Tol Avery
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Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974.


Biography

Early in his career, Avery appeared as "Dennison" in an episode of the 1953–1954 ABC
situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
, ''The Pride of the Family''. He portrayed Lieutenant Steve King on ''
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 ...
''. Noted for his girth and cultured voice, Avery usually played sophisticated and articulate villains, including the featured nemesis in six out of seven episode appearances on the
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/
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...
'' starring
James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...
, Jack Kelly and
Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 19 ...
between 1957 and 1962. The
episodes Episodes may refer to: * Episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek ...
were "According to Hoyle" with Garner and
Diane Brewster Diane Brewster (March 11, 1931 – November 12, 1991) was an American television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in television series of the 1950s and 1960s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in the Weste ...
, "Rope of Cards" with Garner, "Yellow River" with Kelly, "Maverick Springs" with Garner and Kelly as well as
Kathleen Crowley Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley; December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017) was an American actress. She appeared more than 100 times in movies and television series in the 1950s and 1960s, almost always as a leading lady. Biography E ...
, "Last Wire from Stop Gap" with Kelly and Moore (in which Avery does not play a villain), "Maverick at Law" with Kelly, and "Poker Face" with Kelly. In 1958, he appeared in the episode "Devil to Pay" of the ABC/WB series ''
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 ...
''. Avery was cast twice during this time in another ABC/WB western series, '' Colt .45'', starring
Wayde Preston Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre), Western ...
. Avery played the role of Archer Belgrade in "Circle of Fear" (1958) and Barnes in "Queen of Dixie" (1959). In the latter episode, he was cast with Andy Clyde in the role of Captain Gibbs. In 1960, he was cast as Theodore and John Nichols, respectively, in the episodes "Key to the City" and "False Identity" of the ABC/WB crime drama, ''
Bourbon Street Beat ''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, with Arlene Howell as detective agency s ...
'' starring
Andrew Duggan Andrew Duggan (December 28, 1923 – May 15, 1988) was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage. Background Duggan was born in ...
, Richard Long and
Van Williams Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequel ...
. He also guest starred on the
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 ...
sitcom, ''
Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was b ...
'' with
Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...
and Cara Williams. As one of several appearances in different roles on CBS's ''
The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...
'', Avery in 1964 played Ben Weaver in the episode "The Shoplifters." That same year, he was cast as "Speaker Bert Metcalf" on the CBS drama series ''
Slattery's People ''Slattery's People'' is a 1964–65 American television series about local politics starring Richard Crenna as title character James Slattery, a state legislator, co-starring Ed Asner and Tol Avery, and featuring Carroll O'Connor and Warren Oat ...
'', starring
Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...
. He appeared five times during the 1960s on the long running
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 ...
western series '' The Virginian''. In 1965 he appeared on “
Gomer Pyle USMC ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...
” in Season 2 Episode 13 as Mr. Gibbons and in 1967 on Season 4 Episode 10 as Mr. Poovie. In 1966, Avery appeared three times on the syndicated 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 ...
'', as Frank Brenner in "The Resurrection of Deadwood Dick" and as Walter Benson in "Doc Holliday's Gold Bars" (both 1966), and as judge Sidney Edgerton, who later becomes the first
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the
Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries T ...
, in the segment "Lucia Darling and the Ostrich" (1969). Avery also appeared three times each on ABC's ''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' (episodes 25, 26 and 87) and CBS's ''
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 ...
'', once on ABC's '' Rango'' in 1967, and on '' Dragnet'' in 1968 as Willard Danhart. One of his last appearances was as Justice Redding in the 1973
TV-movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''
The Marcus-Nelson Murders This is a list of episodes for the television series '' Kojak''. The first five seasons ( Pilot + 118 ep.) were aired on CBS from 1973 until 1978. CBS also commissioned a pair of TV movies in 1985 and 1987. ABC revived ''Kojak'' in 1989 for five ...
'', which served as the pilot for the CBS detective series ''
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'', starring
Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...
. Avery received a real estate license at about the same as he won his role in ''Slattery's People''. He continued his sales job, working in real estate on weekends. Avery died of a heart attack, a day before his 58th birthday, on August 27, 1973, at age 57.


Partial filmography

*''
Bunco Squad ''Bunco Squad'' is a 1950 American crime film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and written by George Callahan. The film stars Robert Sterling, Joan Dixon, Ricardo Cortez, Douglas Fowley and Elisabeth Risdon. The film was released on September 1, ...
'' (1950) – Capt. Edwards (uncredited) *''
Where Danger Lives ''Where Danger Lives'' is a 1950 film noir thriller directed by John Farrow and starring Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue and Claude Rains. Plot Dr. Jeff Cameron (Mitchum) treats a mentally disturbed attempted suicide victim (Domergue). She signs ...
'' (1950) – Honest Ha (uncredited) *''
Gambling House A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
'' (1950) – Adams (uncredited) *'' No Questions Asked'' (1951) – Detective Mike (uncredited) *''
His Kind of Woman ''His Kind of Woman'' is a 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting performances by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr and Charles McGraw. The direction of the film, which was based on the unpublished story " ...
'' (1951) – Fat Hoodlum (uncredited) *''
Scarlet Angel ''Scarlet Angel'' is a 1952 American Technicolor historical adventure film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Yvonne de Carlo, Rock Hudson and Richard Denning. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The two leads appeared to ...
'' (1952) – Phineas Calhoun *'' She Couldn't Say No'' (1954) – Big Guy (uncredited) *''
Naked Alibi ''Naked Alibi'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Gene Barry. It was released on October 1, 1954 by Universal-International. Portions of the film were shot in Tijuan ...
'' (1954) – Irish *''
It Came from Beneath the Sea ''It Came from Beneath the Sea'' is a 1955 American science fiction monster film from Columbia Pictures, produced by Sam Katzman and Charles Schneer, directed by Robert Gordon, that stars Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, and Donald Curtis. The ...
'' (1955) – Navy Intern (uncredited) *''
All That Heaven Allows ''All That Heaven Allows'' is a 1955 American drama romance film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter, and adapted by Peg Fenwick from a story by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee. It stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in a tale about the soci ...
'' (1955) – Tom Allenby *'' Headline Hunters'' (1955) – Robert, Evening Examiner Man (uncredited) *''
I'll Cry Tomorrow ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955) is a biopic that tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and struggles with alcoholism after the death of her fiancé. It stars Susan Hayward, Richard ...
'' (1955) – Fat Man *''
Back from Eternity ''Back from Eternity'' is a 1956 American drama film about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by headhunters. The film stars Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, Anita Ekberg and Gene Barry. The film is a ...
'' (1956) – Thomas J. Malone (uncredited) *''
The Power and the Prize ''The Power and the Prize'' is a 1956 drama film directed by Henry Koster, written by Robert Ardrey, starring Robert Taylor and Burl Ives. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957 for costume design. Plot Although he is scheduled to wed hi ...
'' (1956) – Dan Slocum (uncredited) *''
The Unholy Wife ''The Unholy Wife'' is a 1957 Technicolor film noir crime film produced and directed by John Farrow at RKO Radio Pictures, but released by Universal Pictures as RKO was in the process of ceasing its film activities. The film features Diana Dors, ...
'' (1957) – Dist. Atty. Carl Kramer *'' Pal Joey'' (1957) – Detective (uncredited) *''
The Case Against Brooklyn ''The Case Against Brooklyn'' is a 1958 film noir crime film directed by Paul Wendkos, starring Darren McGavin and Margaret Hayes, and based on the '' True Magazine'' article "I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal" by crime reporter Ed Reid. The ...
'' (1958) – Dist. Atty. Michael W. Norris *''
Buchanan Rides Alone ''Buchanan Rides Alone'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, and Barry Kelley. Based on the 1956 novel ''The Name's Buchanan'' by Jonas Ward, the film is about a Texan return ...
'' (1958) – Judge Simon Agry *''
North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...
'' (1959) – State Police Detective (uncredited) *''
This Rebel Breed ''This Rebel Breed'' is a 1960 American melodrama film directed by Richard L. Bare and William Rowland (film director), William Rowland and starring Rita Moreno, Gerald Mohr, Eugene Martin (actor), Eugene Martin, Dyan Cannon, and Richard Rust. Th ...
'' (1960) – Dr. Drake (uncredited) *''
Man-Trap ''Man-Trap'' is a 1961 American neo-noir film about a Korean War veteran who becomes involved in a scheme to steal $3.5 million from a Central American dictator. The film was directed by Edmond O'Brien and stars Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen an ...
'' (1961) – Lt. Heisen *''
The George Raft Story ''The George Raft Story'' is a 1961 American biographical film of Hollywood film star George Raft. Ray Danton portrays Raft and the film was directed by Joseph M. Newman. The picture was retitled ''Spin of a Coin'' for release in the United ...
'' (1961) – Wilson Mizner, the Wit (uncredited) *''
Twist Around the Clock ''Twist Around the Clock'' is an American musical film released in 1961. It was a remake of Sam Katzman and Robert E. Kent's ''Rock Around the Clock.'' Like ''Rock Around the Clock,'' which was followed by a sequel titled ''Don't Knock the Rock ...
'' (1961) – Joe Marshall *''
A Ticklish Affair ''A Ticklish Affair'', also known as ''Moon Walk'', is a 1963 film directed by George Sidney and starring Shirley Jones, Gig Young and Red Buttons. The screenplay, by Ruth Brooks Flippen, was based on a short story by Barbara Luther. The film was ...
'' (1963) – Charlie (uncredited) *'' A Tiger Walks'' (1964) – Joe, Political Adviser (uncredited) *''
The Satan Bug ''The Satan Bug'' is a 1965 American crime science fiction suspense film from United Artists, produced and directed by John Sturges, that stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, and Dana Andrews. The screenplay by James Clavell an ...
'' (1965) – Police Captain at Dodger Stadium (uncredited) *''
Follow Me, Boys! ''Follow Me, Boys!'' is a 1966 American drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an adaptation of the 1954 novel ''God and My Country'' by MacKinlay Kantor and was the final live action film produced by Walt Disney, who died two week ...
'' (1966) – Dr. Ferris (uncredited) *''
Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
'' (1967) – Kilbrick *'' Where It's At'' (1969) – Businessman (uncredited) *'' A Dream of Kings'' (1969) – Herman *'' WUSA'' (1970) – Senator *''
R. P. M. ''R. P. M.'' is a 1970 American drama film directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Anthony Quinn and Ann-Margret. As the film's poster notes, the title is an initialism for "revolutions per minute", which at the time was a common term for the varia ...
'' (1970) – 2nd Parent at Police Station (uncredited) *''
Maurie Maurie is a masculine given name, sometimes a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Maurice. People named Maurie include: * Maurie Beasy (1896–1979), Australian rules footballer * Maurie Collins (1876–1943), Australian rules footballer * Maurie C ...
'' (1973) – Milton *''
Willie Dynamite ''Willie Dynamite'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Gilbert Moses and starring Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, and was released by Universal Pictures. The eponymous Willie Dynamite is a pimp in New Yo ...
'' (1974) – Business International Association Television Speaker (uncredited) (final film role)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, Tol 1915 births 1973 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Fort Worth, Texas Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors