Famous Like Me > Actor > G > Gale Gordon
Profile of Gale Gordon
on Famous Like Me |
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| Name: |
Gale Gordon |
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| Date of Birth: |
20th February 1906 |
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| Place of Birth: |
New York, New York, USA |
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| Profession: |
Actor |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Gale Gordon (February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American actor, best known for playing the role of irritible, tight-fisted banker Theodore J. Mooney on the 1960s sitcom The Lucy Show.
Born Charles T. Aldrich Jr. in New York City, New York, his mother was actress Gloria Gordon. He got his break on radio, appearing as "Mayor La Trivia" on Fibber McGee and Molly , and played "Rumson Bullard" on The Great Gildersleeve. He then went on to originate the role of principal "Osgood Conklin" on the radio version of Our Miss Brooks and carried over the part onto television. He also appeared as "Rudolph Atterbury" on My Favorite Husband, Lucille Ball's radio program which was something of a prequel to I Love Lucy.
Gordon was the first choice of Ball and Desi Arnaz for the part of "Fred Mertz" on I Love Lucy, but he was tied to his Our Miss Brooks role and was unable to leave it. The part of Fred went instead to William Frawley. (Gordon did however make a handful of guest appearances on "I Love Lucy", playing Ricky's boss, Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, where Ricky's band played.) When I Love Lucy ended, however, Ball created The Lucy Show, and Gordon joined her for that show's run, as well as Ball's subsequent series, Here's Lucy. In the 1980s, Gordon came out of retirement to join Ball one last time in her short-lived series Life With Lucy. He holds the distinction of having costarred or guest starred in each of Ball's weekly series, from the 1950s thorugh the 1980s.
Gordon also had co-star roles in Pete and Gladys and Dennis the Menace.
He died of lung cancer at the age of 89 in Escondido, California.
In 1999, Gale Gordon was inducted posthumously into the Radio Hall of Fame and for his contribution to radio, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at Radio 6340 Hollywood Blvd.
For More Information:
- The Gale Gordon Archive
- Gale Gordon Biography on Everything Lucy
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