Jerome Thor
BornJanuary 5, 1915
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 12, 1993 (aged 78)
Westwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. U.S.
OccupationActor
SpouseSynda Scott

Jerome Thor (January 5, 1915 — August 12, 1993) was an American actor of the stage and screen. He is best known for his work in Broadway plays from 1935 through 1946, and on American television during the 1950s. He starred as Robert Cannon in Foreign Intrigue; a role which popularized the trench coat-wearing detective in public consciousness.[1] His costume is part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution.[1]

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Thor began his career as a stage actor.[1]

Career

Thor made his Broadway debut in 1934 at the 46th Street Theatre in Emmet Lavery's The First Legion. He appeared in numerous Broadway plays through 1946, including Anton Chekhov's The Marriage Proposal,[1] William Saroyan's Get Away Old Man,[1] Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov's My Sister Eileen,[2] Clifford Odets's Golden Boy,[2] and Leonid Andreyev's He Who Gets Slapped.[2]

Thor transitioned into working as a television actor in the late 1940s and early 1950s with guest roles on several American television anthology series, including Suspense and Studio One.[2] His breakthrough role was as Robert Cannon in the 1950s TV series Foreign Intrigue in which he popularized the image of the trench coat-wearing detective.[2][1] Filmed in Europe, the syndicated mystery program ran from 1951 through 1955.[2] The trench coat he wore for the series is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.[1][2] When James Daly replaced him on the program, the producers attributed the change to Thor's wanting more money. Thor said, "I didn't ask for all that money . . . I was tired of doing everything — helping direct, rewriting scripts, even carrying camera equipment."[3]

He portrayed the recurring character of Art Delgado in Hill Street Blues in the early 1980s. Shore also periodically worked as a film actor, appearing in Riot in Juvenile Prison, 55 Days at Peking, Love and Bullets, St. Ives, House of the Black Death, and 10 to Midnight.[2]

Personal life

Thor was married to actress Synda Scott until his death.[4] He died of a heart attack in Westwood, Los Angeles, on August 12, 1993, at the age of 78.[2][1]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Riot in Juvenile Prison Paul A. Furman, M.D.
1963 55 Days at Peking Capt. Andy Marshall
1971 House of the Black Death Dr. Eric Campion
1975 Mr. Sycamore Higgins
1976 St. Ives Chasman
1979 Love and Bullets Senator
1983 10 to Midnight Medical Examiner
1986 Murphy's Law Judge Kellerman
1988 Messenger of Death Jimmy
1989 Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects Perverted Gentleman

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1948, 1949 Studio One — 2 episodes
1950 Suspense — Episode: "Morning Boat to Africa"
1950 The Nash Airflyte Theater — Episode: "The Doll in the Pink Silk Dress"
1950–1951 Hands of Murder — 3 episodes
1951 The Great Merlini Great Merlini Television film
1951 The Trap — Episode: "Errand for Noonan"
1951 Big Town — Episode: "Dangerous"
1951 The Web — 3 episodes
1951–1953 Foreign Intrigue Robert Cannon 63 episodes
1951–1953 Danger — 4 episodes
1953 Medallion Theatre — Episode: "Contact with the West"
1955 Appointment with Adventure — Episode: "Forbidden Holiday"
1955 The United States Steel Hour Walter Tillman Episode: "Hung for a Sheep"
1955 Lux Video Theatre Carey Episode: "June Bride"
1956 The Philco Television Playhouse — Episode: "The Starlet"
1956 Goodyear Television Playhouse — Episode: "Starlet"
1956 The Alcoa Hour Shaw Episode: "Man on Fire"
1959 77 Sunset Strip John Cosgrove Episode: "Dark Vengeance"
1960 Hong Kong Chet Bates Episode: "The Jumping Dragon"
1961 Perry Mason Walter Randell Episode: "The Case of the Wintry Wife"
1961 The Barbara Stanwyck Show Pete Bishop Episode: "Along the Barbary Coast"
1961 The Deputy Ben Meadows Episode: "Tension Point"
1961 Checkmate Mal Stryker Episode: "Hot Wind on a Cold Town"
1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Norman Episode: "The Arabian Affair"
1966 Daniel Boone Samuel Thurston Episode: "The Accused"
1969 Adam-12 Milton Prendle Episode: "The Things You Do for the Job"
1969 It Takes a Thief Saunders Episode: "Rock-Bye, Bye, Baby"
1969 The F.B.I. Layton Simms Episode: "Silent Partner"
1971 O'Hara, U.S. Treasury Marty Baron —
1973 Incident on a Dark Street Abe Hirsch Television film
1974 Planet of the Apes Proto Episode: "Escape from Tomorrow"
1976 The Great Houdini Conductor Television film
1976 Stalk the Wild Child Menzies
1977 The Amazing Howard Hughes Counsel
1977 Murder in Peyton Place Manager
1977 Quincy, M.E. Lynch Episode: "Death Casts a Vote"
1980 CHiPs Businessman Episode: "Nightingale"
1982 Hill Street Blues Delgado 2 episodes
1985 Highway to Heaven Dr. Gottlieb
1986 You Again? Richard Wendell Episode: "Marry Me a Little"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Obituaries: Jerome Thor". Variety. September 20, 1993. p. 42.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Jerome Thor; Star of 1950s TV Series". Los Angeles Times. August 21, 1993.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Erskine (August 23, 1962). "Jerome Thor: No Time for Golf". Guam Daily News. Guam, Agana Heights. NEA. p. 12. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Willis, John (1996). Theatre World 1993-1994. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 245. ISBN 978-1-55783-235-1. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.