Paul Langton (April 17, 1913 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Leslie Harrington on the television series Peyton Place.
Early years When Langton was 12 years old he moved from Salt Lake City to San Francisco to be with his father, Ernest Langton, a former vaudevillian who then worked in the mailing department of the San Francisco Examiner. He attended Lowell High School and the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. He worked in the press rooms of The Salt Lake Telegram and the Examiner to finance his education.
Career Langton's early stage experience included acting in productions of the Mountain Play Association in California and the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1950 he portrayed Biff in a touring company of Death of a Salesman. He performed on Broadway in Harbor Lights (1956).
Making his movie bow in 1941, Langton became a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, frequently appearing in war films. Later, Langton was seen in character parts or supporting roles in such films as The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). He also was a voice actor on Lux Radio Theatre from 1942 to 1954.
Langton began appearing on television in 1951 in a series called The Web.Performers' Television Credits, 1948–2000 His first regular role was that of Walter Dennis on the daytime series The Brighter Day. He also made five guest appearances on Perry Mason from 1958 to 1962, three of which were as prosecuting attorneys. But it was the role of Leslie Harrington on the prime time serial Peyton Place (1964–68) that finally gave him a level of stardom. After he was written out of the series, he appeared in half a dozen other programs including It Takes a Thief (1968), Ironside (TV series) and, in his final role, Emergency!, before retiring due to ill health.
Personal life and death Langton was married to Elda Piva. He died in Burbank, California on April 15, 1980, aged 66, two days before his 67th birthday. Langton was a Mormon.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes1943 We've Never Been Licked Naval Officer Uncredited First Comes Courage Minor Role Uncredited The Cross of Lorraine French Soldier Uncredited Destination Tokyo 'Copperfin' Crewman / Barber Uncredited1944 Marriage Is a Private Affair Soldier Uncredited Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Captain 'Ski' York The Thin Man Goes Home Tom Clayworth Uncredited Dark Shadows Peter Selkin, Suspect Short crime drama film unrelated to later supernatural TV series; uncredited Gentle Annie Violet Goss1945 This Man's Navy Minor Role Uncredited The Hidden Eye Barry Gifford Purity Squad Mr. Winthrop Short film, Uncredited What Next, Corporal Hargrove? Captain Drake They Were Expendable Ensign 'Andy' Andrews1946 Magic on a Stick John Walker Short film, Uncredited The Hoodlum Saint Bit Part (scenes deleted) Courage of Lassie Minor Role Uncredited Till the Clouds Roll By Oscar Hammerstein II Fictionalized M-G-M musical biopic of composer Jerome Kern1947 My Brother Talks to Horses Mr. Gillespie The Sea of Grass Young Doctor Uncredited The Romance of Rosy Ridge Tom Yeary For You I Die Johnny Coulter1948 Fighting Back Nick Sanders A Song Is Born Joe Trouble Preferred Ed Poole1953 Big Leaguer Brian McLennan Jack Slade Dan Traver1954 Return from the Sea Lieutenant Commander Frank Manley The Snow Creature Dr. Frank Parrish1955 Dr. Harvey W. Wiley Harvey W. Wiley TV movie; episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame Murder Is My Beat Ray Patrick To Hell and Back Colonel Howe The Big Knife Buddy Bliss1957 Utah Blaine Rip Coker The Incredible Shrinking Man Charlie Carey Calypso Heat Wave Mack Adams Chicago Confidential Police Captain Jake Parker1958 Girl in the Woods Luke Plummer It! The Terror from Beyond Space Lieutenant James Calder1959 The Cosmic Man Colonel Matthews Invisible Invaders Lieutenant General Stone The Last Angry Man Jack Vickery Uncredited1960 The Big Night Spencer Three Came to Kill Agent Ben Scanlon1963 Dime with a Halo Mr. Jones Twilight of Honor Air Force Sergeant Kelly Uncredited 4 for Texas Beauregard1964 Man's Favorite Sport? Jim Stern Uncredited Advance to the Rear Major Forsythe Uncredited Shock Treatment Judge Knox Uncredited Youngblood Hawke Glenn Hawke Uncredited TV series Year Title Role Note 1951 Tales of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 7: "The Monsters"1951–1954 Danger Season 1 Episode 46: "Goodbye, Hannah" (1951)
