Arthur Bent Balinger (February 1, 1915 – June 10, 2011) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known for television roles throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Specifically, Balinger was cast in numerous productions created by Jack Webb and his production company,

Mark VII Limited Mark VII Limited was the production company of actor and filmmaker Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 to his death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Television; most of them aired on the NBC television netwo ...

. Balinger was born to parents Sheldon and Ellen Bent Balinger in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He was raised in the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino C ...

. Balinger began his career as a radio announcer, before transitioning to television as an actor. His credits included '' Dragnet'' and ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situa ...

'' (as "Battalion Chief Conrad"). He largely retired from television after the 1970s. One of his last memorable parts in film was that of the dedication ceremony announcer in the blockbuster hit ''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Towe ...

''. Balinger also worked for the McDonnel Douglas Aircraft company in the 1970s performing several on-camera appearances as well as voice-only narration of multiple McDonnel Douglas promotional films (See Periscope Films available on YouTube.) Balinger died at the Terwilliger Plaza Nursing Home in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, at the age of 96.

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1915 births 2011 deaths People from Los Angeles Male actors from Los Angeles American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors American radio personalities Death in Oregon {{US-tv-actor-1910s-stub