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Paul Goodwin Wexler (May 23, 1929 – November 21, 1979) 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 ...
in feature films and on television for nearly 30 years, from 1950 until 1979. tall and physically imposing with a long face and deep
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
voice, he specialized in
macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...
or off-beat roles."Paul Wexler"
GENi.com, a genealogy and social networking website owned by the Israeli private company
MyHeritage MyHeritage is an online genealogy platform with web, mobile, and software products and services, introduced by the Israeli company MyHeritage in 2003. Users of the platform can obtain their family trees, upload and browse through photos, and sear ...
, Tel Aviv, Israel. Retrieved July 28, 2017.


Early life and films

Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1929, Paul was the son of Jennie C. (''nee'' Davis) and Herman Wexler."Certificate of Marriage"
of Susan Fox McAndie to Paul Goodwin Wexler, November 29, 1952, Los Angeles, California; "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952". Digital image of photostat of original certificate of marriage available at FamilySearch. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
He appeared in more than 30 feature films during his career, making his film debut in the Bowery Boys' 1952 comedy ''
Feudin' Fools ''Feudin' Fools'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys, Anne Kimbell and Dorothy Ford. The film was released on September 21, 1952 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-seventh film in the serie ...
''. In that production he was cast as a slow-witted
hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...
alongside fellow character actor Robert Easton, who early in his own career specialized in playing "country bumpkins". Two of Wexler's more noteworthy films are the
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
thriller ''Suddenly'' in which he plays Slim Adams, a local deputy sheriff gunned down by a would-be presidential
assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...
, and the
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...
''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' in which he is the
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
Captain Seas. With regard to bizarre roles, perhaps one of his strangest characters was Zutai, a mute " Jívaro Indian zombie", in the 1959 horror film ''
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake ''The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake'' is a 1959 American black-and-white horror film written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn. It was one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent on contract ...
''. Wexler performed live-action reference footage that was used by
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
cartoonists to create characters in the
animated feature These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...
''
One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...
''. He also provided the voice of the car mechanic in the film.


Television

Wexler also appeared in over 40 different American television series. His first credited performance on the "small screen" was on the series ''Dick Tracy'', which aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
between 1950 and 1952 and starred
Ralph Byrd Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909  – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television. Early life and career The son of George and Edna May ...
. The specific episode that included Wexler is titled "Dick Tracy and Big Frost." Some of the other series in which he had roles in the 1950s and 1960s were '' My Hero'', ''
My Little Margie ''My Little Margie'' is an American television situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California, at Hal Ro ...
'', '' The Lineup'', ''
The Adventures of Hiram Holliday ''The Adventures of Hiram Holliday'' is an American adventure sitcom that aired on NBC from October 3, 1956 to February 27, 1957. Starring Wally Cox in the title role, the series is based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Paul Gallico. Plot ...
'', ''
Studio 57 ''Studio 57'' (also known as ''Heinz Studio 57'') is an American anthology series that was broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network from September 1954 to July 1955, and in syndication from 1955 to 1958. "It's a Small World", the ...
'', ''
The Alaskans ''The Alaskans'' is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers intent ...
'', ''
The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...
'', ''
Tallahassee 7000 ''Tallahassee 7000'' is a syndicated 1961 American TV series starring Walter Matthau as Special Agent Lex Rogers of the Florida Sheriffs Bureau. It consisted of 26 episodes of 30 minutes each. It was executive produced by Herbert Leonard. The bur ...
'', '' State Trooper'', and ''
Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols " ♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...
''.
Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
were especially popular on American television during the 1950s and early 1960s, and Wexler portrayed characters in many series in this
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
. He appeared several times on ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' (“Uncle Oliver”-S2E35), as well as in episodes of other television Westerns such as ''
Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
'', ''
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults, premiering four days before ''Gunsmoke'' on September 6, 1955. Two weeks later came the Clint Walker western ''Cheyenne''. The series is loosely base ...
'', '' Rawhide'', '' Wanted Dead or Alive'', and ''
The Guns of Will Sonnett ''The Guns of Will Sonnett'' is a Western television series set in the 1870s that was broadcast in color on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series, which began with the working title, "Two Rode West", was the first production co ...
''. Wexler played Clem Scobie, a war hero, in the 1955 episode "The Homeliest Man in Nevada" on the western
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, 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, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
, ''
Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
.'' In the story line, Clem's unattractive looks at first discourage Mona Sherman (Patricia Joiner), who came to Nevada from Emporia,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, from accepting his romantic gestures. When Clem is badly burned in a mining explosion, however, Mona rushes to his side and confesses her love for him. in Early 1964 along with three other hopefuls, Wexler auditioned for the role of Lurch on TV’s
Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
but was beat out by fellow character actor
Ted Cassidy Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979) was an American actor noted for his tall stature at and deep voice. He tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as ''Star Trek'' and ''I Dream of ...
. By the 1970s, Wexler had begun to limit the frequency of his acting on television and in films, possibly due to his declining health. He still continued to perform in nearly a dozen other television series during that decade, including ''
Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'', ''
Mod Squad Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
'', ''
Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...
'', ''
Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...
'', '' Police Woman'', and ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
''. Wexler's final role was in a 1979 episode of ''
Stockard Channing in Just Friends ''Just Friends'', billed as ''Stockard Channing in Just Friends'' on the title card, is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 4, 1979 to June 24, 1979. Stockard Channing, an accomplished stage actress who had entered ...
'', one titled "Lost Weekend", which was broadcast in April that year, just seven months before his death.