Season 2 Episode 4: "Sleep and Tell" (1951)
Season 2 Episode 5: "Inherit Murder" (1951)
Season 2 Episode 15: "Passage for Christmas" (1951)
Season 2 Episode 33: "Border Incident" (1952)
Season 4 Episode 20: "In Line of Duty" (1954) Suspense Winters / Dave Delaney Season 3 Episode 41: "The Call" (1951)
Season 3 Episode 46: "Tent on the Beach" (1951)
Season 4 Episode 10: "Frisco Payoff" (1951) as Winters
Season 4 Episode 14: "Pier 17" (1951) as Dave Delaney
Season 4 Episode 44: "Death Cargo" (1952)
Season 6 Episode 22: "Death on the Screen" (1954) The Web Season 1 Episode 48: "Cops Must Be Tough" (1951)
Season 1 Episode 59: "The Edge of Terror" (1951)
Season 2 Episode 15: "Sentence of Death" (1952)
Season 2 Episode 25: "The Phantom of the Bridge" (1952)
Season 2 Episode 31: "Prelude to Murder" (1952)
Season 4 Episode 35: "Brush-Off" (1954) 1951–1956 Kraft Television Theatre Season 5 Episode 4: "Irish Eyes" (1951)
Season 7 Episode 27: "Two Weeks in the Country" (1954)
Season 9 Episode 42: "Babies for Sale" (1956)1952 Armstrong Circle Theatre Season 2 Episode 30: "Troubled Sands" CBS Television Workshop Season 1 Episode 14: "Rainy Day on Paradise Junction" Goodyear Television Playhouse Season 1 Episode 17: "The Lantern Copy"
Season 1 Episode 21: "The Trial of Steven Kent" The Doctor Season 1 Episode 4: "The Baker Story"
Season 1 Episode 17: "Marti" 1952–1953 Chevron Theatre Mark Tracey Season 1 Episode 50: "My Brother's Wife" (1952)
Season 2 Episode 1: "Island of Stone" (1953) as Mark Tracey
Season 2 Episode 3: "The Beautiful Miss X" (1953)
Season 2 Episode 24: "The Worried Man" (1953) 1952–1955 Studio One (1) Marsh Huddleston (2) Mike Barnaby (3) John Temple Season 5 Episode 1: "The Kill" (1952) as (1)
Season 6 Episode 20: "Herman, Come by Bomber" (1954) as (2)
Season 7 Episode 22: "The Broken Spur" (1955) as (3)1953 Fireside Theatre Ben Season 6 Episode 8: "Phantom of the Bridge" Your Jeweler's Showcase Charlie Harris Season 1 Episode 20: "Cell 14"1953–1955 The Ford Television Theatre Dr. Chuck KennedyFrank Johnson Season 1 Episode 35: "The Jewel" (1953) as Dr. Chuck Kennedy
Season 2 Episode 26: "The Taming of the Shrewd" (1954)
Season 3 Episode 6: "The Road Ahead" (1954)
Season 4 Episode 4: "Twelve to Eternity" (1955) as Frank Johnson Letter to Loretta (1) Fred Broc(2) Roy(3) Norvil Knox(4) Johnny Ames(5) Mark Hodges Season 1 Episode 4: "Girl on a Flagpole" (1953) as (1)
Season 1 Episode 6: "Earthquake" (1953) as (2)
Season 1 Episode 18: "Secret Answer" (1954) as (3)
Season 2 Episode 4: "The Lamp" (1954) as (4)
Season 3 Episode 14: "A Pattern of Deceit" (1955) as (5)1954 Cavalcade of America Captain Joshua Patten Season 2 Episode 32: "The Skipper's Lady" The Public Defender Gil Wells Season 1 Episode 16: "Youth Crime Ring" The Lone Wolf Steber Season 1 Episode 15: "The Las Vegas Story" 1954–1955 The Lone Ranger Clay TrowbridgeRegis Bassett Season 4 Episode 1: "The Fugitive" (1954) as Clay Trowbridge
Season 4 Episode 51: "Counterfeit Redskins" (1955) as Regis Bassett 1954–1957 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1) Mal Martin(2) Landry(3) Cochran(4) Pete Hunter(5) Stacey Harris Season 3 Episode 45: "Rabbit Foot" (1954) as (1)
Season 4 Episode 18: "The Cool One" (1955) as (2)
Season 4 Episode 37: "Sentence of Death" (1955) as (3)
Season 5 Episode 26: "The Waiting House" (1956) as (4)
