Larry Hovis
| Larry Hovis | |
|---|---|
Hovis in Hogan's Heroes
|
|
| Born |
February 20, 1936 Wapato, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 2003 (aged 67) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | esophageal cancer |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Occupation | Singer, actor |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Corrigan (married 1955-1995) |
| Children | Kimberly |
Larry Hovis (February 20, 1936 – September 9, 2003) was an American singer and actor best known for playing Sergeant Carter on the 1960s television sitcom Hogan's Heroes.
Hovis was born in Wapato, Washington, and moved to Houston, Texas, as a small child. As a youth, he was a singer, appearing on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. Hovis attended the University of Houston. During the mid-1950s, Hovis sang in nightclubs with groups including the Mascots, and the Bill Gannon Trio. He wrote songs and signed with Capitol Records, which released one album. His biggest song was "We Could Have Lots of Fun".
Hovis began appearing in local theater productions. After some success, he moved to New York City in 1959 and appeared in Broadway revues such as From A to Z which showcased his singing and comedy talents.
Hovis moved to California in 1963 where he performed stand-up comedy and tried to break into television. In 1964, he was discovered by Andy Griffith's manager and was hired to appear on the TV series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., where he played "Pvt. Larry Gotschalk". He also appeared on The Andy Griffith Show.
In 1965, when two other actors backed out of the television show Hogan's Heroes, Hovis was cast as "Sgt. Andrew Carter", a POW in a German prison camp who was an expert on explosives. In the pilot episode, Carter was a lieutenant and was only going to appear in that one episode. For the series he retained the character of Sgt. Carter, replacing a character played by William Christopher in the pilot. Christopher went on to play Father Mulcahy in the tv series M*A*S*H. In the series, Carter was of Sioux ancestry; Hovis himself was partly of Yakama Indian ancestry. Later, in an episode of the comedy Alice, Hovis played an American Indian police detective who arrests a fake American Indian conman.
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