Norman Burton

Norman Burton (December 5, 1923 – November 29, 2003) was an American actor. He was occasionally credited as Normann Burton.

Early life

Born in New York City, Burton was a student of the Actors Studio. After early work on stage, he broke into films with a minor role in ''Fright'' (1956).

Career

His career in film and television was long and relatively successful, but he never achieved major recognition. He played the Hunt Leader, a gorilla, in the science fiction film ''Planet of the Apes'', notable as being the first ape to be seen by both Taylor and the audience, and also appeared as a (human) army officer in the second sequel ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971). In film, he is perhaps best known for his performance as Felix Leiter in the James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971). He played Will Giddings, an ill-fated engineer, in the action film ''The Towering Inferno'' (1974), and his later films included ''The Gumball Rally'' (1976), ''Crimes of Passion'' (1984) and '' Deep Space'' (1988). He played Dennis Christopher's mean and ill-fated boss in the slasher '' Fade To Black'' (1980).

On television, he is best known for his performance as Inter-Agency Defense Command's supervisor Joe Atkinson during the second season of the DC Comics-based fantasy adventure drama series ''The New Adventures of Wonder Woman'' starring Lynda Carter. He also played Burt Dennis in the situation comedy '' The Ted Knight Show'' in the spring of 1978, and appeared as General George Marshall in the 1988 television miniseries ''War and Remembrance''. Throughout his life, Burton was a devotee of the method school of acting, and taught method acting in Lakeside, California.
He also known for playing the part of Dr. Green (Natalie’s father) in the television series “The Facts of Life”.

Death

Burton was just six days short of his 80th birthday when he died as a result of an auto accident while returning from Ajijic, Mexico near the California-Arizona state line.Theatre World
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Selected filmography

* 1957 ''Fright'' as Reporter Thompkins
* 1960 ''Pretty Boy Floyd'' as Bill Courtney
* 1962 '' Hand of Death'' as Chief Homicide Investigator
* 1962 ''Womanhunt'' as Unknown
* 1965 ''Gunsmoke'' as Ed
* 1967 '' Wild Seed'' as Policeman
* 1967 '' Valley of the Dolls'' as Neely O'Hara's Director (uncredited)
* 1968 ''Planet of the Apes'' as Hunt Leader
* 1970 ''R. P. M.'' as Coach McCurdy
* 1971 ''Jud'' as Uncle Hornkel
* 1971 '' Simon, King of the Witches'' as Willard Rackum
* 1971 ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' as Army Officer
* 1971 '' Diamonds Are Forever'' as Felix Leiter
* 1972 '' Fuzz'' as Police Commissioner Nelson
* 1973 ''Save the Tiger'' as Fred Mirrell
* 1973 ''Hit!'' as Director
* 1974 ''The Terminal Man'' as Captain Anders
* 1974 ''The Towering Inferno'' as Will Giddings
* 1975 ''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' as Dr. Frederick Spear
* 1976 ''The Gumball Rally'' as Lieutenant Roscoe
* 1976 '' Scorchy'' as Chief Frank O'Brien
* 1977 ''Murder in Peyton Place'' as Jay Kamens
* 1980 '' Fade to Black'' as Marty Berger
* 1981 ''Amy'' as Caruthers
* 1983 ''Mausoleum'' as Dr. Simon Andrews
* 1984 ''Crimes of Passion'' as Lou Bateman
* 1985 ''Pray for Death'' as Lieutenant Anderson
* 1986 ''Bad Guys'' as Captain Watkins
* 1988 ''Bloodsport'' as CID Agent Helmer
* 1988 '' Deep Space'' General Randolph
* 1992 '' Live Wire'' as Senator Victor
* 1993 '' American Ninja V'' as U.S. Ambassador On Caracas Halden (final film role)

References

External links

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Norman Burton
a
FelixLeiter.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Norman
1923 births
American male stage actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from New York City
Road incident deaths in Mexico
2003 deaths
20th-century American male actors