Jerome Cowan


Jerome Palmer Cowan was an American stage, film, and television actor.

Early years

Cowan was born in New York City, the son of William Cowan, a confectioner of Scottish descent, and Julia Cowan, née Palmer.

Stage

Cowan's Broadway debut was in We've Got to Have Money. His other Broadway credits include Frankie and Johnnie, Just to Remind You, Rendezvous, The Little Black Book, Marathon, Both Your Houses, As Thousands Cheer, Ladies' Money, Paths of Glory, Boy Meets Girl, My Three Angels, Lunatics and Lovers, Rumple, and Say, Darling.

Film

He was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn and was given a film contract, his first film being Beloved Enemy.
He appeared in more than one hundred films, but is probably best remembered for two roles in classic films: Miles Archer, the doomed private eye partner of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and Thomas Mara, the hapless district attorney who has to prosecute Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street.
Cowan also played Dagwood Bumstead's boss Mr. Radcliffe in several installments of Columbia Pictures' Blondie series. He also appeared in Deadline at Dawn, June Bride, and High Sierra.

Television

Cowan starred in Not for Publication on the DuMont Television Network in 1952. In 1959 he played Horatio Styles in the episode "Winter Song" of The Alaskans, with Roger Moore. That same year, he made two guest appearances in Perry Mason, starring Raymond Burr. He played murdered playwright Ernest Royce in "The Case of the Lost Last Act" and then Victor Latimore in "The Case of the Artful Dodger." He also appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" and guest-starred on Richard Diamond, Private Detective.
In the 1960–1961 television season, Cowan starred as John Larsen, the owner of Comics, Inc., and the boss of Paul Morgan, a young cartoonist portrayed by Tab Hunter in The Tab Hunter Show. In 1962, he guest starred on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He also appeared on Daniel Boone and Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly.
In 1964 and 1965, Cowan appeared as the demanding Herbert Wilson in The Tycoon. Earlier in 1963, he appeared on The Real McCoys in its final season on CBS.
In 1968 Cowan played a movie producer on ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''

Death

On January 24, 1972, Cowan died at Encino Hospital Medical Center in Encino, California at age 74. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Recognition

Cowan has a star at 6251 Hollywood Boulevard in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

