Frank Sutton

2025-09-27T22:36:59Z

75.38.138.77: /* Filmography */ Added missing space.

{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Short description|American actor (1923-1974)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Frank Sutton
| image = Frank Sutton 1969.jpg
| caption = Sutton in a 1969 publicity photo
| birth_name = Frank Spencer Sutton
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|10|23|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Clarksville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1974|6|28|1923|10|23}}
| death_place = [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], U.S.
| resting_place = Greenwood Cemetery, Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S.
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|36|30|24.8|N|87|20|31.9|W|region:US-TN_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| television = ''[[Gomer Pyle – USMC]]''
| alma_mater = [[Columbia University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
| spouse = Toby M. Igler (m.1946{{ndash}}his death)
| children = 2
| module =
{{Infobox military person
|embed = yes
|allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
|branch =  [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears = 1943–1946
|rank = [[File:US Army WWII SGT.svg|18px]] [[Sergeant#United States|Sergeant]]
|battles = [[World War II]]
* [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater]]

}}
}}
'''Frank Spencer Sutton''' (October 23, 1923 – June 28, 1974) was an American actor best remembered for his role as [[Gunnery sergeant| Gunnery Sergeant]] [[List of Gomer Pyle – USMC characters#Gunnery Sergeant Carter| Vince Carter]] on the [[CBS]] television series ''[[Gomer Pyle – USMC]]''.

==Early life==
Born in [[Clarksville, Tennessee]], Sutton developed an interest in acting, playing his first role at age nine and also starring in the drama club at [[East Nashville High School]], where he graduated in 1941. He later said, "The first time I walked out on a stage, I had a warm feeling. I knew then I wanted to be an actor."<ref name="si">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0V5QAAAAIBAJ&pg=1804%2C3983614 |title=Gomer's Sgt. Carter, Frank Sutton, Dead |date=June 29, 1974 |newspaper=[[Evening Independent|St. Petersburg Independent]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |page=14-A |access-date=November 22, 2008}}</ref>

After high school, Sutton returned to Clarksville to become a radio announcer. During [[World War II]], he volunteered for service in the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]], but he was medically rejected due to his [[color blindness]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MsgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4618,651704&dq=jim+nabors |title=Visiting the Real War |last=Handsaker |first=Gene |date=August 21, 1966 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |page=4 |access-date=November 22, 2008}}{{dead link|date=March 2020}}</ref><ref name="Desert Sun">{{cite news| title=Imagine! Gomer Pyle Victim of 'Snafu'| newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]]| location=Palm Springs| date=January 5, 1965| first=Peggy| last=Polk| agency=[[United Press International]]| via=California Digital Newspaper Collection| url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19650105.2.59&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1| access-date=January 19, 2022}}</ref> He then enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and served in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|South Pacific]], taking part in 14 assault landings.<ref name="Desert Sun"/> Sutton was a [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]] who served from 1943 to 1946 in the [[6th Infantry Division (United States)|6th Infantry Division]]'s 293rd Joint Assault Signal Company.<ref>https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.webapp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=372583&binder=true</ref>

===Combat and Non-Combat Operations===
{{Unsourced section|date=May 2025}}
*1944-1945 Leyte Campaign (1944-45)/Battle of Leyte
*1944-1945 WWII - Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Luzon Campaign (1944-45)
*1945-1945 Luzon Campaign (1944-45)/Battle for Recapture of Bataan
*1945-1945 Luzon Campaign (1944-45)/Battle for Manila
*1945-1946 US Occupation of South Korea

===Military awards and decorations===
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4"| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Bronze Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Army Good Conduct Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="3"|[[File:Philippines Presidential Unit Citation.png|100px]]
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! 1st Row
| colspan="6"| [[Bronze Star Medal]]
| colspan="6"| [[Purple Heart]]
|-
! 2nd Row
| colspan="4"| [[Good Conduct Medal (United States)|Army Good Conduct Medal]]
| colspan="4"| [[American Campaign Medal]]
| colspan="4"| [[Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal]] with two service stars
|-
! 3rd Row
| colspan="4"| [[World War II Victory Medal]]
| colspan="4"| [[Army of Occupation Medal]]
| colspan="4"| [[Philippine Liberation Medal]]
|-
| colspan="10"| [[Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation]]
|-
|}

==Acting career==
Honorably discharged after the war as a sergeant, he began acting on stage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kleiner |first=Dick |date=March 29, 1997 |title=Reader asks what preceded 'Gomer Pyle'? |newspaper=Calhoun Times and Gordon County News |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v1wIAAAAIBAJ&pg=3614,9571600&dq=gomer+pyle |access-date=December 6, 2008 |page=3}}</ref> He attended the [[Columbia University School of General Studies]], graduating ''[[cum laude]]'' with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1952.

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Sutton played small roles in television shows such as ''[[Decoy (TV series)|Decoy]]'', ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'', ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]'', ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[The Goldbergs (broadcast series)|The Goldbergs]]'', ''[[87th Precinct (TV series)|87th Precinct]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Target: The Corruptors]]'', ''[[Empire (1962 TV series)|Empire]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', and ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]''. He had a continuing role as Cadet Eric Rattison, the great rival of the Polaris Unit manned by the series' heroes, in ''[[Tom Corbett, Space Cadet]]'' from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, he received his big break in the [[Academy Award]]-winning movie ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'', in which he played the title character's friend, Ralph. He also had a role in ''[[The Satan Bug]]'', a 1965 spy thriller. He returned to the stage in ''[[The Andersonville Trial]]'' in the early 1960s.
[[File:Jim Nabors Frank Sutton Gomer Pyle premiere 1964.jpg|thumb|350x350px|Sutton and [[Jim Nabors|Nabors]] in [[Gomer Pyle – USMC|Gomer Pyle]] premiere, 1964]]
Having primarily acted in dramas,<ref name="lowry19650729">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s5haAAAAIBAJ&dq=gomer%20pyle&pg=4805%2C1182936 |title=Gomer Pyle Show Scored Immediately |newspaper=[[Daily Record (Washington)|Ellensburg Daily Record]] |date=July 29, 1965 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 17, 2015 |last=Lowry |first=Cynthia |page=4}}</ref> Sutton's breakthrough role was on ''[[Gomer Pyle – USMC]]'', a 1964 episode of ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', in which he played the cynical and easily exasperated Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter opposite [[Jim Nabors]]' character [[Gomer Pyle]]. This episode was the pilot for a spin-off TV comedy, ''[[Gomer Pyle – USMC]]'', where Sutton continued the role for five seasons, until the show ended its run in 1969. He also appeared in public service announcements in the role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter. After ''Gomer Pyle'' ceased production, Sutton appeared regularly on Nabors' variety show ''[[The Jim Nabors Hour]]'' with ''Gomer Pyle'' co-star [[Ronnie Schell]]. Sutton played the brother-in-law of Nabors' character in comedy sketches.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dgoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5100,6336249&dq=frank+sutton |title=Nabors' Production Still Popular |date=October 16, 1970 |newspaper=[[Rome News-Tribune]] |page=9-A |access-date=November 23, 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1dcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7248,2899197&dq=frank+sutton |title=Complete Television Programs for Thursday |date=September 17, 1970 |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |page=48 |access-date=November 23, 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Sutton performed in dinner theater, playing, among other roles, the father in ''[[Norman, Is That You?]]'' and made guest appearances on other television programs.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=zfsRRabFVBUC&dat=19720518&printsec=frontpage&hl=en| title=Roaming Around Florida| last=Rearden| first=T.J. (Mrs.)| date=May 18, 1972| newspaper=The DeFuniak Springs Herald| page=10| access-date=March 30, 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
In 1946, Sutton married soap-opera writer Toby M. Igler, with whom he had two children, [[Joe Sutton]] and Amanda.<ref name=si/>

