Lawrence Wheaton Gates (September 24, 1915December 12, 1996) was an American actor. His notable roles include H.B. Lewis on daytime's ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' and Doc Baugh in the film version of ''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams. An adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", the play was written by him between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his p ...

'' (1958). He played the role of H.B. from 1983 to 1996 and won the

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

for Outstanding Supporting Actor at the 1985 awards. (He had previously played the role of District Attorney Eric Van Gelder on ''

'' in 1977 and 1978.) Gates may be best remembered for his role in the 1967 film version of '' In the Heat of the Night'', where his character, Eric Endicott, is part of a famous scene involving his slapping

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

's face, and gets slapped in return.You Tube: "Heat of the Night" Slap
/ref>

Early years

Gates was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. As a chemical engineering student at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, he acted in student plays. Some of his early acting experience came at the

Barter Theatre Barter Theatre, in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is the longest-running professional Equity theatre in the United States. History Concept In 1933, when the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression, many peo ...

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

. His interest in acting led him to change his collegiate focus, and "he ultimately concluded his college career with a speech major".

Career

Gates had a long career in film, television, and theater. He appeared in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions of ''

First Monday in October ''First Monday in October'' is a 1978 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The title refers to the day on which the United States Supreme Court traditionally convenes following its summer recess. Productions The play premiered on Broadwa ...

'' (1978), ''The Highest Tree'' (1959), ''The Carefree Tree'' (1955), ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (1950)'', The Teahouse of the August Moon'' (1953) ''

Bell, Book and Candle ''Bell, Book and Candle'' is a 1958 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine from a screenplay by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1950 Broadway play of the same title by John Van Druten. It stars Kim Novak as a witch who c ...

'' (1956) and ''A Case of Libel'' (1964). Gates played

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of ...

opposite

Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...

in a New York revival of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. He starred in the 1976 Broadway play ''

Poor Murderer ''Poor Murderer'' is a play written by Pavel Kohout that premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway on 20 October 1976 and closed on 2 January 1977 after 87 performances. Setting The time is 1900, and it takes place in the great hall o ...

'', which is about an actor who questions whether or not he, who is playing Hamlet, actually killed the actor playing Polonius, or if it was just a dream. His films included '' Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' (1952), ''

Francis Covers the Big Town ''Francis Covers the Big Town'' is a 1953 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Yvette Duguay, and Gene Lockhart. The distinctive vo ...

'' (1953), ''

The Girl Rush ''The Girl Rush'' is a 1955 American musical comedy film starring Rosalind Russell, filmed in Technicolor and VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures.

'' (1955), ''

Invasion of the Body Snatchers ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' is a 1956 American science fiction horror film produced by Walter Wanger, directed by Don Siegel, and starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. The black-and-white film was shot in Superscope and in the film ...

'' (1956), ''

The Strange One ''The Strange One'' is a 1957 American film noir about students faced with an ethical dilemma in a Military academy, military college in the Southern United States. It was directed by Jack Garfein, produced by Sam Spiegel, and was adapted from a ...

'' (1957), ''

The Brothers Rico ''The Brothers Rico'' is a 1957 American crime film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring Richard Conte, Dianne Foster and Kathryn Grant. Plot Eddie Rico (Richard Conte) is the happily married owner of a prosperous laundry company in Baysh ...

'' (1957), ''

Some Came Running ''Some Came Running'' is a novel by James Jones, published in 1958. It was Jones's second published novel, following his award-winning debut '' From Here to Eternity''. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in ...

'' (1958), ''

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color film starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire directed by Henry Levin in CinemaScope. The film is based on the 1953 Broadway play of the same, which ran for 221 performances: Burgess Me ...

'' (1959), ''

One Foot in Hell ''One Foot in Hell'' is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Cirith Ungol. The original LP was produced by Brian Slagel and Cirith Ungol. It was released in August 1986 on Metal Blade Records and re-released in March 1999 b ...

'' (1960), ''

Underworld U.S.A. ''Underworld U.S.A.'' (also known as ''Underworld USA'') is a 1961 American neo-noir crime film produced, written, and directed by Samuel Fuller. It tells the story of a 14-year-old boy who goes to enormous lengths to get revenge against the mob ...

'' (1961), ''

The Young Savages ''The Young Savages'' is a 1961 American crime drama film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. It was written by Edward Anhalt from a novel by Evan Hunter. The supporting cast includes Dina Merrill, Shelley Winters, and E ...

'' (1961), ''

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

'' (1961), '' Toys in the Attic'' (1963), '' Cattle King'' (1963), ''

The Sand Pebbles ''The Sand Pebbles'' is a 1962 novel by American author Richard McKenna about a Yangtze River gunboat and its crew in 1926. It was the winner of the 1963 Harper Prize for fiction. The book was initially serialized in the ''Saturday Evening Po ...

'' (1966), '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967), ''

Hour of the Gun ''Hour of the Gun'' is a 1967 Western film depicting Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday during their 1881 battles against Ike Clanton and his brothers in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the gunfight's aftermath in and around Tombstone, Arizona, ...

'' (1967), ''

Death of a Gunfighter ''Death of a Gunfighter'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Allen Smithee and starring Richard Widmark and Lena Horne. and features an original score by Oliver Nelson. The theme of the film is the "passing" of the West, the clash betw ...

'' (1969), ''

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

'' (1970), ''

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumenta ...

'' (1973), and ''

Funny Lady ''Funny Lady'' is a 1975 American biographical musical comedy-drama film and the sequel to the 1968 film '' Funny Girl''. The film stars Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall and Ben Vereen. Herbert Ross, who helmed the musi ...

'' (1975). On television, Gates had numerous roles on such

anthology drama An anthology series is a radio programming, radio, television program, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, Season (televis ...

series as ''

Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Goodyear Television Playhouse ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television. Sponsored by Goodyear, Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and the ''Philco Tel ...

'', ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'', '' Studio One'', and ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...

''. He continued to make dozens of guest appearances in a wide variety of primetime series, including ''

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 ...

'', ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

'', '' The Defenders'', '' Rawhide'', and ''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II ...

''. He played the role of Secretary of State

Dean Rusk David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909December 20, 1994) was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the second-longest serving Secretary of State after Cordell Hull from the F ...

in the 1974

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an ...

The Missiles of October ''The Missiles of October'' is a 1974 docudrama made-for-television play about the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. The title evokes the 1962 book ''The Guns of August'' by Barbara Tuchman about the missteps amongst the great powers and the ...

'', and played President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

in the 1979

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

Backstairs at the White House ''Backstairs at the White House'' is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the 1961 book ''My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House'' by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). The series, produced by Ed Friendly Productions, ...

''.

Recognition

In 1964, Gates was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

in the category Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic), for his work in ''A Case of Libel''.

Personal life and death

Gates married Tania Wilkof in

Huntington, Connecticut Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,869 at the 2020 United States Census. History Origins Shelton was settled by the English as part of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. On May 15, ...

, on August 2, 1959. At the time of his death, he was married to Judith Gates. He died on December 12, 1996, in a

Sharon, Connecticut Sharon is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,680. The ZIP code for Sharon is 06069. The urban center of the town is ...

, hospital, aged 81.

Filmography

*''

Glory Alley ''Glory Alley'' is a 1952 musical drama film directed by Raoul Walsh. It stars Ralph Meeker and Leslie Caron. Plot New Orleans newspaper columnist Gabe Jordan, about to retire, tells the story of a most unforgettable character, boxer Socks Bar ...

'' (1952) - Dr. Robert Ardley *'' Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'' (1952) - Charles Blaisdell *'' Above and Beyond'' (1952) - Capt. William 'Deak' Parsons, USN *''

'' (1953) - Dan Austin *''

Take Me to Town ''Take Me To Town'' is a 1953 American Comedy film, Comedy Western (genre), Western film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Ann Sheridan and Sterling Hayden. Plot On the lam after a robbery and needing a place to hide out, Vermilion O'Toole ...

'' (1953) - Marshal Ed Daggett *''

The Girl Rush ''The Girl Rush'' is a 1955 American musical comedy film starring Rosalind Russell, filmed in Technicolor and VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures.

'' (1955) - Hap Halliday *''

'' (1956) - Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman *''

'' (1957) - Major Avery *''

Jeanne Eagels Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. A former Ziegfeld Girl, Eagels went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously no ...

'' (1957) - Al Brooks *''

'' (1957) - Sid Kubik *''

'' (1958) - Dr. Baugh *''

'' (1958) - Professor Robert Haven French *''

'' (1959) - Rev. Dr. Fielding *''

'' (1960) - Doc Seltzer *'' The Great Impostor'' (1961) - Cardinal *''

The Hoodlum Priest ''The Hoodlum Priest'' is a 1961 American drama film by Irvin Kershner, based on the life of Father Charles "Dismas" Clark of St. Louis, who ministered to men in prison and men coming out of prison. During his career Fr. Clark earned the nickna ...

'' (1961) - Louis Rosen *''

'' (1961) - John Driscoll *''

'' (1961) - Randolph *''

'' (1961) - Joe Adams *''

The Spiral Road ''The Spiral Road'' is a 1962 American adventure-drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, and Geoffrey Keen. The film was released by Universal-International in the United States in 1962, the same ...

'' (1962) - Dr. Kramer *'' Cattle King'' (1963) - President Chester A. Arthur *'' Toys in the Attic'' (1963) - Cyrus Warkins *''

'' (1966) - Jameson *'' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967) - Endicott *''

'' (1967) - John P. Clum *''

'' (1969) - Mayor Chester Sayre *''

'' (1970) - Commissioner Ackerman *''

'' (1973) - Judge Herlands *''

'' (1975) - Bernard Baruch *''

Leonard Part 6 ''Leonard Part 6'' (also known as ''Leonard Part VI'') is a 1987 American spy parody film. It was directed by Paul Weiland and starred Bill Cosby, who also produced the film and wrote its story. The film also starred Gloria Foster as the vill ...

'' (1987) - Medusa Guard

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Larry 1915 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winners Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Deaths from leukemia Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni