Acting
Bert Freed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 — August 2, 1994) was a prolific American character actor, voice over actor, and the first actor to portray "Detective Columbo" on television. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending Penn State University, and made his Broadway debut in 1942. Following World War II Army service in the European Theatre, he appeared in the Broadway musical The Day Before Spring in 1945 and dozens of television shows between 1947 and 1985. His film debut occurred, oddly enough, in a musical Carnegie Hall (1947). A prominent role was as the villainous Ryker in the television series Shane, in which Freed added a unique touch of realism by beginning the show clean-shaven and growing a beard from one week to the next, never shaving again through the season. Freed played Columbo in a live 1960 episode of the "Chevy Mystery Theatre" seven years before Peter Falk played the role. Thomas Mitchell also played the part on stage prior to Falk's version, which is probably where many of the eccentric Columbo traits originated; only a few were visible in Freed's straightforward interpretation, although the character as played by Freed is recognizably Columbo. He appeared (sometimes more than once) in television shows such as The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley,The Virginian, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, Then Came Bronson, Run For Your Life, Get Smart, The Lucy Show, Hogan's Heroes, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Combat!, Petticoat Junction, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Ironside, The Green Hornet, The Munsters, and many, many more. He directed one episode of T.H.E. Cat. Freed appeared as a racist club owner in No Way Out (1950), a gangster in Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950), a Marine private in Halls of Montezuma (1951 film), an Army sergeant in Take the High Ground! (1953), the Police Chief in Invaders From Mars (1953), Sgt. Boulanger in Paths of Glory (1957), the hangman in Hang 'Em High (1968), Max's father in Wild in the Streets (1968), as Chief of Detectives in Madigan (1968), a homosexual prison guard in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) and Bernard's father in Billy Jack (1971) in which he got "whumped" on the side of the face by Billy Jack's right foot "just for the hell of it." He retired from acting in 1986, and died of a heart attack in Canada in 1994 while on a fishing trip with his son. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert Freed, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Are You My Mother?
Film · 1986
Knight Rider
Series · 1982
Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase
Film · 1981
The Fall Guy
Series · 1981
Darkroom
Series · 1981
Skag
Film · 1980
Norma Rae
Film · 1979
Barracuda
Film · 1978
Till Death
Film · 1978
Vega$
Series · 1978
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan
Film · 1977
Love and the Midnight Auto Supply
Film · 1977
Charlie's Angels
Series · 1976
Death Scream
Film · 1975
Bronk
Series · 1975
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Series · 1974
Paper Moon
Series · 1974
Lincoln
Series · 1974
Incident at Vichy
Film · 1973
Police Story
Series · 1973
Barnaby Jones
Series · 1973
The Rookies
Series · 1972
The Streets of San Francisco
Series · 1972
The Sixth Sense
Series · 1972
Billy Jack
Film · 1971
Evel Knievel
Film · 1971
Cannon
Series · 1971
There Was a Crooked Man...
Film · 1970
The Andersonville Trial
Film · 1970
Breakout
Film · 1970
The Partridge Family
Series · 1970
McCloud
Series · 1970
Then Came Bronson
Film · 1969
Madigan
Film · 1968
Wild in the Streets
Film · 1968
P.J.
Film · 1968
Hang 'em High
Film · 1968
The Mod Squad
Series · 1968
Lancer
Series · 1968
The Outsider
Series · 1968
Mannix
Series · 1967
Ironside
Series · 1967
The High Chaparral
Series · 1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Series · 1967
Nevada Smith
Film · 1966
The Swinger
Film · 1966
Mission: Impossible
Series · 1966
Tarzan
Series · 1966
Shane
Series · 1966
The Green Hornet
Series · 1966
Mission: Impossible
Series · 1966
Get Smart
Series · 1965
Run for Your Life
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
The Loner
Series · 1965
Hogan's Heroes
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
Fate Is the Hunter
Film · 1964
Invitation to a Gunfighter
Film · 1964
Shock Treatment
Film · 1964
The Munsters
Series · 1964
Twilight of Honor
Film · 1963
Petticoat Junction
Series · 1963
Arrest and Trial
Series · 1963
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Series · 1963
Mr. Novak
Series · 1963
The Outer Limits
Series · 1963
The Dakotas
Series · 1963
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Film · 1962
Combat!
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Lucy Show
Series · 1962
Cain's Hundred
Series · 1961
Target: The Corruptors!
Series · 1961
Ben Casey
Series · 1961
Dr. Kildare
Series · 1961
Dr. Kildare
Series · 1961
Why Must I Die
Film · 1960
The Subterraneans
Film · 1960
Route 66
Series · 1960
The Chevy Mystery Show
Series · 1960
The Gazebo
Film · 1959
Bourbon Street Beat
Series · 1959
Johnny Staccato
Series · 1959
Adventures in Paradise
Series · 1959
Riverboat
Series · 1959
Law of the Plainsman
Series · 1959
The Detectives
Series · 1959
Tightrope
Series · 1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Series · 1959
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Series · 1959
Startime
Series · 1959
Laramie
Series · 1959
The Goddess
Film · 1958
The Plot to Kill Stalin
Film · 1958
77 Sunset Strip
Series · 1958
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Series · 1958
Peter Gunn
Series · 1958
The Rifleman
Series · 1958
Paths of Glory
Film · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
The Thin Man
Series · 1957
Decoy
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers
Film · 1956
The Desperate Hours
Film · 1955
The Cobweb
Film · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
The Millionaire
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
Men of the Fighting Lady
Film · 1954
The Strike
Film · 1954
The Long, Long Trailer
Film · 1954
Invaders from Mars
Film · 1953
Tangier Incident
Film · 1953
Take the High Ground!
Film · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
The Atomic City
Film · 1952
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Film · 1952
Detective Story
Film · 1951
The Company She Keeps
Film · 1951
Halls of Montezuma
Film · 1951
Red Mountain
Film · 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Series · 1951
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Film · 1950
Key to the City
Film · 1950
No Way Out
Film · 1950
711 Ocean Drive
Film · 1950
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
Film · 1950
Studio One
Series · 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
Series · 1948
Studio One
Series · 1948
Studio One
Series · 1948
Studio One
Series · 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
Series · 1948
Boomerang!
Film · 1947