Sam Edwards

2025-10-20T21:04:41Z

2603:3026:49D:9900:D045:44B2:A7B9:55D6: /* Radio */ added "and"

{{short description|American actor (1915–2004)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sam Edwards
| image = Sam Edwards in The Sun Sets at Dawn.jpg
| caption = Edwards in ''[[The Sun Sets at Dawn]]'' (1950)
| birth_date = {{birth date|1915|5|26}}
| birth_place = [[Macon, Georgia]], U.S.
| birth_name =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|7|28|1915|5|26}}
| death_place = [[Durango, Colorado]], U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1937–1983
| spouse = {{marriage|Beverly Motley Edwards|1969}}
| children = 3 step-children
| parents = [[Edna Park Edwards]] (mother)
}}

'''Sam George Edwards''' (May 26, 1915 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor. His most famous role on television was as banker Bill Anderson on ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Character actor Sam Edwards dead at 89|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9860947/tyrone_daily_herald/|work=Tyrone Daily Herald|agency=Associated Press|date=August 2, 2004|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328023516/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9860947/tyrone_daily_herald/|archivedate=March 28, 2017|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = March 2, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>D.S.S. Form 1 Military Draft Registration Card completed on October 16, 1940. Name is listed as "Sam George Edwards", Place of Birth is listed as "Macon (Dibbs), Georgia" and Employer's Name and Address is listed as "National Broadcasting Co", "111 Sutter St, San Francisco, Calif"</ref>

==Biography==
===Early years===
Born into a show business family, his first role was as a baby in his mother's arms. He appeared on radio in the 1930s in the ''Adventures of Sonny and Buddy'' one of the first radio serials ever syndicated, and later in ''The Edwards Family'',<ref name="la obit"/> a series based on the life of Sam, brother Jack, who was also an actor, sister Florida, and his parents, [[Edna Park]] and Jack Edwards Sr. Sam was also an early cast member of one of the first radio soap operas, ''[[One Man's Family]]''.

===Death===
On July 28, 2004, Edwards died of a heart attack in [[Durango, Colorado]].<ref name="la obit">{{cite news |last=Rourke |first=Mary |date=1 August 2004 |title=Sam Edwards, 89; Actor Played ‘Everyman’ Roles (obituary) |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-01-me-edwards1-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126012957/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-01-me-edwards1-story.html |archive-date=26 January 2021 |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref>

==Career==
===Radio===
Edwards worked on a variety of radio programs. He co-starred in the comedy ''The First Hundred Years'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1949{{r|rp|page1=118}} and landed a starring role playing Dexter Franklin opposite [[Janet Waldo]] in the long-running ''[[Meet Corliss Archer]]'' series.{{r|rp|page1=222}} He also had recurring or cast member roles in radio on ''[[Crime Classics]]'',<ref name="rp">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows|date=1999|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4513-4|page=86}}</ref> ''Dr. Paul'';{{r|rp|page1=101}} ''[[Father Knows Best]]'',{{r|rp|page1=115}} ''[[Guiding Light (1937–49)|Guiding Light]]'',{{r|rp|page1=140}} ''[[Fort Laramie (radio)|Fort Laramie]]''; ''[[Gunsmoke]]''; ''[[Dragnet (drama)|Dragnet]]''; ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]]''; ''[[Escape (radio program)|Escape]]''; ''[[This Is Your FBI]]''; ''[[The Six Shooter]]''; ''[[Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar]], and Tales of the Texas Rangers.''

===Film===
Edwards' first major screen role was as Chuck Ramsey in the movie serial version of ''[[Captain Midnight (serial)|Captain Midnight]]'' (1942). From 1949 to 1981, he made several film appearances, with significant roles in ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949), ''[[Operation Pacific]]'' (1951), ''[[Gangbusters]]'' (1954), and supporting roles in ''[[The Beatniks (film)|The Beatniks]]'' (1960) and ''[[Suppose They Gave A War and Nobody Came]]'' (1969). He was also seen in ''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]'' (1961), ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1969) and ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1981).

Edwards was also often heard behind animated characters both on film and records. In 1942, he voiced the adult [[Thumper (Bambi)|Thumper]] in the animated classic ''[[Bambi]]''. Later work for [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] was largely on LP Records, including the voices of the [[Cowardly Lion]] and [[Tin Woodman]] on their [[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|Oz]] series, and as [[Tigger]], [[Owl (Winnie-the-Pooh)|Owl]], and the [[Heffalump]]s on the [[Winnie the Pooh]] records. He voiced the title character of [[Rod Rocket]]<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=925|edition=2nd}}</ref> in an early 1960s educational series, and did some episodes of the cult classic ''[[Jonny Quest (TV series)|Jonny Quest]]''. His last work for Disney was as Ollie Owl opposite singer [[Burl Ives]] as Sam the Eagle on their long-running [[America Sings]] attraction at [[Disneyland]]. There were numerous TV and radio commercials as well, both in front of and behind the camera.

