Karl Swenson
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) and as the voice of Merlin in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963). On television, he had numerous credits in guest roles on various shows, especially Westerns, including episodes of Bonanza, The Virginian, and Gunsmoke. He had a major recurring role as Walnut Grove founder Lars Hanson on Little House on the Prairie (1974 - 1978). Swenson also had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Seconds (1966), Hour of the Gun (1967), ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972). Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, he originally planned to be a doctor and studied at Marietta College before pursuing acting. Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s. He entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter. Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins. He died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Connecticut on October 8, 1978, shortly after filming the Little House on the Prairie episode in which his character dies. The episode aired on October 16, 1978, eight days after Swenson's death. He was interred at Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut.
The Cincinnati Kid
(Mr. Rudd)
The Birds
(Drunken Doomsayer in Diner)
Judgment at Nuremberg
(Heinrich Geuter)
The Prize
(Hilding)
Seconds
(Dr. Morris)
North to Alaska
(Lars Nordqvist)
Vanishing Point
(Clerk)
The Sword in the Stone
(Merlin (voice))
Major Dundee
(Captain Waller)
Ulzana's Raid
(Rukeyser)
The Hanging Tree
(Tom Flaunce)
Lonely are the Brave
(Rev. Hoskins)
Walk on the Wild Side
(Schmidt)
The Sons of Katie Elder
(Doc Isdell)
Hour of the Gun
(Dr. Charles Goodfellow)
Ice Palace
(Scotty Ballantyne)
Flaming Star
(Dred Pierce)
No Name on the Bullet
(Stricker)
Kings Go Forth
(The Colonel)
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Colors of the Wind
((voice) (archive footage))
The Man from Galveston
(Sheriff)
The New Healers
(Mr. Fisherman)
Alice in Wonderland
(Humpty Dumpty)
A Howling in the Woods
(Apperson)
Strangers All
(Protester at Communist Meeting)
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
(Dr. Keller)
The Gallant Hours
(Bill Bailey)
The Gun and the Pulpit
(Adams)
… tick… tick… tick…
(Frank Braddock Sr.)
One Foot in Hell
(Sheriff Ole Olson)
Gateways to the Mind
(Hal - the Cameraman (uncredited))
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
(Theodore Roosevelt)
How the West Was Won
(Train Conductor (uncredited))
December 7th
(Machine-Gunner (uncredited))
The Wild Country
(Jensen)
Disney's Halloween Treat
(Merlin (voice) (archive footage))
The Spiral Road
(Insp. Bevers)
Four Boys and a Gun
(Mr. Badek)
Disney's Greatest Villains
(Merlin (voice) (archive footage))
Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
(Merlin (archive footage) (voice))
The Sunrise Gun
(Lud Greening)
The Andy Griffith Show
(Mr. McBeevee)
77 Sunset Strip
Maverick
Trackdown
Little House on the Prairie
(Lars Hanson)
The Odd Couple
(Captain Potter)
Mr. Lucky
Hawaii Five-O
(Abel Morgan)
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
(Col. Harper)
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
(Coley Bishop)
Happy Days
Surfside 6
The Mod Squad
The Fugitive
(Axel Nielsen - Service station owner)
Gunsmoke
(Hank Luz)
Perry Mason
(Axel Norstaad)
Hawaiian Eye
Lassie
Cannon
The Amazing Spider-Man
Hallmark Hall of Fame
(Humpty Dumpty)
Ironside
(Vet)
Leave It to Beaver
(George Haskell)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
(Ed Holland)
Klondike
(Judge Frank Weinstock)
The Greatest Show on Earth
Sam Benedict
Outlaws
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Rawhide
The Immortal
Have Gun, Will Travel
Cimarron Strip
The Outcasts
The Fugitive
(Morgan)
The Virginian
(Col. Theodore Roosevelt)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Asmussen)
Portia Faces Life
The Young Rebels
The Big Valley
(Bert Hadley)
Bronco
Judd for the Defense
Profiles in Courage
(Chynoweth)
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
(Andre Rochambeau)
Tarzan
Black Saddle
(Dr. Wyle)
Lock-Up
The Rebel
(Lew Bussey)
The Dakotas
The Rifleman
(Chris Manse)
Sugarfoot
(Andy Burke)
Ben Casey
Bat Masterson
(Jim Pate)
The Rat Patrol
(Colonel Seidner)
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Mr. Novak
(Mr. Haskell)
Riverboat
(Ansel Torgin)
The Texan
The Bill Dana Show
CBS Playhouse
Robert Montgomery Presents
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
(Lee Willis)
The Lieutenant
Playwrights '56
Johnny Ringo
(Kramer)
General Electric True
Tightrope
Dr. Kildare
(Judge)
The Court of Last Resort
The Westerner
(Ben Potts)
The Walter Winchell File
Doc Elliot
Ghost Story
(Ed Barnes)
Emergency!
(Gus)
Maverick
(Captain Nares)
Maverick
(Sheriff Griffin)
Hong Kong
(John Olwine)
The Big Valley
(Aaron Moyers)
Sugarfoot
(Alexi Sharlokov)
Sugarfoot
(Dennis O'Hara)
Sugarfoot
(Bill Manning)
The Big Valley
(Steve Minter)
The Virginian
(Karl Swenson)
Gunsmoke
(Raff)
The Virginian
(Ben Wallace)
Gunsmoke
(Hutch)
Gunsmoke
(Adam)
Gunsmoke
(Tabe)
Gunsmoke
(Ian McGovern)
Gunsmoke
(Lars Karlgren)
Gunsmoke
(McGruder)
Gunsmoke
(Mr. Hubert)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
(Lud Greening)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
(Will Harmon)
Hogan's Heroes
(Dr. Karl Svenson)
Perry Mason
(Corley Ketchum)
Perry Mason
(Charles Norman)
Perry Mason
(Unk Hazekian)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
(John)
Mission: Impossible
(Colonel Dubov)
Mission: Impossible
(Dr. Ziegler)
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
(George Sherston)
Cimarron Strip
(Dr. Kihlgren)
The Wonderful World of Disney
(Laredo Marshal (uncredited))
Sam Benedict
(Barney Rosvalley)
Sam Benedict
(Barney Rossvalley)
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
(Van Kemp)
Bonanza
(Carl Harris)