Don Keefer


Donald Hood Keefer was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. He was a founding member of The Actors Studio, and he performed in both the original Broadway play and 1951 film versions of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. His longest-lasting roles on television were in ten episodes each of Gunsmoke and Angel.

Early life and career

Born in Highspire, Pennsylvania in August 1916, Donald Keefer was the youngest of three sons of Edna and John E. Keefer, who worked as a butcher. When he was in his early twenties, "Don" moved to New York City, where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating from that prestigious acting school in 1939. That same year, at the New York World's Fair, he performed various roles on stage in excerpts of works by William Shakespeare. During the 1940s, Keefer found work as supporting characters in Broadway plays such as Junior Miss and Othello. He also began studying method acting in Manhattan as an early member of The Actors Studio. In this period, he gained some early experience and performed in the new medium of television. In 1947, Keefer appeared in a televised presentation of Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night and in an episode of the anthology series Kraft Television Theatre. The next year, he performed again on Kraft Theatre in an episode titled "The Silver Cord".
By 1949, Keefer was back on Broadway as a cast member in the acclaimed production of Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, directed by Elia Kazan. Keefer's exposure in that play led to his first movie role, reprising his performance as Bernard in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman. He soon appeared in other films, including The Girl in White, The Caine Mutiny, Six Bridges to Cross, Away All Boats, and Hellcats of the Navy. Increasingly, however, Keefer in the 1950s began focusing on performing on the "small screen", accepting more roles in a wide variety of television series.

Later films and television

Keefer appeared in dozens of television series. He also had small roles in some feature films, including Woody Allen's Sleeper. In 1966, he played the character Irving Christiansen in the movie The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. He also had a small role in Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone prequel “Time Element” in 1958, starring William Benedix, Darryl Hickman and Martin Balsam. Keefer gave a moving performance as Dan in The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life", playing a character whose birthday party turns fatal when he opposes six year old Anthony, played by Billy Mumy.

Personal life

On May 7, 1950, Keefer married the actress Catherine McLeod, and the couple remained married for 47 years, until her death on May 11, 1997.
In 1957, Don played husband to Catherine on an episode of Gunsmoke titled “Wrong Man”, his character being a homesteader turned cowardly killer and abusive husband whom she finally leaves.
At the time of Catherine's death, the Keefers were living in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. The three Keefer sons are Donald McLeod, John H., and Thomas James. Keefer died at the age of 98 on September 7, 2014.

Film roles

  • Death of a Salesman – Bernard
  • The Girl in White – Dr. Williams
  • Riot in Cell Block 11 – Reporter
  • The Caine Mutiny – Court Stenographer, Yeoman 1st Class
  • The Human Jungle – Detective Cleary
  • Six Bridges to Cross – Sherman
  • An Annapolis Story – Air Officer
  • Away All Boats – Ensign Twitchell
  • Hellcats of the Navy – Jug
  • Torpedo Run – Ensign Ron Milligan
  • Cash McCall – Junior Partner
  • The Clown and the Kid – Moko
  • Incident in an Alley – Roy Swanson
  • The Last of the Secret Agents? – Over-Vain Spy
  • The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming – Irving Christiansen
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Fireman
  • Gaily, Gaily –
  • R.P.M. – Dean George Cooper
  • Rabbit, Run – Mr. Springer
  • The Grissom Gang – Doc Grissom
  • Walking Tall – Dr. Lamar Stivers
  • The Young Nurses – Chemist
  • Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies – Mr. Parsons
  • The Way We Were
  • Sleeper – Doctor Tryon
  • Candy Stripe Nurses – Dr. Wilson
  • Billy Jack Goes to Washington – Bailey Associate
  • The Car – Dr. Pullbrook
  • Fire Sale – Banker
  • Mirrors – Peter
  • The Kid from Not-So-Big – Hank 'Gramps' Goodman
  • The Last Word – Mayor Wenzel
  • Creepshow – Mike the Janitor
  • The Marrying Man – Justice #3
  • Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter – Grandpa Ball
  • Liar Liar – Beggar at Courthouse

