Chester Conlan Carter (born October 3, 1934) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

"Doc" in the American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...

'', for which he was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

in the category Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Life and career

Carter was born in

Center Ridge, Arkansas Center Ridge is an unincorporated area, unincorporated census-designated place in Conway County, Arkansas, Conway County, Arkansas, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,235. Demographics 2020 censu ...

, and grew up on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

. He attended Matthews High School in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, where he was a state chamption

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er. After graduating from Matthews High School in 1952, he attended

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland Col ...

, on a two-year

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United Stat ...

. After serving in the United States Air Force for two years, Carter went to the Bay City Actors Lab in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, for three years, specialising in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. He supported himself by working as a field auditor for an insurance company, He then appeared in various dramatic and musical productions in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He took over the title role in an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of the musical '' Pal Joey'' when the original lead actor had to leave the production because of illness. He moved on to work in film and television, first appearing in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County War ...

'' in 1960. Carter later starred in the

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

television series ''

The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...

'', playin the

law student Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

C.E. Carruthers, After the series ended in 1962, Carter guest-starred in other television programs including ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', '' Rawhide'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', ''

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

'', '' The Westerner'' and '' Follow the Sun''. He also appeared in films such as ''

Quick, Before It Melts ''Quick, Before It Melts'' is a 1964 Panavision and Metrocolor comedy film directed by Delbert Mann, written by Dale Wasserman, starring Robert Morse, George Maharis, and Anjanette Comer and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on a nov ...

'', '' White Lightning'' and ''

Dixie Dynamite ''Dixie Dynamite'' is a 1976 American film directed by Lee Frost that stars Warren Oates. Steve McQueen appears uncredited in a scene as a motorbike driver. Plot A man who makes liquor illegally from a still is in cahoots with the sheriff, who ...

''. In 1963, Carter played the

"Doc" in the television series ''

''. He retired in 1986. His brother John Carter was also an actor.

References

External links

* * *
Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Conlan 1934 births Living people People from Conway County, Arkansas Male actors from Arkansas American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors American male pole vaulters 20th-century American male actors Southeast Missouri State University alumni Western (genre) television actors