Milton Selzer (October 25, 1918 – October 21, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television

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 (), lit ...

Early life

Born in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as ...

, Selzer and his family moved to

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsm ...

where he was raised. After graduating from Portsmouth High School, he attended the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College ...

before 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 ...

. After the war, Selzer moved to New York to train at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

and

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

Career

Selzer's acting career began with small parts on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. After moving to Hollywood in 1960, he began a prolific career as a character actor making many guest appearances in film and television.

Stage

Selzer's

credits include ''Tiger at the Gates'' (1955), ''Once Upon a Tailor'' (1954), ''Arms and the Man'' (1950), and ''Julius Caesar'' (1950).

Television

Selzer's many television roles included appearances on ''

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, sup ...

'', where he portrayed an alien in "

Hocus-Pocus and Frisby "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" is episode 95 (season 3, number 30) of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. Opening narration Plot Somerset Frisby has a general store/gas station in a small town, and the townsfolk know him ...

", and as the miserly son-in-law in " The Masks". He appeared as Dr. Nobel in an episode of '' Have Gun Will Travel'', He appeared in an episode of '' The Asphalt Jungle'' in 1961. In 1962 he portrayed an angel - Anthology/The Twilight Zone. He made two memorable guest appearances on ''

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 c ...

''; in 1963 he played defendant and title character Dr. Aaron Stuart in "The Case of the Decadent Dean," and in 1964 he played murder victim Dr. Max Taylor in "The Case of the Bullied Bowler". From 1965–67, he made seven guest appearances as Professor Parker in ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'' followed by roles on ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

'', '' The Rat Patrol'', ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...

'', and '' The Bold Ones: The Protectors''. In the many crime shows of the 1960s and 1970s, Selzer would often portray unsympathetic characters who would also possess sad and often pathetic qualities. He was a regular on the 1973

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 new ...

'' Needles and Pins'' as Julius Singer. He made his last onscreen appearance in the 1995

television film 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 ...

''Cagney & Lacey: Together Again''.

Film

Selzer's film career includes roles in ''

The Young Savages ''The Young Savages'' is a 1961 American crime drama film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. It was written by Edward Anhalt from a novel by Evan Hunter. The supporting cast includes Dina Merrill, Shelley Winters, and E ...

'' (1961) opposite

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 Enemy Country'' (1968), ''The Buddy System'' (1984) and ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986).

Death

On October 21, 2006, four days before his 88th birthday, Selzer died of pulmonary complications.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Selzer, Milton 1918 births 2006 deaths Actors from Lowell, Massachusetts American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from New Hampshire People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Military personnel from New Hampshire American military personnel of World War II University of New Hampshire alumni American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni The New School alumni Jewish American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews