Don Gordon (born Donald Walter Guadagno; November 13, 1926 – April 24, 2017) was an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. His most notable film roles were those in which he appeared alongside his friend

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

: ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner ...

'' (1968), '' Papillon'' (1973) and ''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Towe ...

'' (1974). Between the first and the last of those films he appeared in '' The Gamblers'' (1970), '' WUSA'' (1970), ''

Cannon for Cordoba ''Cannon for Cordoba'' is a 1970 American Western film. Filmed in Spain, the larger part of the movie takes place in Mexico in 1912. Directed by Paul Wendkos, it stars George Peppard, Pete Duel, Giovanna Ralli, and Raf Vallone, and features a m ...

'' (1970), ''

The Last Movie ''The Last Movie'' is a 1971 metafictional drama film directed and edited by Dennis Hopper, who also stars in the leading role as a horse wrangler named after the state of Kansas. It is written by Stewart Stern, based on a story by Hopper and St ...

'' (1971), ''

Z.P.G. ''Z.P.G.'' (short for "Zero population growth, Zero Population Growth") is a 1972 Danish-American dystopian science fiction film directed by Michael Campus and starring Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin. It was inspired by the best-selling 1968 ...

'' (1972), '' Fuzz'' (1972), '' Slaughter'' (1972), ''

The Mack ''The Mack'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by California native Michael Campus, starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. The film also stars Oscar-nominee Juanita Moore and Tony-nominated actor Dick Anthony Williams. Filmed in Oa ...

'' (1973), ''

The Education of Sonny Carson ''The Education of Sonny Carson'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation drama film based on the best-selling autobiography of Sonny Carson. The film was directed by ''The Mack'' director Michael Campus, and starring Rony Clanton, Don Gordon, Joy ...

'' (1974) and '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) as the ill-fated assistant to protagonist

Damien Thorn Damien Thorn is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of ''The Omen'' franchise. He is the Antichrist and the son of the Devil. The character has been portrayed by Harvey Spencer Stephens, Jonathan Scott-Taylor, Sam Neill, Seamus ...

Early life

Gordon was born Donald Walter Guadagno in Los Angeles on November 13, 1926. He sold newspapers at the age of eight to help support his family during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He enlisted in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

at the age of fifteen after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, convincing his mother to say he was eighteen. He won eleven

battle stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

. Gordon entered

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

after the war and changed his name. As recounted after his death in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' Gordon was standing outside the drama school at

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

and Gordon Street, when "a classmate told him that he would never make it in show business with the surname Guadagno. The student then pointed to the street sign and said, 'Your name should be Don Gordon.'"

Career

Gordon's television successes began with a starring role in the 1960–1961 syndicated series '' The Blue Angels'', based on the elite precision flight demonstration pilots of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

. In 1962, Gordon was nominated for a Primetime

Emmy 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 ...

Award for his role as Joey Tassili on

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 Entertainmen ...

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 ...

, '' The Defenders'', starring

E.G. Marshall E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz;Everett Eugene Grunz in Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1900-1934, Ancestry.comEverett Eugene Grunz in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, accessed via Ancestry.com June 18, ...

. During 1977–1978, he co-starred in the television show ''

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial ...

'', and he played Harry in the CBS drama ''The Contender'' (1980).

Later career

Gordon's last credited film work was the 2005 documentary, ''Steve McQueen – The Essence of Cool''. Gordon was interviewed along with several others who had worked with McQueen, with whom he was a close friend and colleague.

Personal life

On February 18, 1948, Gordon (aged 21) married actress

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress and former child actress. She is best known for her work in ''The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was the daughte ...

(aged 20) in Oxnard, California. They divorced in 1953. He married actress

Bek Nelson Bek Nelson (born Doris Dee Stiner; March 8, 1927 – March 28, 2015) was an American model and showgirl who turned to acting at age 29, making seven films and two dozen television shows in her first three years. Early life She was born Doris De ...

on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles. They adopted a daughter, Gabrielle, in 1966, and they divorced on May 23, 1979. Gordon died at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

in Los Angeles on April 24, 2017, aged 90, survived by his wife, Denise, and his daughter, Gabrielle, from a previous marriage. He was diagnosed with cancer shortly before his death.Don Gordon, Steve McQueen’s Sidekick Onscreen and in Life, Dies at 90
''

'', May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.

Selected filmography

* ''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II ...

'' (1949) - First Patient in Base Hospital (uncredited) * '' Halls of Montezuma'' (1951) - Marine (uncredited) * ''

Let's Go Navy! ''Let's Go Navy!'' is a 1951 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on July 29, 1951 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-third film in the series. Plot A local charity has raised sixteen hundred dollars and entrusted the ...

'' (1951) - Sailor (uncredited) * ''

Force of Arms ''Force of Arms'' (reissued under the title ''A Girl for Joe'') is a 1951 romantic war drama film set in the Italian theater of World War II. It reteamed William Holden and Nancy Olson in the third of their four movies together (''Sunset Boul ...

'' (1951) - Sgt. Webber (uncredited) * '' It's a Big Country: An American Anthology'' (1951) - Mervin (uncredited) * ''

Girls in the Night ''Girls in the Night'' is an American film noir directed by Jack Arnold. Released by Universal Pictures on January 15, 1953, the film stars Harvey Lembeck, Joyce Holden and Glenda Farrell. A family's efforts to move into a better neighborhood a ...

'' (1953) - Irv Kellener * ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' (1953) - Bart Durling (uncredited) * ''

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American science fiction monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, and Kenneth Tobey. The screenp ...

'' (1953) - Soldier (uncredited) * ''

Revolt at Fort Laramie ''Revolt at Fort Laramie'' is a 1957 American Color by Deluxe Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring John Dehner, Gregg Palmer, Frances Helm and Don Gordon (actor), Don Gordon. The film was shot in Kanab, Utah with Harry Dean Stan ...

'' (1956) - Jean Salignac * ''

The Benny Goodman Story Dick Winslow ''The Benny Goodman Story'' is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies, and released by Universal-International in 1956. The film was intended as a follow-up to Universal's 1954 hit ''The G ...

'' (1956) - Tough Boy in Gang (uncredited) * ''

The Walter Winchell File ''The Walter Winchell File'' is a television crime drama series that initially aired from 1957 to 1958, dramatizing cases from the New York City Police Department that were covered in the ''New York Daily Mirror''. The series featured columnist an ...

'' "The Bargain" (1958) - Deek * '' Cry Tough'' (1959) - Incho * ''

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 ...

'' (Season 5, Episode 16, No. 136 overall) (1964) - Salvador Ross * '' The Outer Limits'' (Season 1, Episode 19, The Invisibles) (1964) - Agent Luis B. Spain * ''

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 ...

'' (Season 4, Episode 8, Crossfire) (1965) - Pvt. Stevens * ''The Lollipop Cover'' (1965) - Nick Bartaloni * ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

'' (Season 2, Episode 6, The Trial) (1967) - Charlie Gilman * ''

'' (1968) - Delgetti * '' The Gamblers'' (1970) - Rooney * '' WUSA'' (1970) - Bogdanovich * ''

'' (1971) - Jackson Harkness * ''

'' (1971) - Neville Robey * ''

'' (1972) - George Borden * '' Fuzz'' (1972) - Anthony La Bresca * '' Slaughter'' (1972) - Harry * ''

'' (1973) - Hank * ''

The Return of Charlie Chan ''The Return of Charlie Chan'' (also known as ''Happiness Is a Warm Clue'') is a 1973 American television film. It was directed by Daryl Duke and stars Ross Martin, Richard Haydn, Louise Sorel, and Leslie Nielsen. Plot Charlie Chan investigates ...

'' (1973) - Lambert * '' Papillon'' (1973) - Julot * ''

'' (1974) - Pigliani *''

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 f ...

'' (Season 4, Episode 2, Negative Reaction) (1974) - Alvin Deschler * ''

'' (1974) - Kappy * '' Out of the Blue'' (1980) - Charlie * '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) - Harvey Dean, assistant of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) 1 John ; . 2 John . ...

* ''

The Beast Within ''The Beast Within'' is a 1982 American horror film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, L. Q. Jones, Don Gordon, R. G. Armstrong, Logan Ramsey, Katherine Moffat, and Meshach Taylor. ''The Beast Within'' ...

'' (1982) - Judge Curwin * ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (1982) - Police Lt Dickerson * ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television series ...

'' (1983) - Frank Scanlon * ''

'' (1985) - Randy Cavanaugh * ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...

'' (1987) - Cop #2 * ''Code Name Vengeance'' (1987) - Harry Applegate * '' Skin Deep'' (1989) - Curt * ''

The Exorcist III ''The Exorcist III'' is a 1990 American psychological horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the third installment in the ''Exorcist'' series, an adaptation of Blatty's ''Exorcist'' novel ''Legion'' (1983), and the fin ...

'' (1990) - Ryan * ''

The Borrower ''The Borrower'' is a 1991 American science fiction horror film directed by John McNaughton and starring Rae Dawn Chong, Tom Towles and Antonio Fargas. The story revolves around an alien serial killer, who is sent to Earth to live among humans as ...

'' (1991) - Charles Krieger

References

External links

*
RIP Don Gordon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Don 1926 births 2017 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American people of Italian descent Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from cancer in California