Season 7 Episode 5: "Smarty" (1957) as (5)1955 The Whistler Max Season 1 Episode 19: "Sleep My Pretty One" Damon Runyon Theater Barney Reardon Season 1 Episode 4: "The Lacework Kid" City Detective Philip Season 2 Episode 30: "Case of the Beautiful Miss X" Treasury Men in Action Scottie Barrow Season 5 Episode 35: "The Case of the Perfect Gentleman" Front Row Center Douglas Proctor Season 1 Episode 9: "Guest in the House" Celebrity Playhouse Cowie Thomas Season 1 Episode 3: "Showdown at San Pablo" Four Star Playhouse Garry Anchor Season 4 Episode 3: "Let the Chips Fall" Frontier Fred Graham Season 1 Episode 7: "King of the Dakotas, Part 1" 1955–1956 Lux Video Theatre Carl / Matthews Season 5 Episode 45: "Last Year's Snow" (1955) as Carl
Season 6 Episode 18: "Witness to Murder" (1956) as Matthews 1955–1959 The Millionaire John 'Jack' MartinDr. Ralph Spencer Season 1 Episode 16: "The Jack Martin Story" (1955) as John 'Jack' Martin
Season 5 Episode 28: "Millionaire Henry Banning" (1959) as Dr. Ralph Spencer1956 Navy Log Tim Lansing Season 1 Episode 36: "Night Landing" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Arthur Summers Season 2 Episode 2: "Fog Closing In" 1956–1958 Matinee Theatre Paul McLeanMatt Season 1 Episode 121: "In Dread of Winter" (1956)
Season 2 Episode 13: "A Question of Balance" (1956) as Paul McLean
Season 2 Episode 112: "Voyage to Mandok" (1957)
Season 3 Episode 88: "Cave-In" (1958) as Matt
Season 3 Episode 128: "Walk the Sky" (1958)
Season 3 Episode 160: "Course for Collision" (1958) 1957 The Gray Ghost Gabe Travers Season 1 Episode 11: "The Rescue" The Restless Gun Adam Robie Season 1 Episode 3: "Revenge at Harness Creek" Telephone Time Dr. Samuel Rinehart Season 3 Episode 13: "Novel Appeal" Code 3 Tim Hayes Season 1 Episode 38: "Sunset Strip" 1957–1958 Broken Arrow Colonel Horn Season 2 Episode 10: "Renegades Return" (1957)
Season 2 Episode 18: "Massacre" (1958) 1957–1959 State Trooper Hal DentonCharles Medford Season 1 Episode 12: "The Cash Out" (1957) as Hal Denton
Season 3 Episode 2: "The Trap that Jack Built" (1959) as Charles Medford1958 M Squad Van Wert Season 1 Episode 16: "The Cover-Up" Mike Hammer Frank BeulahLew Fallon Season 1 Episode 3: "Hot Hands, Cold Dice" as Frank Beulah
Season 1 Episode 29: "Four Blind Mice" as Lew Fallon The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen Police Lieutenant Peter Maas Season 1 Episode 6: "Cat of Many Tails" Lawman Matt Saint Season 1 Episode 9: "Bloodline" Playhouse 90 Paul Newton Season 3 Episode 10: "Free Weekend" Steve Canyon Major Martin Season 1 Episode 12: "Pilot Error" 1958–1961 Gunsmoke Major EvansKillionRob Curtin Season 4 Episode 3: "Gunsmuggler" (1958) as Major Evans
Season 5 Episode 15: "Tag, You're It" (1959) as Killion
Season 6 Episode 34: "The Imposter" (1961) as Rob Curtin 1958–1962 Wagon Train Father MartinRalph Morse Season 2 Episode 2: "The Juan Ortega Story" (1958) as Father Martin
Season 5 Episode 30: "The Terry Morrell Story" (1962) as Ralph Morse Perry Mason (1) Harry Vance(2) Simon Atley(3) & (5) Deputy District Attorney Bertram Telford(4) Prosecutor Green Season 1 Episode 24: "The Case of the Deadly Double" (1958) as (1)
Season 3 Episode 8: "The Case of the Bartered Bikini" (1959) as (2)
Season 4 Episode 6: "The Case of the Wandering Widow" (1960) as (3)
Season 4 Episode 22: "The Case of the Cowardly Lion" (1961) as (4)
Season 5 Episode 27: "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (1962) as (5)1959 The Lineup Season 5 Episode 16: "The Frederick Freemont Case" Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Tom Lamont Season 3 Episode 20: "Deadfall" Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Mr. Garrick Season 1 Episode 8: "Premonition" The Rough Riders Rudabaugh Season 1 Episode 32: "Forty-Five Caliber Law" Men Into Space Major Dr. Warnecke Season 1 Episode 4: "Water Tank Rescue"
Season 1 Episode 12: "Christmas on the Moon" 1959–1963 The Twilight Zone Doctor / George Season 1 Episode 1: "Where Is Everybody?" (series pilot) (1959) as Doctor