William "Biff" McGuire (October 25, 1926 – March 9, 2021) was an American actor. Best known as Inspector Kramer in ''

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West ...

'' (1979).

Early years

McGuire attended

Hamden High School Hamden High School is a four-year high school for grades 9 through 12. It is located at 2040 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut. It is part of the Hamden Public School System and is the only public high school within the town of Hamden. The sch ...

and the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

, where he studied agricultural engineering. He left the university to join the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. While stationed in England, he studied at Shrivenham University; while there he painted sets for and acted in a local theater's production. That experience led to a role in a play in London.

Career

In a career that has spanned 50 years, McGuire collected a number of theatrical credits. He debuted on Broadway in ''Bright Boy'' (1944). He was acclaimed for his role as Woody in the 1960 revival of the musical '' Finian's Rainbow '' and played King Arthur in one of the first national tours of ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

''. On October 9, 1955, McGuire starred in the episode "Number Seven, Hangman's Row" of the CBS

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

, '' Appointment with Adventure''. He also starred in the ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' episodes "The Gentleman From America" (1956), "The Hidden Thing" (1956), "Crackpot" (1957), and "Don't Interrupt" (1958, as Larry Templeton). He appeared in such television series as ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...

'' and '' All My Children''. McGuire was a regular on ''Herb Shriner Time'' (1951–1952) on ABC and portrayed Dr. Michael Malloy in the NBC drama '' Gibbsville'' (1976).

Personal life

McGuire was married to the English actress

Jeannie Carson Jeannie Carson (born Jean Shufflebottom; 23 May 1928) is a British-born retired comedian, actress, singer and dancer. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Born to show business parents, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebott ...

, who had starred in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

situation comedy ''

Hey, Jeannie! ''Hey, Jeannie!'', retitled ''The Jeannie Carson Show'' during its second season and also during later prime-time reruns, is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1956-1957 television season and in first-run syndication during ...

'' (1956–1957). Carson co-starred with McGuire in '' Finian's Rainbow''. The couple had two children and two grandchildren. He died on March 9, 2021, at the age of 94.

Recognition

He was nominated for two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s during his career: *1997 Actor (Featured Role—Play) for ''The Young Man From Atlanta'' *2002 Actor (Featured Role—Play) for ''Morning's at Seven''

Filmography

*''

You're in the Navy Now ''You're in the Navy Now'' is a 1951 American war drama film about the United States Navy in the first months of World War II. The film was directed by Henry Hathaway and stars Gary Cooper as a new officer wanting duty at sea but who is instead a ...

'' (1951) as Sailor Messenger (uncredited) *''

The Phenix City Story ''The Phenix City Story'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson for Allied Artists, written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur and starring John McIntire, Richard Kiley, and Kathryn Grant. It had an unusual "triple ...

'' (1955) as Fred Gage * Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) as Howard Latimer in Gentleman from America *''

Station Six-Sahara ''Station Six-Sahara'' is a 1963 British-West German drama film directed by Seth Holt and starring Carroll Baker, Peter van Eyck and Ian Bannen. It is a remake of the 1938 film '' S.O.S. Sahara'', which had been based on a play by Jean Martet. ...

'' (1963) as Jimmy *'' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968) as Sandy *''

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940) is the debut novel by the American author Carson McCullers; she was 23 at the time of publication. It is about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s mill town in the US state ...

'' (1968) as Mr. Kelly *'' Paradise Lost'' (1971) as Phil Foley *''

The Werewolf of Washington ''The Werewolf of Washington'' is a 1973 horror comedy film written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg and starring Dean Stockwell. Produced by Nina Schulman, it satirizes several individuals in the Richard Nixon administration. Plot summary ...

'' (1973) as President *''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...

'' (1973) as Captain McClain *'' Gunsmoke'' (1974) as Potter season 20 episode 8 (the fourth victim) *'' John O'Hara's Gibbsville'' (a.k.a. ''The Turning Point of Jim Malloy'') (TV movie, 1975) as Dr. Michael Malloy *'' Midway'' (1976) as Captain

Miles Browning Miles Rutherford Browning (April 10, 1897 – September 29, 1954) was an officer in the United States Navy in the Atlantic during World War I and in the Pacific during World War II. A pioneer in the development of aircraft carrier combat operati ...

*'' Gibbsville'' (TV series, 6 episodes, 1976) as Dr. Michael Malloy *''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (episode: "See How She Runs") as Babe Mandell *'' Child of Glass'' (1978) as Joe Armsworth *'' The Paper Chase'' (1979) as Smathers''The Paper Chase,'' Season 1, Episode 22: "Scavenger Hunt" (YouTube)
/ref> *'' The Last Word'' (1979) as Governor Davis *''

'' (1979) as Inspector Cramer *''

Hollywood Seagull ''Hollywood Seagull'' (initially titled ''American Seagull'') is a 2013 American drama film directed by Michael Guinzburg, starring Biff McGuire, Lara Romanoff, Will Poston, Barbara Williams and Jay Laisne. It is an adaptation of the play ''The ...

'' (2013) as Bruce Sorensen

Theatre

* '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1960 revival) – Broadway (Woody) * ''

'' (1963) – national tour ( King Arthur) * '' The Day Emily Married'' (2005) – Off-Broadway * ''Young Man From Atlanta'' (1997) – Broadway * ''

Morning's at Seven ''Morning's at Seven'' is a play by Paul Osborn. Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1928, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to mak ...

'' (2002) – Broadway

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuire, Biff 1926 births 2021 deaths American expatriates in the United Kingdom American male film actors Place of death missing American male musical theatre actors Male actors from New Haven, Connecticut United States Army personnel of World War II