Personal life and death

Wexler was married three times, the first time to actress and fellow Oregon native Susan Fox McAndie. Their wedding was on November 29, 1952, in
North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North H ...
. She and Paul had one child together, a son named Alan Ross Wexler, who was born in 1955 but later raised by relatives in Oregon after Susan died in a car accident in 1958. Paul subsequently married another actress, Carole Minor; however, they divorced. He and his third wife, Marcella Wexler, remained together until his death. Outside of acting, Wexler invested in several business ventures, including a partnership "around 1960" in "Dino's Lodge", a
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
-themed restaurant. Wexler was also a car and racing enthusiast and was one of the early presidents of the Mini Owners of America, a club devoted to the history, collection, and recreational driving of the classic "
Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
-Coopers" that were produced by the
British Motor Corporation The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...
between 1961 and 1971. In his free time too, he supported and promoted the interests of the film industry, especially projects developed outside the mainstream studio system. He served, for example, as president of the Independent Film Producers of America. Wexler died of
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
in Los Angeles, California, in November 1979. His gravesite is located in the "Canaan" section of
Mount Sinai Memorial Park Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metrop ...
in Los Angeles.


Partial filmography

*''
Feudin' Fools ''Feudin' Fools'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys, Anne Kimbell and Dorothy Ford. The film was released on September 21, 1952 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-seventh film in the serie ...
'' (1952) — Luke Smith *'' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952) — Theopolis Pace (uncredited) *'' The Silver Whip'' (1953) — J. M. Horner (uncredited) *'' The Kid from Left Field'' (1953) — Umpire (uncredited) *''
Casanova's Big Night ''Casanova's Big Night'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine, which is a spoof of swashbuckling historical adventure films. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Hope plays a tailor who impersonates Giacomo Casanova, ...
'' (1954) — Prisoner (uncredited) *''
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters ''The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 6, 1954 by Allied Artists and is the thirty-fourth film in the series. Plot The front win ...
'' (1954) — Grissom, the Butler *'' Silver Lode'' (1954) — Spectator at Oration (uncredited) *'' Suddenly'' (1954) — Slim Adams *''
Drum Beat A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes o ...
'' (1954) — William Boddy (uncredited) *''
Prince of Players ''Prince of Players'' is a 1955 20th Century Fox biographical film about the 19th century American actor Edwin Booth. The film was directed and produced by Philip Dunne from a screenplay by Moss Hart, based on the book by Eleanor Ruggles. The mu ...
'' (1955) — Western Man in Audience (uncredited) *''
Strange Lady in Town ''Strange Lady in Town'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson. She plays a doctor who plans to introduce modern techniques of medicine to old Santa Fe in 1880, but is opposed by an established docto ...
'' (1955) — Townsman (uncredited) *'' The Kentuckian'' (1955) — Fromes' brother (uncredited) *''
Texas Lady ''Texas Lady'' is a 1955 color American Western film directed by Tim Whelan in his final film before his death in 1957, and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It stars Claudette Colbert, Barry Sullivan and Ray Collins. The film tells the story ...
'' (1955) — Hotel Clerk (uncredited) *''
The Kettles in the Ozarks ''The Kettles in the Ozarks'' is a 1956 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. It is the ninth installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and introducing Arthur Hunnicutt as Sedge, Pa's ...
'' (1956) — Reverend Martin (uncredited) *''
Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...
'' (1956) — Autograph Seeker (uncredited) *''
The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956) — "Hebrew" at Golden Calf (uncredited) *''
The True Story of Jesse James ''The True Story of Jesse James'' is a 1957 American Western drama film adapted from Henry King's 1939 film '' Jesse James'', which was only loosely based on James' life. It was directed by Nicholas Ray, with Robert Wagner portraying Jesse Jam ...
'' (1957) — Jayhawker (uncredited) *'' Hot Summer Night'' (1957) — Lean Man in Bar (uncredited) *''
The Buckskin Lady ''The Buckskin Lady'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Carl K. Hittleman and starring Patricia Medina in the titular role and Richard Denning as her leading man. The supporting cast features Gerald Mohr, Henry Hull, and Hank Worden. ...
'' (1957) — Jed *''
Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
'' (1958) — Suleyman *'' The Buccaneer'' (1958) — Horseface *''
Day of the Outlaw ''Day of the Outlaw'' is a 1959 Western film starring Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, and Tina Louise. It was directed by Andre DeToth; this was DeToth's final Western feature film. Plot Blaise Starrett is a ruthless cattleman who helped found the smal ...
'' (1959) — Vause, Bruhn's Gang (uncredited) *'' The Miracle of the Hills'' (1959) — Sam Jones *''
The Big Fisherman ''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring Howard Keel, Susan Kohner and John Saxon, the production is adapted from the 1948 n ...
'' (1959) — Attacker at Inn (uncredited) *''
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake ''The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake'' is a 1959 American black-and-white horror film written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn. It was one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent on contract ...
'' (1959) — Zutai *''
Visit to a Small Planet ''Visit to a Small Planet'' is a 1960 American black-and-white science fiction comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Jerry Lewis, Joan Blackman, Earl Holliman, and Fred Clark. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, it was produced by Hal ...
'' (1960) — Beatnik (uncredited) *''
One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...
'' (1961) — Car Mechanic (voice) *''
Billy Rose's Jumbo ''Billy Rose's Jumbo'' is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. An adaptation of the stage musical ''Jumbo'' produced by Billy Rose, the film was dir ...
'' (1962) — Sharpie (uncredited) *'' Sylvia'' (1965) — Peter Memel *'' The Busy Body'' (1967) — Mr. Merriwether *''
The Way West ''The Way West'' is a 1949 western novel by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1950 and became the basis for a film starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark. The novel is one in the sequence o ...
'' (1967) — Barber (uncredited) *'' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' (1975) — Captain Seas"Paul G. Wexler"
catalog of The American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved July 30, 2017.


References and notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wexler, Paul 1929 births 1979 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Male actors from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American male actors Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American Jews