Steve London (born Walter Lee Gragg; March 9, 1929 – June 14, 2014)
was an American television and film actor and attorney, best known for his role as federal agent Jack Rossman on the
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 ...
/
Desilu
Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...
television series ''
''The Untouchables'' (1959–1963).
Early years
Born Walter Lee Gragg in St. Louis, Missouri, he entered the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
in the summer of 1948 and played football there.
[ In 1951, he was selected as a tackle on the 24-member East team in the 27th ]East–West Shrine Game
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force, specializing in electronics. After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft and owned a rug-cleaning business.
Career
London was active in stock theater in southern California.
He was a veteran of numerous Hollywood film and television roles, including parts on ''Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...
'', ''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 ...
'', ''Sky King
''Sky King'' was an American radio and television series. Its lead character was Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King.
The series had strong Western elements. King usually captured criminals and spies and found lost hikers, ...
'', '' Lock Up'', ''The Loretta Young Show
''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...
'', ''Sugarfoot
''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and ''Bronco'' (second season); and ...
'', ''Mission Impossible
''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...
'', ''Kraft Suspense Theatre
The ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's ''Kraft Mu ...
'', '' Branded'', and ''Mackenzie's Raiders
''Mackenzie's Raiders'' is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that aired thirty-nine episodes in syndication between 1958 and 1959. The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs.
...
''. Film roles included ''Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round
''Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round'' is a 1966 crime film written and directed by Bernard Girard, and starring James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, Nina Wayne, Todd Armstrong, Robert Webber, Rose Marie and Harrison Ford in his film debut.
P ...
'' (film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
), ''I Married a Monster from Outer Space
''I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' is a 1958 American horror science fiction film from Paramount Pictures, produced and directed by Gene Fowler Jr., that stars Tom Tryon and Gloria Talbott. Paramount released the film as a double feature ...
'' ( 1958), ''Zero Hour!
''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Geof ...
'' (1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
), '' The Gun of Zangara'', and '' Alcatraz Express'', the later two being two-part episodes of ''The Untouchables'' that were re-edited into feature films for international distribution.
In ''The Untouchables'', Rossman was the wiretap specialist. In one episode, he was described by series narrator Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...
as "Agent Jack Rossman -- former telephone company lineman, wiretap expert, and a locksmith so talented that "Rossman could open everything but the Pearly Gates." In the series, Rossman's weapon of choice was the 12 gauge pump-action shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
, which he used to deadly effect. London appeared in 65 episodes of ''The Untouchables'' as Rossman.
Several years after the cancellation of ''The Untouchables'', London appeared in a special episode of ''The Lucy Show
''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
'' entitled "Lucy The Gun Moll", an ''Untouchables'' reunion of sorts, where he reprised his role as sidekick to Robert Stack. Actor Bruce Gordon who played Frank Nitti
Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The first cousin and bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of ...
in the series, also appeared in this episode, and ''The Untouchables'' narrator Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...
served as narrator for this episode.Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
television series ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often sa ...
'', (2007), and the film ''Brothers War'' (2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
).
Personal life
On October 7, 1953, London married actress Sandra Gregg, and they had two children. They were divorced on October 28, 1957.[ ]
In 1982, he married his second wife Judith,[ and they resided in ]Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
, until his death on June 14, 2014 at the age of 83.
Filmography
References
External links
*
''Steve London'' filmography at Fandango
"The Untouchables" at ''Answers.com
"''Lucy The Gun Moll''" episode of ''The Lucy Show'' (1966) at the Internet Movie Database
Untouchables Agent Jack Rossman at the Internet Movie Database
Untouchables'' featuring Steve London (2nd from left) as ''Agent Jack Rossman'' (65 Episodes)
Steve Londons obituary is in this book and can be read in its excerpt. It is in alphabetical order.
{{DEFAULTSORT:London, Steve
1930 births
2014 deaths
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from St. Louis