    Western roles

;Keefer's Gunsmoke appearances included three half-hour episodes and seven full one-hour broadcasts that aired from 1957-1973::
  • "Wrong Man" - as the character Sam Rickers
  • "Bad Sheriff" - Chet
  • "Coventry" - Rankin
  • "Quint-Cident" - Nally
  • "The Pariah" - Newspaper editor
  • "Taps for Old Jeb" - Milty Sims
  • "Champion of the World" - Wally
  • "Gentry's Law" - Floyd Babcock
  • "Waste: Part 1" - Drunk
  • "Kitty's Love Affair" - Turner
;Keefer appeared in more than a dozen other western series::
  • Have Gun - Will Travel
  • * as Kelso
  • * as Colonel Barlowe
  • * as Corcoran, Gun Drummer
  • Wagon Train as Major Anderson
  • Hotel de Paree as Red Porterfield
  • Rawhide as Hames
  • Whispering Smith as Dr. Johnson
  • The Dakotas as Minister
  • Death Valley Days
  • * as Gilpin, Newspaperman
  • * as Colonel, the Commandant
  • * as Mr. Adams
  • The Virginian
  • * as Ross Tedler
  • * as Station Master
  • * as Undertaker
  • Dundee and the Culhane as Johnson
  • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
  • * as John Prentice
  • * as John Prentice
  • The Iron Horse as Blake
  • The Outcasts as Case
  • Cimarron Strip as Bolt
  • The Guns of Will Sonnett
  • * as Prosecutor
  • * as Sawyer
  • Bonanza
  • * as Billy Harris
  • * as Tobias Temple
  • The High Chaparral as Telegrapher
  • Alias Smith and Jones as Dr. Hiram Wilson
  • Nichols as Burt Lincoln
  • Kung Fu
  • * as Stripper
  • * as Station Keeper

    ''Angel'' and other comedies

On Angel, Keefer portrayed the neighbor George, husband of Susie, a character played by Doris Singleton, a veteran of the original I Love Lucy series. Marshall Thompson played Johnny Smith, a young architect and the husband of Annie Fargé's Angel Smith character. Keefer's Angel roles include 26 credited episodes:
  • "Voting Can Be Fun"
  • "Angel's Temper"
  • "The Valedictorian"
  • "The Dowry"
  • "The Joint Bank Account"
  • "Call Me Mother"
  • "Phone Fun"
  • "Unpopular Mechanics"
  • "The Trailer"
  • "Goodbye, Young Lovers"
;The following are a selection of other sitcoms in which Keefer performed::
  • Window on Main Street
  • Car 54, Where Are You? as Dr. R.L. Mitchell, psychiatrist
  • The Real McCoys as Harry Porter
  • My Favorite Martian
  • * as Jim
  • * as Henry
  • The Munsters as Dr. Elliott
  • The Jack Benny Program as Social Worker
  • The Farmer's Daughter
  • * as Rod Walden
  • * as Dr. Roscoe
  • * as Police Lieutenant
  • Petticoat Junction as Mr. Forbes
  • Bewitched as A.J. Kimberley
  • That Girl as Mr. Carson
  • Love on a Rooftop as Palmer
  • The Andy Griffith Show
  • * as Grover
  • * as Carl Phillips
  • The Good Guys as Burns
  • Green Acres as Carl Kelcy
  • Alice as Wally

    Dramatic episodes

Keefer appeared as Cromwell in the 1968 episode "Assignment: Earth" of the NBC science fiction series Star Trek. Earlier, he had roles in the following three episodes of CBS's The Twilight Zone: as Dan Hollis in "It's a Good Life", as Spiereto in "Passage on the Lady Anne", and as Fred Danziger in "From Agnes - With Love".
;His other drama roles include::
  • Appointment with Adventure
  • Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Reagan
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents
  • * as Brother Dr. Elkins
  • * as Pete Williams
  • * as Tax Clerk
  • Going My Way as Mr. Ewbank
  • The Fugitive as Ben Haddock
  • Slattery's People as George Farnum
  • Mission: Impossible as Zubin
  • Felony Squad as Harry Jocelyn
  • The F.B.I.
  • * as Junkman
  • * as Dr. J.F. Bissell
  • * as Mr. Allison
  • * as Claude Norris
  • * as Dr. Darcy
  • Marcus Welby, M.D.
  • * as Dr. Marvin Hendrix
  • * as Larry Sabberly
  • Chase
  • S.W.A.T. as Captain Wallen
  • The Streets of San Francisco as Dr. Mayhill
  • The Waltons as Arnie Shimerdy
  • Barnaby Jones
  • * as Mr. Greening
  • * as Dave Blevins
  • * as Professor Albertson
  • * as Tully Kupper
  • Quincy, M.E.
  • * as Terence Morgan
  • * as Doc Watson
  • * as Dr. Lloyd Matson
  • All My Children as Horace Willoughby
  • Highway to Heaven as Dr. Washburn
  • Picket Fences
  • * as Billy Shauger
  • *
  • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as Old Benny Rockland
Keefer's final role was as a beggar at a courthouse in the 1997 film Liar Liar.