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William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he starred in the detective series ''
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 ...
''. A radio writer and actor, he moved to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
after serving in
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
as a fighter pilot, and played a series of character roles in films, beginning with the
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 '' ...
''
The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
'' (1946). He created the role of Marshal Matt Dillon for the radio series ''
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 chara ...
'' (1952–1961) and narrated the television adventures of '' Rocky and Bullwinkle'' (1959–1964) and '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Finding fewer onscreen roles in the 1950s, he changed from actor to producer-director with television work, narration, and a series of Warner Bros. films in the 1960s. Conrad found stardom as a detective in the TV series ''
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 ...
'' (1971–1976) and ''
Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in ...
'' (1981), and as district attorney Jason Lochinvar "J.L., Fatman" McCabe in the legal drama '' Jake and the Fatman'' (1987–1992).


Early life

William Conrad (also known as John William Conrad) was born John William Cann Jr., on September 27, 1920, in Louisville, Kentucky.Ancestry.com, 1930 Federal Census atabase online Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Olustee, Jackson, Oklahoma; Roll: 1907; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0027; Image: 1132.0; FHL microfilm: 2341641. Retrieved 2015-07-21. His parents, John William Cann and Ida Mae Upchurch Cann, owned a movie theatre, and Conrad grew up watching movies. The family moved to Southern California when Conrad was in high school. He majored in drama and literature at Fullerton College, in Orange County, California, and began his career as an announcer, writer, and director for Los Angeles radio station KMPC. Conrad served as a fighter pilot in
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. On the day he was commissioned in 1943 at Luke Field, he married June Nelson (1920–1977) of Los Angeles. He left 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 ...
with the rank of captain and as a producer-director of the Armed Forces Radio Service.


Career


Radio

William Conrad estimated that he played more than 7,500 roles during his radio career.William Conrad
at the National Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
At KMPC, the 22-year-old Conrad produced and acted in ''
The Hermit's Cave ''The Hermit's Cave'' was a syndicated radio horror series. The syndication was done via scripts, so that stations could broadcast the program with their own casts. The program began in September 1937 and continued into the mid-1940s on WJR AM ...
'' (''circa'' 1940–44), the Los Angeles incarnation of a popular syndicated horror anthology series created at WJR Detroit. Dunning, John, ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1998 hardcover; revised edition of ''Tune In Yesterday'' (1976) He was among the supporting cast for the espionage drama ''
The Man Called X ''The Man Called X'' is an espionage radio drama that aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944, to May 20, 1952. The radio series was later adapted for television and was broadcast for one season, 1956–1957. People Herbert Marshall had the lead ...
'' (1944–48); the syndicated dramatic anthology ''Favorite Story'' (1946–49); the adventure dramas ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (Mutual 1947–48), '' The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen'' (Mutual 1947–48), ''
The Green Lama The Green Lama is a fictional character, fictional pulp magazine hero of the 1940s, created by American author Kendell Foster Crossen. He is commonly portrayed as a powerful Buddhism, Buddhist Lama, dressing in green robes with a red scarf and us ...
'' (CBS 1949), and '' Night Beat'' (NBC 1950–52); ''Romance'' (1950); ''Hollywood Star Playhouse'' (1950–53);
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...
's ''The Modern Adventures of Casanova'' (Mutual 1952); and Cathy and Elliott Lewis's '' On Stage'' (CBS 1953–54). Conrad was the voice of ''
Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some s ...
'' (1947–54), a high-adventure radio series. He played Warchek, a menacing policeman, in '' Johnny Modero: Pier 23'' (Mutual 1947), a detective series starring
Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...
, and was in the cast of Webb's crime drama '' Pete Kelly's Blues'' (NBC 1951). He played newspaper editor Walter Burns opposite
Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...
's reporter Hildy Johnson in the ABC radio drama ''The Front Page'' (1948). He was Dave the Dude in the syndicated drama anthology series '' The Damon Runyon Theater'' (1948); Lt. Dundy in the NBC radio series ''
The Adventures of Sam Spade ''The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective'' was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for '' The Maltese Falcon''. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episod ...
'' (1949–50); boss to government special agent Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in ''The Silent Men'' (NBC 1951); and a New Orleans bartender in the NBC adventure drama ''Jason and the Golden Fleece'' (1952–53). Most prominently, Conrad's deep, resonant voice was heard in the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on
CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broad ...
's gritty
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 ...
series ''
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 chara ...
'' (1952–1961). The producers originally rejected him for the part because of his ubiquitous presence on so many radio dramas and the familiarity of his voice, but his impressive audition could not be dismissed, and he became the obvious choice for the role. Conrad voiced Dillon for the show's nine-year run, and he wrote the June 1953 episode "Sundown". When ''Gunsmoke'' was adapted for television in 1955, executives at CBS did not cast Conrad or his radio costars despite a campaign to get them to change their minds. His other credits include ''
Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being Decision-making, undecided, or being Doubt, doubtful. In a Drama, dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the wikt:outcome, outcome of a plot (narrative), plot or of the solution t ...
'', '' Lux Radio Theater'', and ''
Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...
''. In "The Wax Works", a 1956 episode of ''Suspense'', Conrad performed every part. Because of his CBS Radio contract, he sometimes appeared on shows on other networks under the pseudonym "Julius Krelboyne". In January 1956, Conrad was the announcer on the debut broadcast of ''
The CBS Radio Workshop ''The CBS Radio Workshop'' was an experimental dramatic radio anthology series that aired on CBS from January 27, 1956, until September 22, 1957. Subtitled “radio’s distinguished series to man’s imagination,” it was a revival of the earlie ...
'', a two-part adaptation of
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...
's ''
Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...
'', which Huxley himself narrated. "On the air, ''The CBS Radio Workshop'' was a lightning rod for ideas," wrote radio historian John Dunning, who cites Conrad's ''tour de force'' performances in the subsequent broadcasts "The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes" (March 23, 1956) and "A Matter of Logic" (June 1, 1956). Conrad directed and narrated the 1957 episode "Epitaphs", an adaptation of
Edgar Lee Masters Edgar Lee Masters (August 23, 1868 – March 5, 1950) was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of ''Spoon River Anthology'', ''The New Star Chamber and Other Essays'', ''Songs and Satires'', ''The Great V ...
's poetry volume ''
Spoon River Anthology ''Spoon River Anthology'' (1915), by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free verse poems that collectively narrates the epitaphs of the residents of Spoon River, a fictional small town named after the Spoon River, which ran near Masters' ...
''. "And '1489 Words' (Feb. 10, 1957) remains a favorite of many, a powerful Conrad performance proving that one picture is not necessarily worth a thousand words," Dunning concluded. "A lovely way to end a day, a decade, or an era."


Film

As an actor in feature films, Conrad was often cast as a threatening figure. His most notable role may be the first for which he was credited, as one of the gunmen sent to eliminate
Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...
in ''
The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
'' (1946). Conrad also appeared in '' Body and Soul'' (1947), '' Sorry, Wrong Number'' (1948), ''
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...
'' (1948), and '' The Naked Jungle'' (1954). In 1961, Conrad moved to the production side of the film business, producing and directing for Warner Bros. film studio. In 1965 he produced and directed ''
Two on a Guillotine ''Two on a Guillotine'' is a 1965 American horror film produced and directed by William Conrad and starring Connie Stevens. The screenplay by John Kneubuhl and Henry Slesar is based on a story by Slesar. The movie would be the first in a series o ...
'', '' My Blood Runs Cold'' and '' Brainstorm'' as well as narrating the opening of ''
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
''. ''Brainstorm'' was a latter-day ''film noir'' that has come to be regarded as "a minor masterpiece of the 1960s" and "the final, essential entry in that long line of ''films noir'' that begins at the end of the Second World War." Conrad was the executive producer of ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...
'' (1968), a science-fiction thriller starring
James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
and
Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...
that was the major studio feature début of director
Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...
. Conrad narrated the documentary ''Design For Disaster'', produced by the Los Angeles City Fire Department, about the November 1961 Bel Air
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
that gutted several neighborhoods, at the time the worst conflagration in Los Angeles history. As a token of appreciation from
Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...
, head of Warner Bros., Conrad received one of the two original lead-metal falcon statues used in the classic film '' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941). The falcon sat on a bookshelf in Conrad's house from the 1960s. Standing 11.5 in (29.2 cm) high and weighing 45 lb (20.4 kg), the figurine had been slashed during the making of the film by Sydney Greenstreet's character Kasper Gutman, leaving deep cuts in its bronze patina. After Conrad's death, the statue was consigned by his widow Tippy Conrad to
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...
, which estimated it would bring $30,000 to $50,000 at auction. In December 1994, Christie's sold the falcon for $398,500. In 1996, Winston resold the prop to an unknown European collector "at an enormous profit"for as much as $1 million. Late in life, Conrad narrated the opening and closing scenes of the 1991
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...
feature film '' Hudson Hawk''.


Television


Voice

As "Bill Conrad", he narrated the animated '' Rocky and Bullwinkle'' series from 1959 to 1964. He narrated ''
This Man Dawson ''This Man Dawson'' is a syndicated drama television series that was broadcast during 1959-60, starring Keith Andes as a former United States Marine Corps colonel hired to clean up police corruption in an undisclosed American city. The series ...
'', a 33-episode syndicated
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
starring
Keith Andes Keith Andes (born John Charles Andes, July 12, 1920 – November 11, 2005) was an American film, radio, musical theater, stage and television actor. Early life The son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes, Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...
in the 1959–1960 television season, and then became the familiar voice narrating '' The Fugitive'', starring David Janssen, on ABC television from 1963 to 1967. He could also be heard introducing Count Basie's Orchestra and Frank Sinatra on Sinatra's 1966 ''Live at the Sands'' album. Conrad intoned a rhyming narration heard over the credits of the 1970
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...
film Western '' Chisum''. His voice is heard in the Clio Award-winning 1971 public-service announcement about pollution featuring
Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, famously as ''Chief Iron Eyes'' in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' (1948). ...
, created for
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
by
Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953. It is the largest community improvement organization in the United States, with more than 700 state and community-based affiliate organizations and more than 1,000 partner organiz ...
and the
Ad Council The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...
. From 1973 to 1978, Conrad narrated the TV nature program, ''
Wild, Wild World of Animals ''Wild, Wild World of Animals'' is a syndicated American television show that features wildlife and nature documentaries. It was originally produced from 1973 until 1978, and was narrated by William Conrad. The soundtrack was composed by Gerhar ...
''. Also during the 1970s, he appeared in and narrated a number of episodes for ABC's ''American Sportsman'', and in the CBS documentary ''The Lost Treasure of the Concepcion''. He later narrated '' The Making of Star Wars'' (1977), the disaster documentary ''Catastrophe!'' (1977), the
1978 World Series The 1978 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1978 season. The 75th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Natio ...
U.S.-baseball highlight film, '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1979), and '' The Rebels'' (1979). He performed the role of Denethor in the 1980 animated TV version of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''
The Return of the King ''The Return of the King'' is the third and final volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', following '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' and '' The Two Towers''. It was published in 1955. The story begins in the kingdom of Gondor, ...
''. His other voice work included narration for '' The Highwayman'' and the High Flight sign-off featuring an F-15.


