV series) (1963) – Phil Karshow *''

'' (TV series) (1965) - S1 Ep 13 - The Curse of Matt Bentall *''

'' (1967) – Deke Montgomery *'' The Virginian'' (1968) – Jake Powell *''

'' (3 episodes, 1968–1973) – Talbot / Heraclio Cantrell and Father Hernando Cantrell / Nick Skouras *'' Mission: Impossible'': "The Photographer" (1967) – David Redding *''Mission: Impossible'': "Live Bait" (1969) – Colonel Helmut Kellerman *''Mission: Impossible'': "The Amnesiac" (1969) – Col. Alex Vorda *''

'': "A Ride in the Sun" (1969) – John Spain *''

'': "Death in a Minor Key" (1969) – Chief Walt Finley *''Mission: Impossible'': "The Amateur" (1970) – Eric Schilling *''Mission: Impossible'': The Connection" (1971) – Reece Dolan *''

'': "Cry Silence" (1972) – James Conway *''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'' (1972, 1973) – three episodes *''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'' (1973) – Eddie Whitney *''

'' (1973 and 1974) – Rafe / Paul Klempt *'' Hawaii Five-O'' (1974) S6/Ep22 – Cord McKenzie in "Mother's Deadly Helper" *''

'' (1975–1976) Season 1 (after episode 14), Season 2 – Lt. KC Trench, 30 total episodes *'' Once an Eagle'' (1976) – Dave Shifkin *'' How the West Was Won'' (1976–1977) – Martin Grey / Provost Marshal Captain Martin Grey *''

The Red Hand Gang ''The Red Hand Gang'' is an American live-action Saturday morning television series that aired on NBC from September 10 to November 26, 1977. The show featured five crime-solving pre-teens and their dog Boomer, who lived in the inner city. The gr ...

'' (1977) *''

'': The Gang at Don's Drive-In (1978) – Jack Skowron *''

'' (1978) – Mervin Wendell * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

'' “The Wild Boy” (1982) - Dr. Joshua McQueen *''

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

'' (1984) – General St. Pierre *''

'' (miniseries) (1985) – Pontius Pilate *''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Vi ...

'' (1985) – Jabez Stone in "The Devil and Jonathan Smith" *''

Dream West ''Dream West'' is a 1986 American television miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and directed by Dick Lowry. Development The seven-hour miniseries was broken into three parts (2 hours, 2 hours, and 3 hours). Part 1 aired on Sunday, April 13 ...

'' (1986) – Bill Williams *'' One Police Plaza'' (1986) *'' North and South, Book II'' (1986) – Gen. Ulysses S. Grant *'' The Equalizer'': "Memories of Manon" (1987) – Phillipe Marcel *''

Baja Oklahoma ''Baja Oklahoma'' is a 1988 American made-for-television comedy-drama film by HBO Original Film starring Lesley Ann Warren. Written by director Bobby Roth and novelist Dan Jenkins, based on Jenkins's 1982 novel with the same title, it also stars ...

'' (1988) – Ole Jeemy Williams *'' Onassis: The Richest Man in the World'' (1988) – Livanos *''

'': Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989) – Max Dyson *'' The Young Riders'' (1989–1992) – Teaspoon Hunter *''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'': "Murder of the Month Club" (1994) – Matt Matthews *''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'': "Revenge is the Nuts" (1994) - Arnie Grunwald *'' Walker Texas Ranger'': "Break In" (1996) – Joey Galloway *''

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

'' (1997) – Dr. Charles Napier *''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'': "RDWRER" (2000) - Clifford *''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'': "Accountability" (2004) – Judge Henry Sobel

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zerbe, Anthony 1936 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Long Beach, California Newport Harbor High School alumni Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Pomona College alumni United States Air Force airmen