Herbert Ellis (born Herbert Siegel; January 17, 1921 – December 26, 2018) was an American character actor and writer. He was best known for his collaborations with Jack Webb, 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, Ellis began his career in 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''. 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 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. 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