===Television===
Edwards appeared on many television series starting in the mid-1950s. Most notable of these include many episodes of ''[[Dragnet (series)#Television|Dragnet]]'' and ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' throughout their long runs. He also appeared on over 60 different series, including ''[[The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show]]'', ''[[Straightaway (TV series)|Straightaway]]'', ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'', ''[[Green Acres]]'', ''[[Mannix]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'', ''[[Adam-12]]'', ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'', ''[[Happy Days]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', and even ''[[Days of Our Lives]]''. In 1969 Edwards appeared as Will Frazee on the TV series ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'' in the episode titled "A Woman of Stone."

==Selected filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''[[High Hat (1937 film)|High Hat]]'' (1937) – Performer
*''[[East Side Kids (film)|East Side Kids]]'' (1940) – Pete
*''[[Captain Midnight]]'' (1942) – Chuck Ramsey
*''[[Rubber Racketeers]]'' (1942) – Freddy Dale
*''[[Bambi]]'' (1942) – Adult Thumper (voice)
*''[[The Street with No Name]]'' (1948) – Whitey (uncredited)
*''[[Larceny (1948 film)|Larceny]]'' (1948) – YAA President (uncredited)
*''[[The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948 film)|The Countess of Monte Cristo]]'' (1948) – Bellhop (uncredited)
*''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949) – Lieutenant Birdwell
*''[[The Sun Sets at Dawn]]'' (1950) – Herald Reporter
*''[[The Jackpot]]'' (1950) – Parking Lot Attendant (uncredited)
*''[[Flying Leathernecks]]'' (1951) – Junior (uncredited)
*''[[Operation Pacific]]'' (1951) – Junior
*''[[Witness to Murder]]'' (1954) – Tommy – Counterman (uncredited)
*''[[The McConnell Story]]'' (1955) – Radio Man (uncredited)
*''[[Between Heaven and Hell (film)|Between Heaven and Hell]]'' (1956) – Soames (uncredited)
*''[[The Badlanders]]'' (1958) – Crazy Convict (uncredited)
*''[[Torpedo Run]]'' (1958) – Coleman – Sub Radio Operator (uncredited)
*''[[Revolt in the Big House]]'' (1958) – Al Carey
*''[[The Beatniks (film)|The Beatniks]]'' (1960) – Red
*''[[The Absent Minded Professor]]'' (1961) – Military Radio Dispatcher (uncredited)
*''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1963) (Season 2 Episode 4: "You'll Be the Death of Me") - Bartender
*''[[The Prize (1963 film)|The Prize]]'' (1963) – Reporter (uncredited)
*''[[Three Guns for Texas]]'' (1968) – Sammy (uncredited)
*''[[The Young Runaways (1968 film)|The Young Runaways]]'' (1968) – Bert, Service Station Owner (uncredited)
*''[[Bullitt]]'' (1968) – (voice)
*''[[Dragnet 1966]]'' (1969, TV Series) – Rodman (uncredited)
*''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1969) – Laborer (uncredited)
*''[[The Cheyenne Social Club]]'' (1970) – Barfly Getting Up from Table (uncredited)
*''[[Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?]]'' (1970) – Deputy Sam
*''[[Scandalous John]]'' (1971) – Bald Head
*''The Deadly Dream'' (1971, TV Movie) – Man protesting his innocence (uncredited)
*''[[In Broad Daylight (1971 film)|In Broad Daylight]]'' (1971, TV Movie) – Cunningham
*''[[The Death of Me Yet]]'' (1971, TV Movie) – Jerry
*''[[The Biscuit Eater (1972 film)|The Biscuit Eater]]'' (1972) – Gun Club Member (uncredited)
*''Set This Town on Fire'' (1973, TV Movie) – Motel Manager
*''[[Chase (1973 TV series)|Chase]]'' (1973, TV Movie)
*''Hog Wild'' (''[[Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color]]'') (1974, TV Movie) – Farmer
*''[[Hit Lady]]'' (1974, TV Movie) – Innkeeper
*''Hurricane'' (1974, TV Movie) – Del Travis
*''Requiem for a Nun'' (1975, TV Movie) – Governor
*''[[Escape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)|Escape to Witch Mountain]]'' (1975) – Mate
*''The Flight of the Grey Wolf'' (1976, TV Movie) – Amsel
*''The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe'' (1976, TV Movie)
*''[[Viva Knievel!]]'' (1977) – Stadium Manager (uncredited)
*''Incredible Rocky Mountain Race'' (1977, TV Movie) – Milford Petrie
*''[[Just Me and You (1978 film)|Just Me and You]]'' (1978, TV Movie) (uncredited)
*''Mark Twain: Beneath the Laughter'' (1979, TV Movie) – Bixby
*''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1981) – Ticket Clerk
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0250344|name=Sam Edwards}}
*[http://www.perfessorbill.com/sam_bio.shtml A detailed biography from his stepson's website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Sam}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male radio actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Macon, Georgia]]
[[Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]

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Sam Edwards