ill Zuckert (Dec 18. 1915 - Jan 23. 1997)
Height: 6' 1" (1,85 m) Weight: 220 lbs Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Marriages: (1) Margaret Lottie Wallace (Jul.16 or 17 1936       -  around 1956, divorce)       Children:              Richard Zuckert (b. Jun 28.1949)              Meg Faber (b.1952) (2) Gladys Holland, actress (Jul 7. 1958 -       Jan 23. 1997, his death)       Daughter: Kimberly Mary Joan Zuckert,       actress (aka Kymm) (b. Aug 23. 1964)
Above right: Publicity shot for Bill Zuckert (1948).
Bill Zuckert was born on December 18, 1915 in the Bronx, New York, as William Frederick Zuckert Jr.  son of William Frederick Zuckert, Sr., an elevator constructor, and Ellen Hughes. He went through local public schools - "but not very far." He quit to run an elevator, passed a Civil Service exam, moved to Washington for six years and found himself in the Office of Indian Affairs - where he stayed long enough to acquire permanent status. "If the acting business ever goes bad on me, I can always go back to the Indians. It was interesting!". In Washington, and neighboring Virginia and Maryland, Bill began to try out with little-theater groups.  He married Margaret Lottie Wallace (born in North-Ireland) on Jul 16 or 17. 1936 in Washington, D.C. Bill counted up and discovered he'd done 50 or 60 community-service shows on the networks for free, in his spare time for such organizations at the Red Cross, US Navy and March of Dimes. He headed back for New York, to make a living at acting - and scarcely missed a well-paid week on the air since.
He began his career in 1941 in radio in New York City where his big break came when he won the lead in a dramatic segment of Kate Smith's show (1943). He played Daniel Boone. Ever since he lent his voice to hundreds of dramas over the next two decades. His characterizations ranged from the punch-drunk pugs and whining hoods, to honest judges and crooked political bosses. He excelled also in such vocal gimmicks as laughs and sneezes. His dialects included Irish and Southern.
He served in World War II where he spent nineteen months with the 25th Special Seabee Battalion on New Guinea. Wending his way back to civilian life, he began to play both sides of the law on such radio shows as Gang Busters (1949 - ?) , Treasury Agent, Counterspy, This Is Your FBI, Official Detective and FBI In Peace and War ( - 1954 -). Various real-life police officers, working on the shows in technical capacities, claimed Bill "sounded like all the cops in the world."
Above left: Bill Zuckert and Richard Widmark before the mike for an episode of Cavalcade of America (1948). Above right: Starting in 1949 Bill Zuckert was on Mutual's Gang Busters, the show boasted an all-star cast. Seated (L to R) Larry Haines, Ken Lynch, Bob Haag, Bryna Raeburn, Bill Zuckert. Standing, director Leonard Bass and announcer Russ Dunbar. Seen here as TV Radio Mirror Award Winners, 1955-66 as favorite Radio Mystery-Adventure Program.
Above left: Squad Room (1954) another Mutual Radio program had Chuck Webster (L) playing with Bill Zuckert. Above right: TV's SF-series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950-55) was set during the middle of the 24th Century at the Space Academy. In the episode "Ambush in Space "(1955) Bill Zuckert played Brock one of three men, who break out of prison by hijacking a space freighter.
With the demise of dramatic radio, Bill moved naturally and easily into live TV in its pioneer days - and interspaced this with work in the theater on-Broadway, off-Broadway, and in stock. In 1956 he played in Sixth Finger in a Five Finger Glove, a short-lived Broadway comedy where actress Gladys Holland also had a part. They were married Jul 7. 1958.

Above left: Peter Iving puts a stellar cast through the paces of True Detective Mysteries (1957): Left to right - announcer Dan McCullough, top radio cop Bill Zuckert (standing), T.D.M. narrator Robert Haag, actress Ethel Everett, actor William Redfield. (Picture below left) Above right: With Sergeant Brad Peters on duty, the game of cops and robbers is decidedly unequal. Bill Zuckert plays this hard-hitting, honest policeman in Mystery Time on ABC radio, (1957-1958).
"When he's not pursuing male-factors, Bill pursues the fish at Montauk Point, off Long Island. Otherwise, he's at home at Mombasha Lake, three miles outside of the town of Monroe, New York. Here he lives in a comfortable three-bedroom house and his hobbies are gardening, reading and "the kids" - a seven-year-old son and a daughter going on six. The Zuckerts have an acre of ground, two dogs, and a wonderful time." (1957)
Above: Bill Zuckert (From L to R) with his parents Bill Sr. and Ellen Hughes Zuckert (exact date unknown) - Courtesy Kymm Zuckert.
On Feb. 2, 1960, he performed Off-Broadway at the Theatre de Lys in a double bill "farce" The Gay Apprentice/Too Close for Comfort. (8) That same year he also took to the stage with Gladys Holland, James Forster and Carl Low in Bernard Shaw's interlude from his "Man and Superman" called Don Juan in Hell. After appearing in the Broadway plays The Gang's All Here (1959-60) with Melvyn Douglas, and The Andersonville Trial (1959-60) with George C. Scott, he deserted "The Great White Way" for glamorous Hollywood, and there his career continued to flourish. Film roles were scarce. In 1965, while uncredited, Bill did manage to play opposite Steve McQueen in The Cincinnati Kid (1965). Bill played a poker player who got beaten by Steve (in both senses of the word meaning!) (Picture below left).
Above left:  Bill with Steve McQueen in The Cincinnati Kid (1965). Above right: Bill Zuckert played the sheriff in the Star Trek episode, "Spectre of the Gun" (1968).
He went on to star in television, having many guest and character roles. Between 1962 and 1965 he also made four TV-appearances on Perry Mason as Judge Edward Simpson. He was featured in a regular role of faculty member "Art Bradwell" on Mr. Novak (1964-65) - and appeared more or less regularly in the featured role of "General Cross" on Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965). He was co-starred as "Chief Segal" on Captain Nice (1967) and played the sheriff in the Star Trek episode, "Spectre of the Gun." (1968) (Picture above right). In the Batman episode, "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra" (March  7.1968) David Lewis (R) played Warden Crichton, whilst Bill Zuckert was the Prison Captain. (Picture below left).
Above left: In the Batman episode, "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra" (7 March 1968) David Lewis (R) played Warden Crichton, whilst Bill Zuckert was the Prison Captain. Above right: Bill Zuckert as Mayor Gilchrist opposite Elvis in The Trouble with Girls (1969).
Bill Zuckert played opposite Elvis no less then two times. Once uncredited as O'Grady in Kid Galahad (1962) and once as Mayor Gilchrist in The Trouble with Girls (1969) (Picture above right).
In 1964 he and Gladys Holland, were blessed with a daughter Kymm. Seen here with her father somewhere around 1970. (Picture right)
He is the only one of the actors in the film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) to have a very noticeable speaking role and not receive any screen credit at all. He is seen near the beginning of the film flying in a plane with Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (played by Martin Balsam) and commenting on the safety measures at Pearl Harbor. (Picture below top left) Played Sergeant Velie in easily forgettable murder mystery Ellery Queen, Don't Look Behind You (1971), this pilot with Peter Lawford and Harry Morgan didn't lead to the start of a series. Zuckert played a judge in the 1973 Kojak Pilot "The Marcus Nelson Murders" (Picture below top right).
Above left: Bill Zuckert in the film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). Above right: Zuckert as Judge in the 1973 Kojak Pilot " The Marcus Nelson Murders".
Above left: Zuckert as Tom Cassidy opposite Michael Landon in Little House on the Prairie. Above right: As a lifesaving Ranger in The Colbys (1986).
Zuckert played Tom Cassidy opposite Michael Landon in "100 Mile Walk" a 1974 episode of Little House on the Prairie. (Picture above bottom left) Bill playing a lifesaving Ranger in "The Gathering Storm" from The Colbys (1986) (Picture above bottom right) Zuckert was an avid aquarist who was active with the Los Angeles Aquarium Society and a member of the Advanced Cichlid Aquarists of Southern California. His television career spanned four decades with appearances on popular series such as Columbo, St. Elsewhere, Dynasty and Little House on the Prairie.
Above left: One of Zuckert’s last parts before his death in 1997 was a small one (Miami Dolphins nut job kicker Ray Finkle's father) in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). Above right: Feb 16. 1996 Bill Zuckert was last seen on TV in a Diagnosis Murder.
One of Zuckert’s last movie roles before his death in 1997 was a small one in Ace Ventura Pet Detective. (Picture above left) His last movie, an independent film, Happy Together (1996), was produced and directed by Bill Lansford. On Feb 16. 1996 he was last seen on TV in a Diagnosis Murder episode called "Living on the Streets Can Be Murder"  (Picture above right) Zuckert was on the board of directors of both the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild. Having instituted casting showcases at both unions, Zuckert was an active part of AFTRA'S new member orientation program. Bill died January 23, 1997 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (cancer and pneumonia). Gladys Holland passed away Oct 21. 2017.
Notes: All dates for movies are for the official US release. All dates for TV programs are original first airdates. All dates for (radio) plays are for the time span the actor was involved. Facts in red still need confirmation.
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Other references (1) IMDb (2) Wikipedia (3) IBDB (4) Scott Rollins Film and TV Trivia blog profile page (5) RUSC (6) OTRRPedia (7) Kymm Zuckert (8) IOBDB Additional video & audio sources (1) Old Time Radio Downloads (2) Shock Corridor - The Plan Tv Clip from series (3) Space Cadet Full episode "Ambush in Space" (1955)
This actor profile is a part of Ellery Queen a website on deduction. The actor above played Velie in a Tv-Pilot for an Ellery Queen series. Click Uncle Sam if you think you can help out...! Many of the profiles on this site have been compiled after very careful research of various sources. Please quote and cite ethically!
Page first published on March 18. 2018  Last updated November 5. 2022

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