Paul Carr (actor)
Encyclopedia
Paul Carr was an character actor
who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana
. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.
. As a teenager, he had an interest in music as well as acting. After a short stint in the United States Marine Corps
during his late teens, his acting career began with a role in a New Orleans production of Billy Budd. By the mid-1950s, he was working on live television in New York City
, including appearances on the popular Studio One
and Kraft Television Theater, while continuing theatrical work in stock companies in Ohio and Michigan; including roles such as 'Peter Quilpe' in The Cocktail Party, 'Haemon' in Antigone
, 'Jack' in The Rose Tattoo, and 'Hal Carter' in Picnic. He also toured in summer stock with Chico Marx
in Fifth Season.
's fact-based thriller The Wrong Man
. That same year, he portrayed a prisoner of war in the New York Theatre Guild production of Time Limit on Broadway
. His film career continued with a much larger role in Alfred Werker's The Young Don't Cry in 1957 starring James Whitmore and Sal Mineo; and that same year he appeared in the Warner Bros. rock and roll jukebox movie Jamboree
as Pete Porter.
, The Rifleman
, and The Virginian
. Later he appeared in detective, medical, and war dramas, including 77 Sunset Strip
, Dr. Kildare
, The Fugitive
, and Twelve O'Clock High
, interspersed with occasional film work, including Captain Newman, M.D.
. Other television appearances included Burke's Law
, Combat!, Gunsmoke
, The Time Tunnel
, The Invaders
, and dozens of other shows in the middle of the decade.
In 1965, Carr won the role of 'Bill Horton', the physician son of protagonist Dr. Tom Horton on Days of our Lives
. He was later a regular on General Hospital
and The Doctors.
Carr went on to work in dozens of other television shows in the intervening years - everything from Get Smart
, Mannix
, The Rockford Files
, and Murphy Brown
.
. In 1966, he played the role of 'Lt. Lee Kelso', the affable USS Enterprise
helmsman who is strangled psychokinetically
by the ship's rapidly mutating navigator, 'Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell', in the second Star Trek
pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before
", giving him the dubious honor of technically being the first dead Red Shirt
(technically peachy red since the uniforms in the pilots were made of a different material than the other episodes) in Star Trek history. In 1981, he joined the cast of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
as 'Lt. Devlin', one of the officers on the Earth Starship Searcher.
for Best Actor in the Theatre East production of Manhattan Express in 1987 and garnered a 1995 Dramalogue Award for his role in the Los Angeles Repertory production of Assassins. Carr was also a writer and director, and headed the Play Committee of the L.A. Repertory Company.
in Los Angeles
, California
in 2006 at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife Meryl; daughters Micah, Alexandra, and Christina; and two granddaughters.
Associate producer of
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.
Beginnings
Carr grew up in the town of Marrero, in Jefferson Parish, LouisianaJefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
. As a teenager, he had an interest in music as well as acting. After a short stint in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during his late teens, his acting career began with a role in a New Orleans production of Billy Budd. By the mid-1950s, he was working on live television in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, including appearances on the popular Studio One
Studio One (TV series)
Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
and Kraft Television Theater, while continuing theatrical work in stock companies in Ohio and Michigan; including roles such as 'Peter Quilpe' in The Cocktail Party, 'Haemon' in Antigone
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Oedipus' mother. The name may be taken to mean "unbending", coming from "anti-" and "-gon / -gony" , but has also been suggested to mean "opposed to motherhood", "in place of a mother", or "anti-generative", based from the root...
, 'Jack' in The Rose Tattoo, and 'Hal Carter' in Picnic. He also toured in summer stock with Chico Marx
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
in Fifth Season.
Film
Carr made his film debut in 1955 with a small uncredited role in Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's fact-based thriller The Wrong Man
The Wrong Man
The Wrong Man is a 1956 film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film is based on a true story of an innocent man charged for a crime he did not commit...
. That same year, he portrayed a prisoner of war in the New York Theatre Guild production of Time Limit on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. His film career continued with a much larger role in Alfred Werker's The Young Don't Cry in 1957 starring James Whitmore and Sal Mineo; and that same year he appeared in the Warner Bros. rock and roll jukebox movie Jamboree
Jamboree (1957 film)
Jamboree is the name of a black and white 1957 rock 'n' roll motion picture directed by Roy Lockwood that runs for 71 minutes in mono RCA sound...
as Pete Porter.
Television
He worked steadily on television in the late 1950s and early 1960s with guest spots and supporting roles in many Western series such as Trackdown, RawhideRawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, The Rifleman
The Rifleman
The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
, and The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
. Later he appeared in detective, medical, and war dramas, including 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
, Dr. Kildare
Dr. Kildare
Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...
, The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
, and Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)
Twelve O'Clock High or 12 O'Clock High is an American drama series set in World War II. This TV series originally broadcasted on ABC-TV for two-and-one-half TV seasons from September 18, 1964, through January 13, 1967; was based on the motion picture Twelve O'Clock High...
, interspersed with occasional film work, including Captain Newman, M.D.
Captain Newman, M.D.
Captain Newman, M.D. is a 1963 film starring Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, Eddie Albert and Bobby Darin. It was directed by David Miller and filmed on location at Fort Huachuca, Arizona....
. Other television appearances included Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
, Combat!, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
, The Invaders
The Invaders
The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
, and dozens of other shows in the middle of the decade.
In 1965, Carr won the role of 'Bill Horton', the physician son of protagonist Dr. Tom Horton on Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. He was later a regular on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and The Doctors.
Carr went on to work in dozens of other television shows in the intervening years - everything from Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
, Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, and Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
.
Science fiction
He may be remembered best, however, for his various appearances on science fiction shows over the years. In 1964/1965, he had the recurring role of the uptight crewman 'Casey Clark' on Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
. In 1966, he played the role of 'Lt. Lee Kelso', the affable USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
helmsman who is strangled psychokinetically
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
by the ship's rapidly mutating navigator, 'Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell', in the second Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before
Where No Man Has Gone Before
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the second pilot episode of the television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It was produced in 1965 after the first pilot, "The Cage", had been rejected by NBC. The episode was eventually broadcast third in sequence on September 22, 1966, and was re-aired on...
", giving him the dubious honor of technically being the first dead Red Shirt
Redshirt (character)
A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek , from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.-Star Trek:...
(technically peachy red since the uniforms in the pilots were made of a different material than the other episodes) in Star Trek history. In 1981, he joined the cast of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
as 'Lt. Devlin', one of the officers on the Earth Starship Searcher.
Stage
Throughout his career, Carr's first love was the stage. He appeared in nearly 100 stage productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway, as well as touring companies, stock, and in regional theatres around the USA. He received the LA Weekly Theater AwardLA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award is an annual critics' award established in 1979, given by the LA Weekly for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California...
for Best Actor in the Theatre East production of Manhattan Express in 1987 and garnered a 1995 Dramalogue Award for his role in the Los Angeles Repertory production of Assassins. Carr was also a writer and director, and headed the Play Committee of the L.A. Repertory Company.
Legacy
Carr died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2006 at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife Meryl; daughters Micah, Alexandra, and Christina; and two granddaughters.
Selected filmography
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone ComplexGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (video game)Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is the title of a pair of video games based on the cyberpunk anime of the same name, a third person action game, released for the PlayStation 2, and a first-person shooter game, released for the PlayStation Portable.-PS2 game:The games take place in the year...
as Jeff Calvert - Spotlight on Paul Carr (2002) as Himself
- Blood: The Last VampireBlood: The Last VampireBlood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000...
(2000) as School headmaster - Scorned (1994) as Kramer
- Father & Son: Dangerous Relations (1993)
- Dangerous WomenDangerous WomenDangerous Women is a syndicated nighttime American soap opera about a group of women who served time in prison together. It was created and written by Reg Watson and produced by Reg Grundy Productions.-Synopsis:...
as Ben Cronin - Night EyesNight EyesNight Eyes is a 1990 erotic thriller film written by Tom Citrano and Andrew Stevens. It stars Andrew Stevens, Tanya Roberts, Cooper Huckabee, and Warwick Sims.-Synopsis:...
(1990) as Tom Michaelson - Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) as Fry Cook
- Under the BoardwalkUnder the Boardwalk"Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a...
(1989) as Track - Generations as Alex Hawkins
- AirwolfAirwolfAirwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
(1984 Season 1 : Ep. 6) - Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
(1981) as Lt. Devlin - Raise the Titanic (1980) as Nicholson
- Scruples (1980) as Pat O'Byrnne
- Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978) as Belzar
- Sisters of DeathSisters of Death (film)Sisters of Death is a 1977 American film directed by Joseph Mazzuca and starring Claudia Jennings.-Plot:During an all-girl secret society initiation, one of the new members is killed playing Russian Roulette...
(1977) as Mark - The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) as Eddie Owens
- The Deadly Tower (1975) as Officer C.T. Foss
- The Bionic WomanThe Bionic WomanThe Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
(1975) as Timberlake - Adventures of the Queen (1975) as Walter Fletcher
- Truck Stop WomenTruck Stop WomenTruck Stop Women is a 1974 film, directed by Mark L. Lester and partly financed by Phil Gramm, about a mother and daughter who run a brothel for truckers on the New Mexico highways, and fight back when the Mafia tries to take over their operation. Claudia Jennings appears in this film and is naked...
(1974) as Seago - The Bat PeopleThe Bat PeopleThe Bat People is a 1974 film directed by Jerry Jameson and distributed by American International Pictures. After being bitten by a bat in a cave, a doctor undergoes an accelerating transformation into a man-bat creature.- Synopsis :...
(1974) as Dr. Kipling - Executive Action (1973) as Chris
- A Man for Hanging (1973) as Shep Barrenger
- The Dirt Gang (1972) as Monk and associate producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
- Ben (1972) as Kelly
- Brute Corps (1972)
- Trampa mortal (1972)
- Columbo: Ransom for a Dead Man (1971) as Hammond
- General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
as Dr. Peter Taylor #1 (1969)/Milton Stanus (1994) - Posse from HellPosse from HellPosse from Hell is a 1961 Audie Murphy Western written by Clair Huffaker based on his 1958 novel of the same name. Herbert Coleman made his directoral debut.-Plot:...
(1961) as Jock Wiley - The Young Don't Cry (1957) as Bradley
- JamboreeJamboree (1957 film)Jamboree is the name of a black and white 1957 rock 'n' roll motion picture directed by Roy Lockwood that runs for 71 minutes in mono RCA sound...
as Pete Porter
Associate producer of
- The Dirt Gang (1972)