On June 28, 1974, while preparing for a performance in the comedy play ''Luv'' at the Beverly Barn Dinner Playhouse in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], Sutton died of a heart attack.<ref name=si/> He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web | last=Wood | first=Becky | title=Historic Greenwood Cemetery Spotlight: Frank Sutton | website=Customs House Museum & Cultural Center | date=2021-09-29 | url=https://customshousemuseum.org/news/historic-greenwood-cemetery-spotlight-frank-sutton/ | access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1950 || ''The Goldbergs'' || Dutch ||
|-
| 1954 || "The Glen Miller Story" || Singing Group Member ||
|-
| 1955 ||''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' || Ralph || Uncredited
|-
| 1957 ||''[[Four Boys and a Gun]]''|| Ollie Denker ||  
|-
| 1961 || ''[[Town Without Pity]]''|| Sgt. Chuck Snyder ||  
|-
| 1965 || ''[[The Satan Bug]]'' || Donald ||  
|-
| 1974 || ''[[Hurricane (1974 film)|Hurricane]]'' || Bert Pearson || Television movie released posthumously (final film role)
|-
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1950-1955 || ''[[Tom Corbett, Space Cadet]]'' || Cadet Eric Raddison ||  
|-
|1954 || ''[[The Glenn Miller Story]]'' || uncredited ||
|-
|1956 || ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' || Sgt. Fitzsimmons ||  
|-
| 1958-1961 || ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'' || Franklin Maquon ||  
|-
| 1960-1961 || ''[[Deadline (1959 TV series)|Deadline]]'' || John McDowell || Lead role in the episode "To Move a Mountain" (1960)
|-
| 1960-1961 || ''[[The Secret Storm]]'' || Joe Sullivan #2 ||  
|-
| 1961-1962 || ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' || Charlie (1961) Olie (1962) Billy Tooker/Marston (1962) ||  
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1962 || ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'' || Davey Walsh || One-time role – The Trap (1962)
|-
| ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' || Frank, Jerry's manager || One-time role in episode "[[The Dummy]]"
|-
| 1962-1963 || ''[[Combat! (TV series)|Combat!]]'' || Corporal Cording || – The Chateau (1963)
|-
| 1962-1963 || ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' || Benny Stryker (1962) Smiley Barris (1962) Angie Stazak (1963) Sgt. Davey McCain (1963)||
* The Stryker Brothers (1962) ... Benny Stryker
* The Contract (1962) ... Smiley Barris
* The Speculator (1963) ... Angie Stazak
* The Butcher's Boy (1963) ... Sgt. Davey McCain
|-
| 1963 || ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' || (deputy) Jackson || One-time role in episode 3 "The Other Side of the Mountain"
|-
|1963 || ''[[Death Valley Days]]''|| [[Diamondfield Jack]] || Episode: Diamond Field Jack aired October 1, 1963
|-
| 1964 || ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' ||Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter || One-time role in episode "Gomer Pyle – USMC"
|-
| 1964-1969 || ''[[Gomer Pyle – USMC]]'' || Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter ||  
|-
| 1966 || ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' || Himself || Game show contestant / Celebrity guest star
|-
| 1969-1971 || ''[[The Jim Nabors Hour]]'' || Himself ||
|-
| 1970–1973 || ''[[Love American Style]]'' || Various || Episodes:
* Love and the Bonded Separation (1973)
* Love and the Secret Life (1972)
* Love and the Guru (1972)
* Love and the Lady Barber (1971) ... Herb Redding
* Love and the Haunted House (1970) ... Walter
|}{{clear left}}

==See also==
* [[List of Gomer Pyle – USMC characters]]
* [[List of people from Tennessee]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Frank Sutton}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0840308|name=Frank Sutton}}
* [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/187274%7C54085/Frank-Sutton#overview Frank Sutton] at [[Turner Classic Movies]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120706180737/http://www.arrangeonline.com/Obituary/obituary.asp?ObituaryID=59912658 Obituary on National Obituary Archive]
* [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/10/frank-sutton-appreciation-society.html Several dozen articles about Frank Sutton]
{{Portal bar|Biography|California|Comedy|Film|Television|United States|Theatre}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Frank}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Columbia University School of General Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Clarksville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]

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Frank Sutton