Directing

Conrad directed episodes of
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 ...
's ''Klondike'' in the 1960–1961 season. His other credits as a director include episodes of ''
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 sho ...
'', ''
Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...
'', '' Route 66'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...
'', ''
Temple Houston Temple Lea Houston (August 12, 1860 – August 15, 1905) was an American attorney and politician who served from 1885 to 1889 in the Texas State Senate. He was the last-born child of Margaret Lea Houston and Sam Houston, the first elected pre ...
''and '' Ripcord'', as well as ABC's
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
'' Target: The Corruptors!''.


Acting

Conrad guest-starred in NBC's science-fiction series ''The Man and the Challenge'' and in the syndicated skydiving adventure series ''Ripcord'', with
Larry Pennell Lawrence Kenneth "Larry" Pennell (February 21, 1928 – August 28, 2013) was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as "Dash Riprock" in the television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies''. His career spanned ha ...
and
Ken Curtis Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates; July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the CBS western television series ''Gunsmoke''. Although he appeared on ''Gunsmoke'' earl ...
. In 1962, he starred in an episode of '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' and guest-starred in episodes of ABC's
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
'' Target: The Corruptors!''. From 1971 to 1976, he starred in television detective series ''Cannon'', which was broadcast on CBS. While starring in the show, he weighed , and ballooned to or more. "I heard that Weight Watchers had banned its members from watching the show, but it turned out to be a gag," Conrad said in 1973. "The publicist for Weight Watchers did call and suggest that I have lunch with their president. I said sure – if I could pick the restaurant." From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, he starred in two other TV series, each with a crime detection/courtroom drama theme – ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981) and ''Jake and the Fatman'' (1987–92) with Joe Penny.


Hosting

Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Conrad served as the armchair-and-fireside host of the ''CBS All American Thanksgiving Day Parade'' morning broadcasts in which he anchored the network's annual holiday telecast of parades from around the U.S. and Canada, including parades from Detroit, Hawaii, New York City, Philadelphia, and Toronto.


Other appearances

In the 1970s and 1980s, Conrad appeared in a few Pittway
First Alert First Alert is the retail brand of American safety equipment manufacturer BRK Brands, Inc., established in 1976 and based in Aurora, Illinois, with a production plant in Juarez, Mexico. Products sold with the brand include carbon monoxide detecto ...
Smoke Alarm A smoke detector is a device that senses smoke, typically as an indicator of fire. Smoke detectors are usually housed in plastic enclosures, typically shaped like a disk about in diameter and thick, but shape and size vary. Smoke can be detecte ...
commercials as the host, explaining the need for the alarms.


Later life

In 1957, Conrad was married to former fashion model Susan Randall (1940–1979), and the couple had one son, Christopher. In 1980, Conrad married Tipton "Tippy" Stringer (1930–2010), a TV pioneer and the widow of NBC newscaster
Chet Huntley Chet is a masculine given name, often a nickname for Chester, which means ''fortress'' or ''camp''. It is an uncommon name of English origin, and originated as a surname to identify people from the city of Chester, England. Chet was ranked 1,027th ...
. She helped manage his career during their 14-year marriage.


Hobbies

Conrad was an avid outdoorsman and accomplished fisherman. Having been known for his prowess using light tackle, as documented in the magazine '' Field & Stream'', on May 23, 1972, in the Yucatan Channel of Mexico, Conrad caught a 62 lb, 4 oz sailfish on thread-like 6-lb-test line.


Death

William Conrad died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on February 11, 1994. He was buried in the Lincoln Terrace section of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery, California.


Recognition

Conrad was posthumously elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, and also to the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.


Filmography


Actor


Director


Producer


References


External links

*
William Conrad
at
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

William Conrad
at the National Radio Hall of Fame * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, William 1920 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American male actors American World War II fighter pilots American film producers American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors American male voice actors American television directors American television producers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Film directors from Kentucky Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Louisville, Kentucky Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky Nero Wolfe Radio personalities from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II