William Edward Phipps (February 4, 1922 – June 1, 2018) was an American actor and producer, sometimes credited simply as William Phipps, known for his roles in films and on television.
Early years
Hometown Phipps grew up in St. Francisville, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was six years old. By the time he was in high school, he was using his stepfather's last name of Couch. He developed a love of acting at a young age and performed in several plays in grade school and high school. One of the plays in which he performed, during his junior year of high school in 1937, was Before Morning, a 1933 play made into a film that same year.
College After graduating from high school in 1939, he attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he majored in accounting, was elected freshman class president and served as head cheerleader. After two years of college, he moved to Hollywood, to pursue a career in acting and resumed his original last name of Phipps.
World War II During that same year, the United States entered into World War II, and Phipps enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a radio operator on several ships all across the Pacific. He served three years, then settled in Los Angeles to begin his career. He enrolled in the Actors' Laboratory Theatre in Hollywood, alongside fellow actor Russell Johnson.
Hollywood Phipps' big break came when he and Johnson were double-cast, sharing the same role in a play at the Actors Lab. They drew straws to see which actor would perform in the matinée, and which would take the evening show. Phipps drew the evening show, which was attended that same evening by actor Charles Laughton. Laughton was impressed by Phipps' performance and came backstage afterwards to ask Phipps to perform in Laughton's own play. Phipps' career took off, and he was soon in his first feature film, Crossfire (1947). In 1949, Phipps auditioned for the speaking voice of Prince Charming in the upcoming Disney film Cinderella. The studio was pleased with his performance and Phipps was offered the part by Walt Disney himself.
In 1959, he guest-starred as "Ken Wills" a cheated card player in Bat Masterson, teaming up with the star to clean out a town of crooked poker dealers in the episode "License To Cheat" (S1E17).
In 1962, he guest-starred on the TV Western Gunsmoke as weak husband “Ham” in S7E33's “The Prisoner”.
Hawaii After nearly thirty years in the business, performing in film and television in a wide variety of roles, Phipps took a break from Hollywood and moved to Hawaii. While there, he hosted a movie presentation program called Hollywood Oldies, on Maui's Cable 7. After a little more than five years in Hawaii, he returned to Hollywood to portray President Theodore Roosevelt in the 1976 miniseries Eleanor and Franklin.
Retirement and post-career Phipps' last movie role was in the 2000 independent film Sordid Lives, in which he also served as one of the film's producers. In 2005, several of Phipps' films were the subject of an EIU (Eastern Illinois University) film festival in his honor. He received an honorary doctorate from the university the following year.
Death Phipps died on June 1, 2018, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 96 from lung cancer. He is buried in Valley Oaks Memorial Park.
Filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1947CrossfireLeroy1948The Arizona RangerRanger MacTrain to AlcatrazTommy CallahanThey Live by NightYoung FarmerStation WestSergeantUncreditedDesperadoes of Dodge CityTed LoringBelle Starr's DaughterYuma Talbott1949Scene of the CrimeYoung Gun OwnerUncredited1950The Man on the Eiffel TowerJanvierKey to the CityReporterUncreditedCinderellaPrince CharmingVoiceThe OutridersYoung Union GuardThe Vanishing WesternerBud ThurberRider from TucsonTug Bailey1951FiveMichaelNo Questions AskedRogerThe Red Badge of CourageOfficerUncredited1952Rose of CimarronJeb DawleyFort OsageNathan GoodspeedLoan SharkEd HainesUncreditedFlat TopRed Kelley1953The Blue GardeniaLt. George FosterVoice, UncreditedThe War of the WorldsWash PerryInvaders from MarsSgt. BakerJulius CaesarServant to AntonySavage FrontierJohnny WebbThe TwonkyStudentNorthern PatrolFrank StevensFort AlgiersLt. GerrierCat-Women of the MoonDoug SmithRed River ShoreNed Barlow1954Riot in Cell Block 11MickeyExecutive SuiteBill LundeenJesse James vs. the DaltonsBill DaltonFrancis Joins the WACSJeep driverUncreditedTwo Guns and a BadgeDick Grant - RancherThe Snow CreatureLieutenant DunbarThe Violent MenBud HinklemanUncredited1955Rage at DawnBill Peterson Jr.Smoke SignalPvt. PorterThe Eternal SeaLegless SailorUncreditedThe Far HorizonsOarsman / Camp SentryLord of the JungleKenny BalouThe Indian FighterLt. Blake1956The Man in the Gray Flannel SuitArmy SergeantUncreditedGreat Day in the MorningRalstonThe First TexanLt. Jack LeBlancAway All BoatsShip MachinistG.E. Summer OriginalsEpisode: "Blizzard Bound" (S1/E7)The BossStitchLust for LifeEmile BernardThe Desperados Are in TownBit Man at Cotton GinUncreditedThe Wild PartyWino1957Badlands of MontanaWalt BrantonThe Brothers RicoJoe WessonKiss Them for MeLt. Al HendricksUncreditedEscape from Red RockArky Shanks1958The Day of the TrumpetPvt. Steve HainesThe Walter Winchell FileStony JonesEpisode: "David & Goliath"DecisionLeslie HendersonEpisode: "The Tall Man"Man on the RunJay1959The FBI StoryBaby Face NelsonUncreditedGunsmokeHody PeelEpisode: "Odd Man Out" (S5/E11)GunsmokeLouEpisode: "The Coward"The RiflemanAsa ManningEpisode: "The Money Gun"1962The VirginianJack WheelerEpisode: "Impasse"The Alfred Hitchcock HourThe BartenderSeason 1 Episode 12: "Hangover"Black GoldAlbert Mailer1963ShowdownDeputyUncreditedGunsmokeJoe StarkEpisode: "Carter Caper"1964The Evil of FrankensteinRena's Fatheradditional sequence: US, Uncredited1965HarlowReporterUncreditedCombat!Pvt. BarnhillEpisode: "The Old Men"1966Incident at Phantom HillTraderThe Green Hornet Jack StarkeyEpisode: "May the Best Man Lose"Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-RoundKleinerUncreditedNot with My Wife, You Don't!Sergeant1967Gunfight in AbileneFrank Norton1977The Trial of Lee Harvey OswaldCaptain Will FritzTV film1978Space ForceCommander Irving Hinkley1983The Dukes of HazzardBarney BensonEpisode: "Big Brothers Duke"1984DuneNarratorTV version, Uncredited1988Messenger of DeathDoc Turner1993Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyQuentin2000Sordid LivesRev Barnes(final film role)
References
External links