William Conrad
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1920-09-27
Day of Death
1994-02-11 (73 years old)
Place of Birth
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
William Conrad
Biography
William Conrad (September 27, 1920 - February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director. He was born William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a theatre-owner who moved to southern California, where he excelled at drama and literature while at school. Starting work in radio in the late 1930s in California, Conrad went on to serve as a fighter pilot in World War II. He entered the army in 1942, and was commissioned at Luke Field, Arizona in 1943 (now Luke Air Force Base). On the day of his commission he married June Nelson. He returned to the airwaves after the war, going on to accumulate over 7,000 roles in radio by his own estimate.
Among Conrad's various film roles, where he was usually cast as threatening figures, perhaps his most notable role was his first credited one, as one of the gunmen sent to eliminate Burt Lancaster in the 1946 film The Killers. He also appeared in Body and Soul (1947), Sorry, Wrong Number, Joan of Arc (both 1948), and The Naked Jungle (1954).
As a producer for Warner Brothers, he made a string of feature films, including An American Dream (1966, retitled See You in Hell, Darling for British release), A Covenant With Death (1966), First to Fight (1967) and The Cool Ones (1967), and also directed My Blood Runs Cold, Brainstorm and Two on a Guillotine (all 1965).
Acting
Design for Disaster
as Narrator
(2024)
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
(2009)
The Box
as Self (voice) (uncredited)
(1991)
Hudson Hawk
as Narrator (voice)
(1986)
Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo
as Jim Dunn
(1986)
Killing Cars
as Mr. Mahoney
(1985)
(1985)
In Like Flynn
as Sgt. Dominic
(1983)
The Mikado
as The Mikado
(1982)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "The Killers") (archive footage)
(1982)
Shock-Trauma
as Dr. R. Adams Cowley
(1981)
Side Show
as Ring Announcer (voice)
(1980)
The Return of the King
as Lord Denethor (voice)
(1980)
The Return of Frank Cannon
as Frank Cannon
(1980)
The Murder That Wouldn't Die
as William Battles
(1980)
Turnover Smith
as Thaddeus Smith
(1979)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
as Opening Narrator / Draconian officer (uncredited) (voice)
(1978)
Keefer
as Col. Keefer
(1978)
Night Cries
as Dr. Whelan
(1977)
The Making of Star Wars
as Narrator (voice)
(1977)
Moonshine County Express
as Jack Starkey
(1977)
The City
as Narrator (voice)
(1977)
The Force of Evil
as Narrator (voice)
(1977)
Catastrophe
as Narrator (voice)
(1976)
The Macahans
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
(1975)
Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
(1974)
The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One
as Narrator (voice)
(1974)
Hamburgers
as self
(1971)
Cannon
as Frank Cannon
(1971)
The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill
as Chief Vincent Kovac
(1971)
(1970)
Chisum
as Narrator - Opening Credits (voice) (uncredited)
(1970)
The Brotherhood of the Bell
as Bart Harris
(1967)
Countdown
as TV Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)
(1966)
Chamber of Horrors
as Narrator
(1965)
Battle of the Bulge
as Narrator (uncredited)
(1965)
Brainstorm
as Mental Patient (uncredited)
(1965)
Two on a Guillotine
as Fat Man in Hall of Mirrors (uncredited)
(1965)
Eggs Benedict
as Narrator
(1959)
-30-
as Jim Bathgate
(1957)
Zero Hour!
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
(1957)
The Ride Back
as Sheriff Chris Hamish
(1956)
The Conqueror
as Kasar
(1956)
Johnny Concho
as Tallman
(1955)
5 Against the House
as Eric Berg
(1955)
The Naked Sea
as Narrator
(1954)
The Naked Jungle
as Commissioner
(1953)
The Desert Song
as Lachmed
(1953)
Cry of the Hunted
as Goodwin
(1952)
Lone Star
as Mizette
(1951)
The Sword of Monte Cristo
as Major Nicolet
(1951)
The Racket
as Det. Sgt. Turk
(1951)
Cry Danger
as Louie Castro
(1950)
The Milkman
as Mike Morrel
(1950)
Dial 1119
as Chuckles
(1950)
One Way Street
as Ollie
(1949)
Tension
as Lt. Edgar Gonsales
(1949)
Any Number Can Play
as Frank Sistina
(1949)
East Side, West Side
as Lt. Jacobi
(1948)
Sorry, Wrong Number
as Morano
(1948)
Joan of Arc
as Guillaume Erard, a Prosecutor
(1948)
Arch of Triumph
as Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
(1948)
Four Faces West
as Sheriff Egan
(1948)
To the Victor
as Farnsworth
(1947)
Body and Soul
as Quinn
(1946)
The Killers
as Max
(1945)
Pillow to Post
as First Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Crew
(1981)
Side Show
Director, Songs
(1980)
Turnover Smith
Executive Producer
(1968)
Assignment to Kill
Executive Producer
(1968)
Chubasco
Producer
(1967)
Countdown
Executive Producer
(1967)
First to Fight
Executive Producer
(1967)
The Cool Ones
Executive Producer
(1966)
An American Dream
Producer
(1965)
Brainstorm
Director, Producer
(1965)
Two on a Guillotine
Director, Producer
(1965)
My Blood Runs Cold
Director, Producer
(1963)
The Man from Galveston
Director
(1957)
The Ride Back
Producer