Herbert Ellis (born Herbert Siegel; January 17, 1921 – December 26, 2018) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

and writer. He was best known for his collaborations with

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

, and he frequently portrayed law enforcement officers in film and television.Beck, Ken (March 16, 2003). Sgt. Friday had six sidekicks in 'Dragnet' web. ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'' Born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ellis began his career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

in the late 1940s. Ellis and Webb together devised the name and concept for '' Dragnet'' after collaborating on an unsuccessful project titled ''Joe Friday, Room Five''.Buntin, John (2009). ''L.A. noir: the struggle for the soul of America's most seductive city.'' Random House, Inc., He played Officer Frank Smith in eight episodes of the original ''Dragnet'' series. He played Frank La Valle in 23 episodes of '' The D.A.'s Man'', and he played

Beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

bistro owner, painter and sculptor Wilbur in five episodes of ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...

''. Ellis and Webb later worked together on '' Dragnet 1966'' and ''

Dragnet 1967 ''Dragnet'' is an American television series. It ran for four seasons, from January 12, 1967, to April 16, 1970. To differentiate it from the earlier 1950s '' Dragnet'' television series, the year in which each season ended was made part of the ...

''. From 1959 to 1962, Ellis was cast as Dr. Dan Wagner in seven episodes of 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 ...

military sitcom/drama series, '' Hennesey'', starring

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

as a

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 ...

physician, with

Abby Dalton Gladys Marlene Wasden (August 15, 1932 – November 23, 2020), known professionally as Abby Dalton, was an American actress, known for her television roles on the sitcoms ''Hennesey'' (1959–1962) and '' The Joey Bishop Show'' (1962– ...

as nurse Martha Hale. Ellis was married to Sylvia Siegel, and they had two children. He died on December 26, 2018, at his home in

San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish for " St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718. San Gabriel was founded by the Spanish in 1771, when Mission San Gabriel Arc ...

. He was 97.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1921 births 2018 deaths Male actors from Ohio American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Cleveland Male actors from Los Angeles {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub