Truman Linden Chiles (March 22, 1933 – May 15, 2013) 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 ...

Early years

Chiles was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

but grew up in Barrington, Illinois. He graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism (majoring in advertising). He also studied at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and served in the Army.

Career

Chiles portrayed Charles Hanson 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 Entertainm ...

's ''

East Side/West Side ''East Side/West Side'' is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and, later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for one season (1963–1964), and was shown Monday nights on CBS. Set in New York City, t ...

'', Steve Kirkland on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

'', Henry DeWitt on NBC's '' Banacek'', and Paul Hunter on NBC's ''

James at 15 ''James at 15'' (later ''James at 16'') is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1977–1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie ''James at 15'', which aired on Monday September 5, 1977, and was intended ...

''. Chiles made four guest appearances on

's ''

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 c ...

''; in three of the episodes he played the role of the defendant: Joe Davies in "The Case of the Jealous Journalist" (1961), Herbert Simms in "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox" (1962), and Clyde Darrell in "The Case of the Telltale Tap" (1965). In his other appearance he played the role of murderer Vernon Elliot in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Surplus Suitor". Chiles guest-starred on such television series as ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ta ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

'', ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...

'', ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gia ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'', '' Quincy M.E.'', ''

Murder She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series ...

'', ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'', and ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...

'', among many others.

Death

Linden Chiles died on May 15, 2013, after falling from the roof of his home in

Topanga, California Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...

. He was 80 years old.

Selected filmography

*''

The Wizard of Baghdad ''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 ...

'' (1960) – Soldier (uncredited) *''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

'' (1961) – Randy *''

Wild in the Country ''Wild in the Country'' is a 1961 American musical–drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. Based on the 1958 novel ''The Lost Country'' by J. R. Salamanca, the screenplay ...

'' (1961) – Doctor (uncredited) *''

Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...

'' (1964) – Office Worker (uncredited) *''

Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film do ...

'' (1964) – Al Simon – Intern (uncredited) *''

A Rage to Live ''A Rage to Live'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Suzanne Pleshette as a woman whose passions wreak havoc on her life. The screenplay by John T. Kelley is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by John ...

'' (1965) – Brock Caldwell *''

Incident at Phantom Hill ''Incident at Phantom Hill'' is a 1966 American Techniscope Western film directed by Earl Bellamy and starring Robert Fuller, Jocelyn Lane, Dan Duryea and Tom Simcox. The story involves a Union gold shipment, which is stolen and buried in th ...

'' (1966) – Dr. Hanneford *''

Texas Across the River Texas Across The River is a 1966 American Techniscope comedy western film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Dean Martin, Alain Delon, Rosemary Forsyth and Joey Bishop. Plot Phoebe Ann Naylor is about to be wed to Don Andrea Baldazar, ...

'' (1966) – Yellow Knife *''

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

'' (1968) – Lt. Long *''

Eye of the Cat ''Eye of the Cat'' is a 1969 American horror film directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Michael Sarrazin, Gayle Hunnicutt, and Eleanor Parker. The screenplay is by Joseph Stefano, best known as the co-creator of the tv-series ''The Outer ...

'' (1969) – Bendetto *''

Who Is the Black Dahlia? ''Who Is the Black Dahlia?'' is a 1975 television film about the true crime unsolved murder of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'' gives the film an Above Average rating, and states "… this atmospheric crime drama is i ...

'' (1975, TV Movie) – Dr. Coppin *'' Helter Skelter'' (1976, TV Movie) – J. Miller Leavy *''

Where the Buffalo Roam ''Where the Buffalo Roam'' is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts author Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar "Zeta" Acosta. The film was p ...

'' (1980) – Reporter #2 *''

Forbidden World ''Forbidden World'', originally titled ''Mutant'', is a 1982 American science fiction- horror film. The screenplay was written by Tim Curnen, from a screenstory by R.J. Robertson and Jim Wynorski. It was co-edited and directed by Allan Holzman, ...

'' (1982) – Dr. Gordon Hauser *'' The Incredible Hulk (1982) - T.H. Cunningham *'' Cloak & Dagger'' (1984) – Airport Security Chief *''Girl Talk'' (1989) – Hal Frost *''

The Forbidden Dance ''The Forbidden Dance'' (also released as ''The Forbidden Dance is Lambada'') is a 1990 drama film starring former Miss USA Laura Harring. Made to cash in on the Lambada dance craze by Menahem Golan's 21st Century Film Corporation, it opened o ...

'' (1990) – Bradley Anderson *'' Amore!'' (1993) – B.S. Scarborough *''

The Glass Shield ''The Glass Shield'' is a 1994 American crime drama film co-written and directed by Charles Burnett. It stars Michael Boatman and Lori Petty as rookie Deputy Sheriff's who uncover a conspiracy around the arrest of a suspect (Ice Cube). After a ...

'' (1994) – Sergeant Berry Foster *''

Fly Away Home ''Fly Away Home'' ( ''Flying Wild'' and ''Father Goose'') is a 1996 family drama film directed by Carroll Ballard. The film stars Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels, and Dana Delany. ''Fly Away Home'' was released on September 13, 1996, by Columbia Pic ...

'' (1996) – Television Anchor *''

The Annihilation of Fish ''The Annihilation of Fish'' is a 1999 American romance film directed by Charles Burnett and starring Lynn Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Margot Kidder. Plot A woman (Lynn Redgrave) who believes a dead composer is in love with her falls in lov ...

'' (1999) – Doctor *''Old Friends'' (2010) – Craig Hargroves *''Three Shadows'' (2010) – Lord Henry / Zebulon Whatley *''Mr. Twistedface'' (2011) – Stephan DeRossillini *''The Mystic Tales of Nikolas Winter'' (2012) – Nikolas Winter *''The Burning Within'' (2012) – Sgt. Craig Hargroves *''Brother Drop Dead'' (2012) – Bud Stiltner *''The Haunted Men'' (2013) – Craig Hargroves *''Doctor Mabuse'' (2013) – Inspector Norbert Von Wenk *''The Rising Light'' (2013) – Nikolas Winter *''

Road to Paloma ''Road to Paloma'' is a 2014 American drama thriller film directed by (in his directorial debut), produced by, co-written by, and starring Jason Momoa. Robert Homer Mollohan co-stars and co-wrote the script. It also co-stars Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bone ...

'' (2014) – Bob (final film role)

References

External links

* 1933 births 2013 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from St. Louis People from Topanga, California Accidental deaths from falls 20th-century American male actors {{US-tv-actor-1930s-stub