Lee Farr (born Leon Farb; April 10, 1927 – March 23, 2017) was an American actor best known for his starring role as Lt. Jimmy Conway in the television series '' The Detectives'' during the 1950s and 1960s.

Early years

Farr was born Leon Farb in New York on April 10, 1927, to Rose ( Draisin) Farb and Jacob Farb, a photographer. He was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from

Boys High School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

in the borough's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He enlisted in the United States Navy before enrolling at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree in

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

. While at Penn State, he took some acting courses and acted in school plays.

Career

Farr began his career as a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

before transitioning to acting. He appeared in ''The Detectives' first season. His other television work from the 1950 to the 1970s also included appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'', ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show wa ...

'', '' Laramie'', '' Trackdown'' and ''

M Squad ''M Squad'' is an American crime drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. It was produced by Lee Marvin's Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Its main sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's ...

''. His film credits included ''

Thundering Jets ''Thundering Jets'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by Helmut Dantine, written by James Landis, and starring Rex Reason, Dick Foran, Audrey Dalton, Barry Coe, and Robert Dix. ''Thundering Jets'' was released in May 1958, by 20th Century ...

'' in 1958, ''

Tarawa Beachhead ''Tarawa Beachhead'' is a 1958 war film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Columbia Pictures contract star Kerwin Mathews in his first leading role and the husband and wife team of Ray Danton and Julie Adams. The working title of the film was '' ...

'' in 1958, ''

Lone Texan ''Lone Texan'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Paul Landres and written by James Landis and Jack W. Thomas. The film stars Willard Parker, Grant Williams, Audrey Dalton, Douglas Kennedy, June Blair and Dabbs Greer. The film was re ...

'' in 1959, and ''

Gunfighters of Abilene ''Gunfighters of Abilene'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Buster Crabbe, Barton MacLane and Judith Ames.

'' in 1960.

Death

Farr died from cancer at his home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, on March 23, 2017, at the age of 89. He was survived by his daughter, Denise Farr (wife of actor Don Gordon), whom he had with his first wife, actress

Felicia Farr Felicia Farr (born Olive Dines; October 4, 1932) is a American former actress and model Early years Farr was born in Westchester County, New York. She attended Erasmus Hall High School and studied sociology at Penn State. Career Farr bega ...

. He was predeceased by his sister, Lottie Kelban, and his half-brothers, Abe Caroff and Dave Caroff.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Lee Farr
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Farr, Lee 1927 births 2017 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Pennsylvania State University alumni People from Brooklyn People from Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni