Wesley Lau
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Wesley Lau (June 18, 1921August 30, 1984) was an American film and television actor, and occasional screenwriter.


Early life

Wesley Lau was born and raised in
Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populatio ...
. His parents were Albert and Agnes ( Feldner) Lau. He graduated from Central High School in 1939. A
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran of the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, Lau studied playwriting at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
and received a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
degree at
Yale Drama School The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in ...
, later continuing his studies at
The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th Street between Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Tenth avenues in the ...
in New York. He took time off from college at one point to serve in World War II as part of the air corps. Although his goal in life was to be a writer, he ended up acting simply because he found more jobs as an actor than as a playwright when he arrived in New York City seeking work.


Career

Lau was probably best known as Lt. Andy Anderson in the series ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
''. He appeared frequently during the latter part of the show's run, especially during times when longtime series regular Ray Collins, who played Lt. Arthur Tragg, was absent. Collins died in 1965 before the series ended its run. He first appeared on ''Perry Mason'' as defendant Amory Fallon in "The Case of the Impatient Partner" in September 1961. Less than a month later, he made the first of 81 appearances as Lt. Anderson, a role which ran from the fourth episode, "The Case of the Malicious Mariner" of the fifth season (1961–1962) through the last episode, "The Case of the Mischievous Doll" of the eighth season (1964–1965). Other shows in which Lau made appearances include ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', '' Have Gun-Will Travel'', ''
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...
'', ''
The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour e ...
'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''
Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
'', ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
'', and ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
''. He would reunite with Raymond Burr in an episode of '' Ironside'' called "In the Forests of the Night". He appeared in motion pictures including the John Wayne film '' The Alamo'' (1960).


Death

Lau died of heart failure on August 30, 1984, aged 63, and is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery, Los Angeles.Obituary
sheboyganpress.com. May 13, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2022.


Acting roles


Television series

*''
The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...
'', "A Time For Dying" (1953) *'' Studio One'', "Crime at Blossom's" (1953) *''
Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama 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, ...
'', "Night Court" (1957), Mr. Miller *'' Omnibus'', "Lee at Gettysburg" (1957), Maj. Gen. John B. Hood *''
Steve Canyon ''Steve Canyon'' is an American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, '' Terry and the Pirates'', ''Steve Canyon'' ran from January 13, 1947, until June 4, 1988. It ...
'', "Operation Crash Landing" (1958), Sgt. Bowman *'' Lawman'', "The Badge" (1958), Rick Andrews *'' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'', "Peace Bond" (1958), Johnny Conrad *''
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 ...
'' :"Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Fenimore" (1958), Police Detective :"And the Desert Shall Blossom" (1958), Tex, the Deputy *''
Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
'' :"The Dart" (1958) :"Destination Normandy" (1958) :"Typhoon Chasers" (1958) *'' Jane Wyman Presents'' :"He Came for the Money" (1958), Clay :"Day of Glory" (1958), Commander Von Schoss *''
The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series was ...
'', "The Girl" (1959), Joseph Dunn *''
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 Peace Offering" (1959), Hager *''
Whirlybirds ''Whirlybirds'' (sometimes called ''The Whirlybirds'' or ''Copter Patrol'') is a syndicated American drama/adventure television series, which aired for 111 episodes — broadcast from February 4, 1957, through January 18, 1960. It was pro ...
'', "Mr. Jinx" (1959), James *''
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television ...
'', "A Diamond for Carla" (1959), Jery Wilson *''
Goodyear Theatre ''Goodyear Theatre'' (also known as ''Award Theatre'' and ''Golden Years of Television'') is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from 1957 to 1960 for a total of 55 episodes. The live show was directed by many notable ...
'', "Story Without a Moral" (1959), Captain Rheinhold *''
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
'' :"Kill from Nowhere" (1959), Joe Scully :"The Death Frame" (1960), Eddie Carson *''
Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...
'' :"Sons of Aaron Murdock" (1959), Lew Murdock :"Saturday Night" (1960), Stub *''
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 ...
'' :"Miguel's Daughter" (1959), Ab :"Young Love" (1959), Rod Allison :"The Blacksmith" (1960), Willy *''
Black Saddle ''Black Saddle'' is an American Western television series starring Peter Breck that aired 44 episodes on NBC from January 10, 1959, to May 6, 1960. The half-hour program was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television, and the original backdoo ...
'' :"Client: Tagger" (1959), Jesse Britt :"Burden of Guilt" (1960), Trip Harris *'' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' :"The Haunted U-Boat" (1959), Lt. Schneider :"The Mask" (1960), Lt. Harold Wilenski *''Michael Shayne'', "Murder in Wonderland" (1960), Jerry Latimer *''
The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...
'', "Christmas Is a Legal Holiday" (1960), Roger Forester *''
The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...
'', "Kiss of Death Girl" (1960), Whitey Barrows *''
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 ...
'', "He's My Brother" (1960), Dave Dray *''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...
'' :"Leading Citizen" (1960), Morgan Bates :"The English Woman" (1960), Hank *''
Shotgun Slade ''Shotgun Slade'' is an American western mystery television series starring Scott Brady that aired seventy-eight episodes in syndication from 1959 to 1961 Created by Frank Gruber, the stories were written by John Berardino, Charissa Hughes, and ...
'', "Backtrack" (1960), Jeb *''
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 ...
'', "A Grenade for a Summer's Evening" (1960), Harry *''
Law of the Plainsman ''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western (genre), Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native Americans in the United States, Native American United St ...
'', "Stella" (1960), Staff Meeker *''
Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...
'', "Uncertain Vengeance" (1960), Red Crale *''
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor ''The Detectives'' (also known as ''The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor'', ''Captain of Detectives'', and ''Robert Taylor's Detectives'') is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons (sponsored by Procter & Gam ...
'', "The Trap" (1960), Carl Ryan *'' Mr. Lucky'', "The Two Million Dollar Window" (1960), Slate *'' Johnny Midnight'', "An Old-Fashioned Frame" (1960), Connor *'' Adventures in Paradise'', "Vendetta" (1961), Paul Moore *'' The Tall Man'', "Ladies of the Town" (1961), Jason Cleary *''
Coronado 9 ''Coronado 9'' is an American crime drama series starring Rod Cameron that aired in syndication in 1960. Synopsis Set in San Diego, California, the series follows Dan Adams (Cameron), a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned pri ...
'', "But the Patient Died" (1961), Dr. David Travis *''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
'', "The Christopher Hale Story" (1961), Stevens *'' Outlaws'', "The Bill Doolin Story" (1961), Sam Evans *''
Shirley Temple Theatre ''Shirley Temple's Storybook'' is a 1958-1961 American Children's television series, children's anthology series hosted and narrated by actress Shirley Temple. The series features adaptations of fairy tales like Mother Goose and other family-orie ...
'', "Rebel Gun" (1961), Sheriff Westram *''
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 ...
'' :" The Fugitive" (1962), Man :" Twenty Two" (1961), Airline Agent *''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
'' (1961–1965), Lt. Andy Anderson (69 episodes); S5Ep2 Amory Fallon (1 episode) *''
Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...
'', "Soldier of Fortune" (1965), Lt. Meyer *''
The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour e ...
'', "Earthquake!" (1965), Ralph Snyder *''
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 ...
'' :"Desert Justice" (1960), Dave Walker :"Her Brother's Keeper" (1966), Carl Armory *''
The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...
'' :"End of the World" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs :"Revenge of the Gods" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs :"One Way to the Moon" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs :"Rendezvous with Yesterday" (1966), M/Sgt. Jiggs :"Chase Through Time" (1967), M/Sgt. Jiggs *'' Laredo'' :"The Calico Kid" (1966) Jacobus Carson :"The Seventh Day" (1967) Reverend Egan Thomas *''
Garrison's Gorillas ''Garrison's Gorillas'' is an American Broadcasting Company, ABC Television program, TV series originally broadcast from 1967 to 1968; a total of 26 hour-long episodes were produced. It was inspired by the 1967 film ''The Dirty Dozen'', which fea ...
'', "Banker's Hours" (1967), Col. Karl Vogel *'' Run for Your Life'', "A Choice of Evils" (1967), Phil Carson *'' The Virginian'' :"Nobody Said Hello" (1966), Matt McLain :"The Gentle Tamers" (1968), Hoyt :"Vengeance Trail" (1967), Sheriff Ben Morris *''
Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gia ...
'', "The Creed" (1968), Policeman #1 *''
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...
'', "The Mystery of Edward Sims" (1968), Mr. Parker *''
The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as ...
'' :"Willie Poor Boy" (1969), Dr. Albee :"The Poisoned Mind" (1971), Dr. Maggio *'' Longstreet'', "One in the Reality Column" (1971), Defense Attorney *'' Mission: Impossible'' :"Doomsday" (1969), Dr. Thorgen :"My Friend, My Enemy" (1970), Karl Maur :"The Field" (1971) (writer) :"Double Dead" (1972), Jim Thompson *''
Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
'' :"Hear No Evil" (1972), Ray Norman :"Valley of the Damned" (1973), Lt. Harry Wharton *'' Ironside'', "In the Forests of the Night" (1973), Thompkins *''
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
'', "Gang War" (1973) *'' The Magician'' :"Ovation for Murder" (1973), Captain Gottschalk :"The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part 2" (1974), Captain Gottschalk :"Shattered Image" (1974), Captain Gottschalk *''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
'', "Lost Love" (1975), Emil *''
Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls ''Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls'' is an American television drama miniseries that aired on CBS in October 1981. The first two hours were broadcast on October 19, followed by three hours on October 20 during prime time; CBS originally i ...
'' (1981), Man with Dog (final film role)


Feature-length films

*''
I Want to Live! ''I Want to Live!'' is a 1958 American biographical film noir directed by Robert Wise and starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent and Theodore Bikel. It follows the life of Barbara Graham, a prostitute and habitual criminal w ...
'' (1958) - Henry L. Graham *'' The Alamo'' (1960) - Emil Sande *'' The Venetian Affair'' (1967) - Neill Carlson *''
Panic in the City ''Panic in the City'' is a 1968 American science fiction thriller film directed by Eddie Davis and written by Eddie Davis and Charles E. Savage. The film is about nuclear weapons, set and filmed on location in Los Angeles in 1967. The film stars ...
'' (1968) - Police Lt. Brady *''Journey to Shiloh'' (1968) - Col. Boykin *''
The Sweet Ride ''The Sweet Ride'' is a 1968 American drama film with a few surfer/ biker exploitation film elements. It stars Tony Franciosa, Michael Sarrazin and Jacqueline Bisset in an early starring role. The film also features Bob Denver in the role of Choo ...
'' (1968) - Gene Bronson (uncredited) *''
Zabriskie Point Zabriskie Point is a part of the Amargosa Range located east of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park in California, United States, noted for its erosional landscape. It is composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 mil ...
'' (1970) - Company Executive (uncredited) *'' Skyjacked'' (1972) - Stanley Morris *''
Incident on a Dark Street ''Incident on a Dark Street'' is a 1973 TV movie broadcast on ''NBC Saturday Night at the Movies''. It premiered on NBC on January 13, 1973. Plot Two law school grads take on their first big cases as prosecutors for the federal government as U.S. ...
'' (1973, TV Movie) - John Pine *'' Lepke'' (1975) - First Detective (also as a writer)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Wesley 1921 births 1984 deaths American people of German descent American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Wisconsin People from Sheboygan, Wisconsin Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II