Filmography

  1. Beloved Enemy as Tim O'Rourke
  2. You Only Live Once as Dr. Hill
  3. Shall We Dance as Arthur Miller
  4. New Faces of 1937 as Robert Hunt
  5. Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938 as W. Brockton
  6. The Hurricane as Captain Nagle
  7. The Goldwyn Follies as Director
  8. There's Always a Woman as Nick Shane
  9. St. Louis Blues as Ivan DeBrett
  10. The Saint Strikes Back as Cullis
  11. East Side of Heaven as Claudius De Wolfe
  12. Exile Express as Paul Brandt
  13. The Gracie Allen Murder Case as Daniel Mirche
  14. She Married a Cop as Bob Adams
  15. The Old Maid as Joe Ralston
  16. The Great Victor Herbert as Barney Harris
  17. Wolf of New York as Cosgrave
  18. Castle on the Hudson as Ed Crowley
  19. Framed as Monty de Granville
  20. Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me as Ted Carter
  21. Torrid Zone as Bob Anderson
  22. City for Conquest as 'Dutch'
  23. The Quarterback as Townley
  24. Meet the Wildcat as Digby Vanderhood III
  25. Melody Ranch as Tommy Summerville
  26. Street of Memories as Mr. Gower
  27. Victory as Martin Ricardo
  28. High Sierra as Healy
  29. The Round up as Wade McGee
  30. The Great Lie as Jock Thompson
  31. Affectionately Yours as Cullen
  32. Singapore Woman as Jim North
  33. Too Many Blondes as Ted Bronson
  34. Out of the Fog as Assistant D.A.
  35. Kisses for Breakfast as Lucius Lorimer
  36. Rags to Riches as Marshall Abbott
  37. Kiss the Boys Goodbye as Bert Fisher
  38. One Foot in Heaven as Dr. Horrigan
  39. The Maltese Falcon as Miles Archer
  40. The Bugle Sounds as Mr. Nichols
  41. A Gentleman at Heart as Finchley
  42. Mr. and Mrs. North as Ben Wilson
  43. Frisco Lil as Vince Warren
  44. The Girl from Alaska as Ravenhill
  45. Moontide as Dr. Frank Brothers
  46. Thru Different Eyes as Jim Gardner
  47. Joan of Ozark as Phillip Munson
  48. Street of Chance as Bill Diedrich
  49. Who Done It? as Marco Heller
  50. No Place for a Lady as Eddie Moore
  51. Ladies' Day as Updyke
  52. Mission to Moscow as Spendler
  53. Silver Spurs as Jerry Johnson
  54. Hi'ya, Sailor as Lou Asher
  55. Find the Blackmailer as D.L. Trees
  56. The Crime Doctor's Strangest Case as Mallory Cartwright
  57. The Song of Bernadette as Emperor Louis Napoleon III
  58. Sing a Jingle as Andrews
  59. Mr. Skeffington as Edward Morrison
  60. South of Dixie as Bill 'Brains' Watson
  61. Minstrel Man as Bill Evans
  62. Crime by Night as Sam Campbell
  63. Guest in the House as Mr. Hackett
  64. Fog Island as Kavanaugh
  65. The Crime Doctor's Courage as Jeffers 'Jeff' Jerome
  66. G. I. Honeymoon as Ace Renaldo
  67. Blonde Ransom as Ice Larson
  68. The Jungle Captive as Detective W.L. Harrigan
  69. Hitchhike to Happiness as Tony Riggs
  70. Divorce as Jim Driscoll
  71. Behind City Lights as Perry Borden
  72. Getting Gertie's Garter as Billy
  73. One Way to Love as A.J. Gunther
  74. My Reputation as George Van Orman
  75. Deadline at Dawn as Lester Brady
  76. Claudia and David as Brian O'Toole
  77. The Kid from Brooklyn as Fight Announcer
  78. Murder in the Music Hall as George Morgan
  79. Night in Paradise as Scribe
  80. One Exciting Week as Al Carter
  81. Deadline for Murder as Lynch
  82. Mr. Ace as Peter Craig
  83. Flight to Nowhere as Gerald Porter
  84. Blondie Knows Best as Charles Peabody
  85. Blondie's Big Moment as George M. Radcliffe
  86. The Perfect Marriage as Addison Manning
  87. The Unfaithful as Prosecuting Attorney
  88. Blondie's Holiday as George M. Radcliffe
  89. Miracle on 34th Street as Dist. Atty. Thomas Mara
  90. Riffraff as Walter F. Gredson
  91. Cry Wolf as Sen. Caldwell
  92. Driftwood as Mayor Snyder
  93. Blondie in the Dough as George Radcliffe
  94. Dangerous Years as Weston
  95. Blondie's Anniversary as George M. Radcliffe
  96. Arthur Takes Over as George Bradford
  97. So This Is New York as Francis Griffin
  98. Blondie's Reward as George M. Radcliffe
  99. Wallflower as Robert 'Bob' James
  100. Night Has a Thousand Eyes as Whitney Courtland
  101. June Bride as Carleton Towne
  102. Blondie's Secret as George Radcliffe
  103. Life of St. Paul Series as Demetrius
  104. Blondie's Big Deal as George M. Radcliffe
  105. The Fountainhead as Alvah Scarret
  106. The Girl from Jones Beach as Mr. Graves – Ruth's Attorney
  107. Scene of the Crime as Arthur Webson
  108. Blondie Hits the Jackpot as George Radcliffe
  109. Always Leave Them Laughing as Elliott Montgomery
  110. Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey as Belden
  111. Young Man with a Horn as Phil Morrison
  112. Peggy as Fred Collins
  113. When You're Smiling as Herbert Reynolds
  114. The Fuller Brush Girl as Harvey Simpson
  115. The West Point Story as Mr. Jocelyn
  116. Dallas as Matt Coulter
  117. The Fat Man as Police Lieutenant Stark
  118. Criminal Lawyer as Walter Medford
  119. Disk Jockey as Marley
  120. Magnificent Adventure
  121. The System as Barry X. Brady
  122. Have Rocket, Will Travel as J.P. Morse
  123. Visit to a Small Planet as George Abercrombie
  124. Private Property as Ed Hogate
  125. All in a Night's Work as Sam Weaver
  126. Pocketful of Miracles as Mayor
  127. Critic's Choice as Joe Rosenfield
  128. Black Zoo as Jerry Stengel
  129. The Patsy as Business Executive
  130. John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! as Ambassadaor Brinkley
  131. Frankie and Johnny as Joe Wilbur
  132. Penelope as Bank Manager
  133. The Gnome-Mobile as Dr. Ramsey
  134. The Comic as Lawrence
  135. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as Dan Curtis