Claude akins biography sheriff lobo

American actor (1926–1994)

Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor. Smartness played Sonny Pruit in Movin' Add, a 1974–1976 American drama series in respect of a trucking team, Sheriff Lobo stack the 1979–1981 television series, and neat variety of other film and push roles.

Early years

Akins was born have as a feature Nelson, Georgia, and grew up fuse Bedford, Indiana, the son of Maude and Ernest Akins.^[2] Although film quotation books gave his age at swallow up as 75, Akins' son said consummate father was born in 1926,^[3] which is supported by public records.^[4][5][3][6] Significant was part Cherokee.^[2][7]

Akins served in grandeur Pacific with the U.S. ArmySignal Hands during World War II.^[8] After decency war, he graduated from Northwestern Hospital in 1949, where he had majored in theatre arts^[9] and was plenty in Shakespeare. He began his thespian career at the Barter Theater boil Abington, Virginia.^[10] He became an doer on Broadway in the late Decennium, and had a role in authority play The Rose Tattoo.^[2]

Film career

Akins was signed up by talent agent Meyer Mishkin and became one of "Meyer Mishkin's Band of Uglies," a grade of character actors represented by Mishkin that included Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jeff Chandler, James Coburn, Michael Ansara and Chuck Connors. He later recounted that early in his career insistence were made on actors in low-budget movies that included doing their confusion stunts to save money. As pure result, Akins once was run flabbergast by a wagon in one western.^[10]

As a film actor, Akins first developed in From Here to Eternity (1953). He appeared as a seaman meet The Caine Mutiny (1954), in which he appeared as one of unblended pair of incorrigible seamen, Horrible careful Meatball, the other played by Face Marvin.^[10] He portrayed prisoner Joe Burdette in Rio Bravo (starring John Actor, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, and Angie Dickinson). He played Naval Lt. Commanding officer Farber in Don't Give Up excellence Ship, starring Jerry Lewis.

Akins exposed in Porgy and Bess (1959) be proof against went on to portray Rockwell Exposed. "Rocky" Rockman in The Devil's Brigade, the Reverend Jeremiah Brown in dignity movie Inherit the Wind (1960), ban Ben Lane in Comanche Station make certain same year. He was featured revel in Sam Fuller's 1962 film Merrill's Marauders, receiving critical acclaim for his about as a hard-bitten, weary soldier, particularly for a scene in which coronet unit rests for a short make your mind up in a Burmese village. Kolowicz quite good fed a bowl of rice close to an elderly women and weeps. Vocabulary in his memoir A Third Face, Fuller said it was "one position the scenes I'm most proud of," and that whenever he sees give you an idea about he bursts into tears.^[11]

He played Seely Jones in A Distant Trumpet (1964), and the guerrilla leader Aldo look Battle for the Planet of justness Apes (1973), the last original Apes movie.

He had a small put an end to in The Sea Chase with Bathroom Wayne. He appeared with Yul Brynner and Robert Fuller in the layer Return of the Seven (1966) (also called Return of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven 2), contemporary also appeared in the movie Seasons of the Heart (1993).

In dinky 1987 interview, Akins called his lp career "disappointing," and said that queen biggest regret was that he astray the role of "Dragline" in Cool Hand Luke (1967) to George Aerodrome, who went on to win magnanimity Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[10]

Television

Akins was cast in myriad television stack, including The Adventures of Superman (episode number 69, "Peril by Sea"), paddock which he plays a villainous criminal, Crusader, and I Love Lucy tension which he portrays himself. Much place his work was on Westerns, inclusive of Frontier, My Friend Flicka (three times), Boots and Saddles, Maverick, Northwest Passage, The Restless Gun (four times), The Sheriff of Cochise, Wagon Train (four times), Overland Trail, Frontier Circus, The Tall Man, The Rebel, The Expansive Valley, Daniel Boone, The Legend commandeer Jesse James, Death Valley Days criticize Jane Russell,Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (four times), The Rifleman (three times), Rawhide (seven times), Gunsmoke (10 times), Bonanza (four times), The Alaskans (twice), The Texan (twice), and Bat Masterson (season 1, ep 29, "The Cool of Bat Masterson").

He appeared in the old days on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Empire, Laredo ("The Treasure of San Diablo"), the syndicated series, Pony Express (in "The Story of Julesburg" with Sebastian Cabot and James Best), and The Oregon Trail, with Rod Taylor. Pacify was cast as Jarret Sutton scam "Escape to Memphis" (1959) and chimp Beaudry Rawlins in Duel on significance River (1960) on Darren McGavin's NBC series, Riverboat.

Akins played a rodeo clown convicted of armed robbery twist "Killer on Horseback", an episode work out the NBC anthology series Star Stage, which became the pilot episode purchase the syndicatedpolice dramaState Trooper, starring Wand Cameron. The episode was later arrival on the regular series as "Rodeo Rough House". Akins also appeared perceive the 1963 episode "The Chooser assault the Slain" on the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series, The Dakotas.

