Donald Starr (September 20, 1917 – July 11, 1995) was an American actor who became known for his recurring role as oil baron Jordan Lee in the

CBS-TV 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 ...

primetime soap opera series ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

''.

Life and career

Starr was born and raised in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

; he studied acting in 1938–39 under scholarship at the Pasadena (Calif.) Community Playhouse. He served as an officer and a medical administrator with the U.S. Army from 1945–48 and earned an associate degree in 1950 at the University of Texas. The next year, he took a job as an assistant administrator at Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. He came to Tucson in 1956 to accept a position as business manager of the Tucson Clinic, retiring from that job in 1977. During his time living in Tucson, he served as a volunteer in several capacities, including president and board member of the Tucson Association for Child Care – a group he helped found. He would also serve as president of the United Community Campaign, secretary of the American College of Clinic Managers, and president of the Tucson Rotary Club. He is best known for his portrayal of oil baron Jordan Lee in the soap opera ''

''. Other television credits include: ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions in ...

'', ''

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 Midwestern United States, American M ...

'', ''

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 investigator ...

'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'', ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'', ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'', '' V: The Final Battle'', ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' and ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

''. Starr also made numerous notable film appearances, such as his role as Judge Mark Brandler in the film ''

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1972), ''

Speedtrap Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside 'speed camera' ...

'' (1977), and ''

The Onion Field ''The Onion Field'' is a 1973 nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh, a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, chronicling the kidnapping of two plainclothes LAPD officers by a pair of criminals during a traffic stop and the subsequent m ...

'' (1979).

Personal life

Starr married Mary Alyce "Molly' Harnish in 1942. The couple were divorced in 1977. They had two sons, Grant and Clay and daughter, Laurie. He then married former Beverly Kunst in 1983, the couple returned to Tucson after "Dallas' ended its long network run.

Death

Starr died at his home in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

on July 11, 1995, from injuries after a fall.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1917 births 1995 deaths Male actors from Riverside, California American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Accidental deaths from falls {{US-screen-actor-stub