Simon Oakland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television. During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between 1951 and 1983. His most notable big-screen roles were in Psycho (1960), West Side Story (1961), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Bullitt (1968), The Hunting Party (1971), and Chato's Land (1972). On television, he was a regular on the cult classic horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975), and the military drama Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-1978). Early life and career Oakland was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of the three sons of immigrant Jewish parents, Jacob Weiss and Ethel Oaklander, born in Romania and the Russian Empire respectively. His father was a plasterer and builder. While he later claimed in media interviews to have been born in 1922 (a date repeated in his New York Times obituary), Social Security and vital records indicate he was born Simon Weiss in 1915; his stage name was derived from his mother's maiden name, Oaklander. Film and television In 1955, Oakland made his film debut, albeit uncredited, as an Indiana state trooper in The Desperate Hours. He appeared in two films released in 1958: as Mavrayek in The Brothers Karamazov and as journalist Edward Montgomery in I Want to Live! Oakland's notable performance in I Want to Live! led to his playing a long series of tough-guys, either as authority figures or villains or a mix of both. He appeared in Psycho as the psychiatrist who, at the end of the film, explains Norman Bates's multiple personality disorder. He appeared in the films West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, and Bullitt. He made two guest appearances as murder victims on CBS's Perry Mason. He appeared in the syndicated crime drama, Decoy, starring Beverly Garland. Oakland appeared once on the CBS Western Dundee and the Culhane and once on the series Sheriff of Cochise. He was also a regular, in a comedic supporting role, as General Thomas Moore, on NBC's Baa Baa Black Sheep, starring Robert Conrad. He appeared in two episodes of the original The Twilight Zone TV series (“The Rip Van Winkle Caper” and “The Thirty-Fathom Grave”) and in The Outer Limits as the alien birdman in "Second Chance". In 1974 and 1975, he was a series regular on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, playing newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo. (He had previously played the same character in two made-for-television movies. Personal life Oakland was married to Lois Lorraine Porta. The couple had one daughter, Barbara. Death Oakland continued working up to the year of his death. His last credited acting appearance was in the episode "Living and Presumed Dead" on the CBS television series Tucker's Witch. That episode aired three months before Oakland's death from colon cancer in Cathedral City, California, on August 29, 1983, the day after his 68th birthday. CLR
Bullitt
(Captain Sam Bennett)
Psycho
(Fred Richman)
West Side Story
(Schrank)
The Sand Pebbles
(Stawski)
Emperor of the North
(Policeman)
The Night Strangler
(Tony Vincenzo)
Tony Rome
(Rudy Kosterman)
Chato's Land
(Jubal Hooker)
The Satan Bug
(Tasserly)
I Want to Live!
(Edward S. 'Ed' Montgomery)
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond
(Lt. Moody)
The Brothers Karamazov
(Mavrayek)
The Night Stalker
(Tony Vincenzo)
Murder, Inc.
(William Tobin)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
(Dr. Conrad Fuller)
The Hunting Party
(Matthew Gunn)
Third of a Man
(Doon)
Scandalous John
(Barton Whittaker)
Who Was That Lady?
(Belka)
Toma
(Lieutenant Spooner)
The Plainsman
(Chief Black Kettle)
Chubasco
(Laurindo)
Alexander The Great
(Attalos)
Crosscurrent
(Capt. E. J. Goodlad)
Please Call It Murder
(Mickey Costigan)
The Flying Misfits
(Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore)
Wall of Noise
(Johnny Papadakis)
The Raiders
(Sgt. Austin Tremaine)
Happy Mother's Day, Love George
(Sheriff Roy)
Follow That Dream
(Nick)
Ready for the People
(Murray Brock)
Key West
(Gen. Tom Luker)
The Desperate Hours
(State Trooper (uncredited))
Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy
(Delaney)
Crackle of Death
(Tony Vincenzo)
Evening in Byzantium
(Walter Klein)
Demon and the Mummy
(Tony Vincenzo)
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
(Joe Boulton)
Red Light
(Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited))
Lou Grant
CHiPs
77 Sunset Strip
Cain's Hundred
(Walter Hayes)
The F.B.I.
(Nikos Kapralos)
Hawaii Five-O
(Benny Kalua)
Quincy, M.E.
Route 66
The Twilight Zone
(De Cruz)
Naked City
(Duke)
Charlie's Angels
(Sgt. Cates)
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Mod Squad
Kojak
(Tom Donnelly)
Medical Center
Gunsmoke
(Enoch Mills)
Perry Mason
(Howard Walters)
Saints and Sinners
(Alberto Bianco)
Combat!
(Sgt. Tom Akers)
General Electric Theater
(Director)
Mission: Impossible
(Jack Wellman)
Tucker's Witch
Get Smart
(Cowboy)
The Twilight Zone
Ironside
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
(Tony Vincenzo)
Outlaws
Bus Stop
Felony Squad
Rawhide
(Bolivar Jagger)
Vega$
Have Gun, Will Travel
Cimarron Strip
Daniel Boone
(Dull Knife)
Police Story
Switch
(Sam)
The Virginian
(Bob Coulter)
David Cassidy: Man Under Cover
(Sgt. Abrams)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
(Frederic Sterne)
Men Into Space
The Big Valley
(Adam Howard)
Adventures in Paradise
(Martin Quirk)
Bronco
Judd, for the Defense
Profiles in Courage
(Captain Bogart)
Tarzan
Decoy
(Lieutenant)
The Rogues
(Absalom MacBride)
The Alaskans
Black Saddle
(Grat Mowery)
Ben Casey
Ellery Queen
Mr. Novak
(Carl Green)
Captain Nice
The New Breed
(Felix Pascal)
The Detectives
The Bill Dana Show
The Young Lawyers
Suspense
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
(Corporal Townsend)
Stoney Burke
Tightrope
The Defenders
(District Attorney Gardella)
The Defenders
(District Attorney)
The Defenders
The Defenders
(Assistant District Attorney Murphy)
The Outsider
Baa Baa Black Sheep
(Thomas Moore)
Adventures in Paradise
(John Briggs)
Adventures in Paradise
(McGraw)
Rawhide
(Sheriff Blaine)
Combat!
(Pvt. Clawson)
Gunsmoke
(Jim Nation)
Gunsmoke
(Miguel)
The Virginian
(Charles Sanders)
Gunsmoke
(Carl Mandee)
The Outer Limits
(Empyrian)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
(Jesse Harp)
Hawaii Five-O
(Shako)
Profiles in Courage
(Perry Fuller)
Daniel Boone
(General James Wilkerson)
Daniel Boone
(Bickford)
Decoy
(Sgt. Steve Necclo)
Hawaii Five-O
(Frank Epstein)
Hawaii Five-O
(Marty Mauritany)
The Name of the Game
(Luis Fierro)
Perry Mason
(Capt. Mike Caldwell)
Hawaii Five-O
(Mendoza)
The Rockford Files
(Vern St. Cloud)
Bonanza
(Frank Scott / Mel Barnes)
The Wild Wild West
(Diamond Dave Desmond)
Ironside
(Ted Berringer, Sr.)
Deadline
(Lyons)
CHiPs
(Bruno)
My Favorite Martian
(Lt. Murphy)
Bonanza
(William Poole)
Bonanza
(Judge Seth Tabor)
Ironside
(Elton Ferris)
The Untouchables
(Russ Bogan)
Young Dr. Kildare
(Attorney)
The Rockford Files
(Beppy Conigliaro)
The Starlost
(Dr. Asgard)
Good Morning World
(Harry Lewis)
Evening in Byzantium
(Walter Klein)
Special for Women
(The Father)