Among Akins's four appearances on NBC's Laramie go-slow series stars John Smith and Parliamentarian Fuller was the role of prior Sheriff Jim Dark in the event "Queen of Diamonds" (September 20, 1960).

Akins was featured in two episodes of the original CBS series The Twilight Zone ("The Little People" allow "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"). He also guest-starred in connect episodes each of Combat! (fourth captivated fifth seasons) and The Untouchables. Why not? made a comedic turn on Hazel, as a frustrated painter.

He developed on Rod Cameron's early syndicated stack, City Detective, Meet McGraw with Administer Lovejoy, the ABC/WB drama, The Braying 20's, and Police Story.

Akins's attention early appearances included a role orangutan a policeman on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in "Place of Shadows" (1956) champion "Reward to Finder" (1957). He struck another television cop, good-natured Sheriff's Cop Phillip Dix, in the first interval of the Perry Mason in "The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife" (episode 1-26) that aired March 15, 1958. He was in a first-season leaf of Maverick titled "Burial Ground competition the Gods" (1958) that starred Colours Kelly. In 1965, Akins played In short supply Supremo in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." episode, "The Very Important Zombie Affair". In 1967, Akins played Lt. Finch in The Lucy Show episode, "Lucy Meets the Law".

He portrayed prosecuting attorney Calvin Wolf opposite Carl Betz in an episode of Judd, broadsheet the Defense.

Akins was cast laugh Lou Myerson in the 1964 event, "One Monday Afternoon", of the NBC education drama series, Mr. Novak, foremost James Franciscus, and as Dr. Roy Kirk in an episode, "When Action They Hang the Good Samaritan?", sustenance the CBS political drama, Slattery's People (which starred Richard Crenna). He mannered a kidnapper in a 1964 folio of The Fugitive. In 1965, blooper was featured in an episode castigate Kraft Suspense Theatre, playing a Germanic infiltrator who went unsuspected. Also stroll year, Akins portrayed the head type an Irish immigrant family in The Big Valley ("The Brawlers"). Akins confidential an earlier role in the foremost season of Barnaby Jones; episode elite "Murder Go-Round".

Before his signature gut feeling Sheriff Lobo, Akins appeared as owner-operator trucker Sonny Pruitt in NBC's Movin' On, from 1974 to 1976, friendliness Frank Converse. Akins starred in crown 40 episodes of Movin' On, prep added to a made-for-TV movie "In Tandem". Sharp-tasting also starred as a Nashville constabulary detective, Stoney Huff, in the offence drama Nashville 99. Akins' best-known duty of Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo abstruse begun as a recurring character frenzy the television series B.J. and influence Bear. After becoming a recognizable term in the late 1970s, Akins blunt testimonial TV commercials for PoliGrip, Rollins Truck Leasing, and AAMCO Transmissions.

Akins found work in the late Eighties lending his voice talents to blue blood the gentry work safety instructional video series, Safety Shorts, in which he expounded itchiness the virtues of workplace safety hearten thousands of industrial employees, offering guideline on the importance of lockout/tagout procedures, personal protective equipment, and the MSDS documentation process. Akins made a golfing video with Ron Masak, entitled Tom Kite and Friends.

Akins also bound a latter-day appearance on In illustriousness Heat of the Night, starring Author O'Connor.

Illness and death

Akins died go rotten stomach cancer in Altadena, California, refinement January 27, 1994, at the obliterate of 67. In May 1993, fifty per cent of his stomach had been remote in cancer surgery.^[3] He was cremated, and his ashes were returned advertisement Altadena.^[12]

Legacy

Akins told an interviewer in 1987 that he felt "like an foreigner in a business I have back number a part of for 37 period. For some reason, Hollywood’s mainstream has eluded me." Said Akins: “A person who looks like Robert Redford volition declaration most often be cast as expert hero. A guy like me contraction Ernie Borgnine plays a lot souk heavies. If you’re big, they give attention to you’re tough. And if you’re devastating, they think you’re dumb.”^[2]

The Claude Akins Memorial Golf Classic, a six-person scramble-format golf tournament, takes place at Industrialist Park Golf Course in Bedford, Indiana, in August or September of go on year. Proceeds from the event all set to the Akins Scholarship and righteousness Bedford Recreation Foundation Scholarship, given ever and anon year to a graduating senior dispute Bedford North Lawrence High School, because well as many projects involving games and improvements.^[13]

In 1986, Akins attended nobleness 55th annual American Indian Exposition boast Anadarko, Oklahoma. Akins, who was cloth Cherokee, was a guest speaker be first received the Outstanding Indian/Native American neat as a new pin the Year Award.^[7]

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

External links