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Howard Duff

Acting 76 (deceased) years old ★ 0.9
Born: November 24, 1913
Died: July 8, 1990

Biography

Howard Green Duff (November 24, 1913 – July 8, 1990) was an American actor of film, television, stage, and radio.

Duff was born in Charleston, Washington, now a part of Bremerton. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1932 where he began acting in school plays only after he was cut from the basketball team. His first film role was as an inmate in Brute Force. His other movies include The Naked City (1948), All My Sons (1948), Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949), Panic in the City (1968), In Search of America (1971), A Wedding (1978) and No Way Out (1987).

He appeared in a number of films with his first wife, actress/director Ida Lupino. One of Duff's later performances was as Dustin Hoffman's attorney in the Academy Award-winning Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

On radio, Duff played Dashiell Hammett's private eye Sam Spade from 1946–1950, starring in The Adventures of Sam Spade on three different networks - ABC, CBS and NBC. In 1951 Steve Dunne took over the role of Sam Spade. Duff also appeared in an episode of Climax! entitled Escape From Fear in 1955.

On television, Duff appeared with his then wife Ida Lupino in the CBS comedy Mr. Adams and Eve from January 1957 through September 1958, in which they played husband and wife film stars named Howard Adams and Eve Drake. He played the young Samuel Langhorne Clemens, in his early life in the West as a satirical and crusading journalist, in the TV series Bonanza ("Enter Mark Twain," season 1, episode 5, 1959). In 1960 he played the male main character in The Twilight Zone episode "A World of Difference" as Arthur Curtis/Jerry Raigan. From October 1960 through April 1961, Duff played Willie Dante, owner of the San Francisco nightclub, Dante's Inferno, in the NBC adventure/drama series Dante. In 1964, Duff guest starred as Harold Baker on the episode "Prodigy" of NBC's medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour, starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy. In 1990, he guest starred on an episode of The Golden Girls (episode: The Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding Present).

From September 1966 through January 1969, Duff portrayed Detective Sergeant Sam Stone in the ABC police drama Felony Squad with costar Dennis Cole. In the 1980s, he appeared on dramas such as NBC's Flamingo Road and Knots Landing, and Dallas, both on CBS.

Filmography

Acting Credits (124)

Los Angeles Plays Itself
Los Angeles Plays Itself Dave Pomeroy in Panic in the City (archive footage) 2004
The World of Hammer
The World of Hammer Self (archive footage) 1994
Too Much Sun
Too Much Sun O.M. 1991
Settle the Score
Settle the Score Cy Whately 1989
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance 1988
No Way Out
No Way Out Senator William 'Billy' Duvall 1987
Roses Are for the Rich
Roses Are for the Rich Denton 1987
Roses Are for the Rich
Roses Are for the Rich Denton 1987
Monster in the Closet
Monster in the Closet Father Martin Finnegan 1986
Love on the Run
Love on the Run Lionel Rockland 1985
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls Mangiacavallo 1985
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote Ralph Earl / Stephen Earl 1984
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King 1983
This Girl for Hire
This Girl for Hire Wolfe Macready 1983
The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch
The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch Col. Samuel Isaacs 1982
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere Herbie 1982
Hotel
Hotel 1982
Hotel
Hotel Adam Korsak 1982
Lily for President?
Lily for President? General 1982
East of Eden
East of Eden Jules Edwards 1981
Flamingo Road
Flamingo Road Titus Semple 1981
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. Captain Thomas Sullivan Magnum I 1980
Flamingo Road
Flamingo Road Sheriff Titus Semple 1980
Double Negative
Double Negative Lester Harlen 1980
The Dream Merchants
The Dream Merchants Charles Slade 1980
Valentine Magic on Love Island
Valentine Magic on Love Island A.J. Morgan 1980
Knots Landing
Knots Landing Paul Galveston 1979
Young Maverick - Dead Man's Hand
Young Maverick - Dead Man's Hand Herman Rusk 1979
Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer John Shaunessy 1979
$weepstake$
$weepstake$ 1979
Battered
Battered Bill Thompson 1978
A Wedding
A Wedding Dr. Jules Meecham 1978
Ski Lift to Death
Ski Lift to Death Ben Forbes 1978
Actor
Actor Winfield Sheehan 1978
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island Douglas Shane 1978
A Little Game
A Little Game Dunlap 1977
In the Glitter Palace
In the Glitter Palace Raymond Dawson Travers 1977
The Late Show
The Late Show Harry Regan 1977
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels Harrigan 1976
Matt Helm
Matt Helm Dan Mallory 1975
Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen 1975
Switch
Switch Ira Larkin 1975
Medical Story
Medical Story 1975
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files Edward J. Marks 1974
Tight as a Drum
Tight as a Drum Hollister 1974
Police Story
Police Story 1973
Police Story
Police Story Sergeant Al Butler 1973
Snatched
Snatched Duncan Wood 1973
The Heist
The Heist Lieutenant Nicholson 1972
Kung Fu
Kung Fu Noah Fleck 1972
Kung Fu
Kung Fu Mr. Jenkins 1972
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco 1972
Search
Search 1972
In Search of America
In Search of America Ray Chandler 1971
Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones 1971
The Immortal
The Immortal 1970
The D.A.: Murder One
The D.A.: Murder One Lynn D. Compton 1969
Panic in the City
Panic in the City Dave Pomeroy 1968
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad 1968
The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game Wally Cook 1968
Mannix
Mannix 1967
Judd for the Defense
Judd for the Defense 1967
Felony Squad
Felony Squad Det. Sgt. Sam Stone 1966
Batman
Batman Det. Sgt. Sam Stone 1966
Batman
Batman Cabala 1966
I Spy
I Spy Sean 1965
The Rogues
The Rogues G. Carter Huntington 1964
Calhoun
Calhoun Sid Rayner 1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre 1963
Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak Joe Stillman 1963
Burke's Law
Burke's Law Lou Cole 1963
Burke's Law
Burke's Law Charlie January 1963
Arrest and Trial
Arrest and Trial 1963
War Gods of Babylon
War Gods of Babylon Sardanapolo 1962
Combat!
Combat! Col. Hobey Jabko 1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Peter Harding 1962
The Virginian
The Virginian Ed Frazer 1962
Sam Benedict
Sam Benedict 1962
Boys' Night Out
Boys' Night Out Doug Jackson 1962
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show Self - Co-Host 1961
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show Self 1961
Bus Stop
Bus Stop 1961
Dante
Dante Willie Dante 1960
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone 1959
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Arthur Curtis / Gerry Reagan 1959
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour Howard Duff 1957
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Tonight Starring Jack Paar Self 1957
Sierra Stranger
Sierra Stranger Jess Collins 1957
Mr. Adams and Eve
Mr. Adams and Eve 1957
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Self 1956
While the City Sleeps
While the City Sleeps Lt. Burt Kaufman 1956
The Broken Star
The Broken Star Deputy Marshal Frank Smeed 1956
Blackjack Ketchum Desperado
Blackjack Ketchum Desperado Tom "Blackjack" Ketchum 1956
Flame of the Islands
Flame of the Islands Doug Duryea 1955
Women's Prison
Women's Prison Dr. Crane 1955
The Yellow Mountain
The Yellow Mountain Pete Menlo 1954
Climax!
Climax! 1954
Climax!
Climax! Dr. John C. Clark 1954
Studio 57
Studio 57 1954
Private Hell 36
Private Hell 36 Police Sgt. Jack Farnham 1954
The Whistler
The Whistler 1954
Tanganyika
Tanganyika Dan Harder 1954
Jennifer
Jennifer Jim Hollis 1953
Spaceways
Spaceways Dr. Stephen Mitchell 1953
Roar of the Crowd
Roar of the Crowd Johnny Tracy 1953
The Ford Television Theatre
The Ford Television Theatre Johnny Abel 1952
Models Inc.
Models Inc. Lennie Stone 1952
Steel Town
Steel Town Jim Denko 1952
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Terence Kerrigan 1951
The Lady from Texas
The Lady from Texas Dan Mason 1951
Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre Jim 1950
Shakedown
Shakedown Jack Early 1950
Spy Hunt
Spy Hunt Steve Quain 1950
Woman in Hiding
Woman in Hiding Keith Ramsey 1950
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass Sam Bass 1949
Illegal Entry
Illegal Entry Bert Powers 1949
Red Canyon
Red Canyon Lin Sloane 1949
Johnny Stool Pigeon
Johnny Stool Pigeon George Morton 1949
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show Self 1948
All My Sons
All My Sons George Deever 1948
The Naked City
The Naked City Frank Niles 1948
Brute Force
Brute Force Robert 'Soldier' Becker 1947
Know Your Enemy: Japan
Know Your Enemy: Japan Narrator 1945

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