KS
Photo of Karl Swenson

Karl Swenson

Actor
Died October 8, 1978 (70 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne

Swenson was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Swedish parentage. Planning to be a doctor, he enrolled at Marietta College and undertook pre-medical studies but left that field to pursue acting.

Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Swenson entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter, followed by more than thirty-five roles in feature films and television movies. No Name on the Bullet (1959) is only one of the many westerns in which he performed for both film and television.

Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963) and had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Seconds (1966). In 1967, Swenson appeared in the western Hour of the Gun, and played the role of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the western film Brighty of the Grand Canyon, with co-stars Pat Conway and Joseph Cotten. His later film appearances included roles in ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972).

Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins.

Swenson died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. Swenson was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut. CLR
Movies & Shows on Plex
  • Bonanza
  • The Rifleman
  • Flaming Star
  • Death Valley Days
  • The Rebel
  • The Gun and the Pulpit
  • The Westerner
  • The Adventures of Jim Bowie
  • Steve Canyon
Known For
  • The Sword in the Stone
  • Lonely Are the Brave
  • North to Alaska
  • The Hanging Tree
  • Ulzana's Raid
  • Flaming Star
  • Walk on the Wild Side
  • Kings Go Forth
  • No Name on the Bullet
  • The Gallant Hours
  • Sugarfoot
  • Cimarron Strip
  • One Foot in Hell
  • A Howling in the Woods
  • The Gun and the Pulpit
  • The Wild Country
  • Brighty of the Grand Canyon
  • The Man from Galveston
  • Disney Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea

Filmography

2000
All About 'the Birds' · as Doomsayer In Diner In Clips From The Movie 'the Birds'
1995
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind · as (voice) (archive Footage)
1990
1984
Disney's Halloween Treat · as Merlin (voice) (archive Footage)
1979
Little House Years · as Lars Hanson
1979
The Horror Show · as Cast
1977
1974
1974
Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) · as Lars Hanson
1974
Apple's Way (TV Series) · as Dr. Knowles
1974
Happy Days (TV Series)
1973
Barnaby Jones (TV Series) · as Mr. Fowler
1972
Ulzana's Raid · as Rukeyser
1972
The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series) · as Gustaveson
1972
Ghost Story (TV Series) · as Ed Barnes
1972
Emergency! (TV Series) · as Gus
1971
A Howling in the Woods · as Apperson
1971
The Birdmen · as Gunter
1971
Cannon (TV Series)
1971
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (TV Series) · as Otto Schurman
1971
Vanishing Point · as Clerk
1971
Longstreet (TV Series) · as Sven Aalborg
1970
The Wild Country · as Jensen
1970
The Odd Couple (TV Series) · as Captain Potter
1970
Dan August (TV Series) · as Aubrey Burnett
1970
The Young Rebels (TV Series)
1970
Tick, Tick, Tick · as Frank Braddock Sr.
1969
The Immortal (TV Series)
1969
Medical Center (TV Series) · as Dr. Mills
1968
The Mod Squad (TV Series)
1968
The Outcasts (TV Series)
1968
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) · as Abel Morgan
1967
Hour of the Gun · as Dr. Charles Goodfellow
1967
1967
1967
Cimarron Strip (TV Series)
1967
Ironside (TV Series) · as Vet
1967
CBS Playhouse (TV Series)
1966
Brighty of the Grand Canyon · as Theodore Roosevelt
1966
Seconds · as Dr. Morris
1966
Mission: Impossible (TV Series) · as Colonel Dubov
1966
The Rat Patrol (TV Series) · as Colonel Seidner
1966
Tarzan (1966) (TV Series)
1966
Daktari (TV Series) · as Terry Coopersmith
1965
The Cincinnati Kid · as Mr. Rudd
1965
Hogan's Heroes (TV Series) · as Dr. Karl Svenson
1965
Convoy (TV Series) · as Lars Hanson
1965
The Big Valley (TV Series) · as Bert Hadley
1965
A Man Called Shenandoah (TV Series) · as Sheriff Ben Garrett
1965
The Sons of Katie Elder · as Doc Isdell
1965
Major Dundee · as Captain Waller
1964
Profiles in Courage (TV Series) · as Chynoweth
1964
1964
Twelve O'Clock High (TV Series) · as Gunnar Karlsen
1963
The Prize · as Hilding
1963
The Sword in the Stone · as Merlin (voice)
1963
1963
Mr. Novak (TV Series) · as Mr. Haskell
1963
The Bill Dana Show (TV Series)
1963
The Farmer's Daughter (TV Series) · as Max
1963
Temple Houston (TV Series) · as Sam Wade
1963
1963
The Fugitive (TV Series) · as Morgan
1963
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV Series) · as Coley Bishop
1963
The Lieutenant (TV Series)
1963
The Birds · as Drunken Doomsayer In Diner
1962
The Spiral Road · as Insp. Bevers
1962
How the West Was Won · as Train Conductor (uncredited)
1962
The Eleventh Hour (TV Series) · as Nelson
1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) · as George Sherston
1962
The Virginian (TV Series) · as Col. Theodore Roosevelt
1962
It's a Man's World (TV Series) · as Mr. Dewitt
1962
Sam Benedict (TV Series)
1962
Lonely Are the Brave · as Rev. Hoskins
1962
The Dakotas (TV Series)
1962
Walk on the Wild Side · as Schmidt
1961
Judgment at Nuremberg · as Heinrich Geuter
1961
Window on Main Street (TV Series) · as George Pritchard
1961
Ben Casey (TV Series)
1961
Dr. Kildare (TV Series) · as Judge
1961
Ripcord (TV Series) · as Will Gorman
1961
The Dick Powell Show (TV Series) · as Lang
1961
Kraft Mystery Theatre (TV Series) · as Lawson
1960
Flaming Star · as Dred Pierce
1960
North to Alaska · as Lars Nordqvist
1960
The Case of the Dangerous Robin (TV Series) · as The Ex-Con
1960
Klondike (TV Series)
1960
The Andy Griffith Show (TV Series) · as Mr. Mcbeevee
1960
SurfSide 6 (TV Series)
1960
Insight (TV Series) · as Dr. Bradley
1960
The Westerner (TV Series) · as Ben Potts
1960
Outlaws (TV Series)
1960
The Aquanauts (TV Series) · as Rainbow
1960
One Foot in Hell · as Sheriff Ole Olson
1960
The Gallant Hours · as Bill Bailey
1960
Hong Kong (TV Series) · as John Olwine
1960
Ice Palace · as Scotty Ballantyne
1959
Mr. Lucky (TV Series)
1959
Hawaiian Eye (TV Series)
1959
The Rebel (TV Series) · as Lew Bussey
1959
Hotel de Paree (TV Series) · as Jed Holmes
1959
Johnny Ringo (TV Series) · as Kramer
1959
Men into Space (TV Series) · as Sen. Jim Sloane
1959
Lock-Up (TV Series)
1959
Laramie (TV Series) · as Becker
1959
Riverboat (TV Series) · as Ansel Torgin
1959
The Man and the Challenge (TV Series) · as Dr. Lindstrom
1959
Bonanza (TV Series) · as Captain Nels Larson
1959
Tightrope (TV Series)
1959
No Name on the Bullet · as Stricker
1959
The Hanging Tree · as Tom Flaunce
1959
The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Hans Dreiser
1959
Black Saddle (TV Series) · as Dr. Wyle
1959
Rawhide (TV Series) · as Merle
1959
Bold Venture (TV Series) · as Kenny
1958
The Badlanders · as The Marshal
1958
77 Sunset Strip (TV Series)
1958
Bat Masterson (TV Series) · as Jim Pate
1958
1958
Mackenzie's Raiders (TV Series) · as Secretary Of War James Cameron
1958
1958
The Texan (TV Series)
1958
Bronco (TV Series)
1958
Steve Canyon (TV Series) · as Col. Vanderhoek
1958
Kings Go Forth · as The Colonel
1957
Colt .45 (TV Series) · as Jim Courtwright
1957
1957
Trackdown (TV Series)
1957
Maverick (TV Series) · as Captain Nares
1957
Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Axel Norstaad
1957
Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Harry Whitmore
1957
Sugarfoot (TV Series) · as Alexi Sharlokov
1957
Bachelor Father (TV Series) · as Charley Burton
1957
1957
That Night! · as Mcadam
1957
Meet McGraw (TV Series) · as Cast
1957
Leave It to Beaver (TV Series) · as George Haskell
1957
Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Ed Flavin
1957
Four Boys and a Gun · as Mr. Badek
1956
Zane Grey Theater (TV Series) · as Lud Greening
1956
Circus Boy (TV Series) · as Lars Larsen
1956
The Adventures of Jim Bowie (TV Series) · as Andre Rochambeau
1955
Alice in Wonderland · as Humpty Dumpty
1955
Playwrights '56 (TV Series)
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) · as John
1955
The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial (TV Series) · as Asmussen
1955
Cheyenne (TV Series) · as Bruce Coll
1955
Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Hutch
1955
The Jane Wyman Show (TV Series) · as Pat Casey
1954
Disneyland (TV Series) · as Jensen
1954
Lassie (TV Series)
1953
The United States Steel Hour (TV Series) · as Abner Carson
1953
Ponds Theater (TV Series) · as Douglas
1952
This Is The Life (TV Series) · as Burke
1952
Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Abe Hughes
1951
Hallmark Hall Of Fame (TV Series) · as Humpty Dumpty
1951
Goodyear Television Playhouse (TV Series) · as Cast
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (TV Series) · as Asmussen
1950
The Jack Benny Program (TV Series) · as Pierre The Butler
1950
1949
The Big Story (TV Series) · as Finch
1947
Kraft Television Theatre (TV Series) · as First Mate
1943
December 7th · as Machine-Gunner (uncredited)
1935
Strangers All · as Protester At Communist Meeting

Take Plex everywhere

Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices